When marketing, sales and ops work together, whether in fundraising or in the corporate world, usually there is a tale of witches, goblins, vampires and more. This year’s HOCO Mums sales at one local high school were a ghost of a different color. When marketing, sales and ops worked together, it became a success worthy of a marketing case study.

Homecoming Mums are a long-standing Texas tradition. If you are not familiar, read more here on the fall tradition and why Texans do it.

Recently one mom said that at her high school this year, mum sales were down. Not the case at this local high school. Insert the mummy marketing case study.

Historically mum sales were flat, and in fact, declined in 2016. In 2017, the Chair of the Homecoming Mum initiative was determined to buck the trend. She instituted digital operational systems for tracking inventory and orders that had never been done before. In addition, her incoming Chair, one that has a working role two years before the Chair-ship, developed a project and communications timeline. Sales that year increased by 15%.

The 2018 Mum sales are tracking at an increase of 14% over previous year and still growing.

What happened differently to make this a marketing case history?

Mummy Marketing Case Study

The implemented plan integrated a sales plan, an operational plan and marketing plan.

The operations developed over the previous year were enhanced even further. There was now at least one year’s history in which to reference. Inventory could be managed tighter which lowered cost and waste.

A sales strategy developed the previous year due to unforeseen circumstances was replicated. We could tell you what it was, but then we would have to send the headless horseman after you.

The marketing strategy, plan and execution was further enhance and defined and included:

• Signage – At the front of carpool every morning for three mornings before the sales deadline was highly visible at the school.
• Social media – A targeted campaign was executed with professionally designed messages and graphics. Content was posted on a consistent basis with relevant messaging.
• School communication – Blurbs in the weekly parent email communication vehicle were increased.

We are proud of this marketing case study that resulted in more dollars raised for the school’s athletic program. Want to learn more? We would love to help your non-profit organization. We are passionate about increasing fundraising efforts. Call us.

You are a small business owner or a business leader who knows their business inside and out – no one will know your business like you do. And in terms of marketing to your ideal customer, that is the problem.

When you are trying to sell to your target customer, it’s tempting to imagine their wants and needs. But, there are limits to what you can imagine your customer wants, and what their lived experience is. Remember: you are not your customer.

Unless you are …

A middle-aged dad with two volleyball playing daughters and a penchant for craft beer … you are not Greg.

An entrepreneur with a Division 6A football playing son and a daughter who is ready to take over the world at the age of five … you are not me.

A thirty-something woman with a deep and unabiding love for bulldogs who has never lived in one place for more than four years … you are not Maria.

What does any of this have to do with marketing to your target customer? I have no idea, but unless you take a hard look at customer research and insights, you might miss something important that has a bearing on whether your customer chooses you over a competitor.

Marketing is not one size fits all

Each customer is unique and has different needs.

Does your customer value convenience over cost or vice versa? Do they care about how their product is made and its impact on local communities? Are they early adopters of new technology? Do they want a Swiss Army knife or one product that does a few things well? Do they like to try new things spontaneously or are their purchasing decisions based on thorough research? How do they find out about new products and services – social media, word-of-mouth, content creators and influencers? All these factors affect how you market to your customer.

Let’s look at a product that many of us on the Porch are about to take on soon – college. It’s easy to think that with this digital generation, all that matters are engaging with them on an online, social media level. But you would be wrong. Students have a ton of options – what makes one school stand out over another? If you look at the experience of our summer interns, their answers might surprise you. Go here and here to find out.

Reaching different customer audiences can seem overwhelming. The solution? Your friends from the Porch. We love a good marketing challenge and we want to help businesses reach their customers through the channels that make sense for that target market.

We are a company comprised of people with very different skillsets, backgrounds and experiences. We are moms, dads, fur parents, former corporate folks, nonprofit fans, football lovers and football nubes, big thinkers and specialized experts.

We are different. Just like your customer.

SaveSave

SaveSave

Inktober is a month-long art challenge mean to kick start participants’ creativity and improve their drawing skills. Participants draw one ink drawing a day for an entire month. Every day has a different prompt to inspire participants. Participants are encouraged to share their drawings online via social media with the hashtag #Inktober. Inktober is the brainchild of illustrator and comic book writer Jake Parker. He started the art challenge as a way to get better at drawing. Nearly ten years later, thousands of artists (and amateur doodlers like myself) have taken part in the month-long challenge.

Creativity Everyday

I decided to participate in Inktober for a few reasons:

1. Small Steps Everyday: There is something to be said for putting forth a small effort everyday rather than a herculean effort every once in a while. I tend toward the latter, I wanted to do more of the former.
2. The Wonder Years: I was such a creative kid – I used to spend afternoons drawing, writing for fun, painting, coloring, gluing bits and bobs to things and calling it “art.” And then I grew up. Sometimes adulting gets in the way. Inktober was a way for me to start making stuff again. Which leads to reason #3.
3. Mind Space: I think that everyone needs a hobby, especially if they work in an industry that demands creative solutions and novel thinking. The mind needs space to work on problems in the background. Constantly chipping away at problem or project doesn’t necessarily make for a better solution. Give the mind a break, jumpstart a creative solution.

My Inktober framework deviated in a couple of ways from the standard Inktober challenge. One, I followed the prompt list from Australian illustrator Sha’an d’Anthes. I found her list to be more inspiring and fun. Two, I have never used ink before and while I wanted to explore my creativity, I didn’t want to explore a totally different medium than the watercolors and acrylics I was used to. So, I chose to focus on using gouache instead. Pronounced gwah-sh, it is a happy medium between watercolors and acrylic paints.

Half-way through Inktober, I have learned a few things…

I really like gouache. However, I am terrible at blending colors. Just terrible.

It is hard to make habit. That’s essentially what you are trying to do when you are trying to make a small effort every day. You must consciously carve out time in your day for your new effort and you have to make sure you have the supplies, workspace and “headspace” to do it. Did I always do this? Not even close.

I love variety.  But not all the time. Part of Inktober’s appeal was that it would challenge me to draw something different every day. You know what I learned? I don’t like to draw a wide variety of things.

While it was fun to try something new, the experience also reiterated to me what I do enjoy drawing. Which is a pretty narrow list – I like to draw fruits, vegetables, and flowers. And that is it. I think it’s okay to step out of your comfort zone to try new things, even if the experience reinforces what you knew all along. At least you know you’re on the right track and that you’re not missing out on anything.

The Takeaway

Will I continue with Inktober? Probably not. I don’t like taking what I consider to be a fun hobby and making it another to-do on my list. I don’t like the prompt list framework, I like to do my own thing. So, were the past fifteen days a total loss? No! Inktober gave me a chance to jumpstart my creativity and give my brain a break. That was all I really wanted, a way to improve my life without doing something radical or expensive. And I think that sounds like the best outcome I could hope for.

Any good marketing plan wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of some event marketing as part of the mix. Hosting an event allows you to reach people personally, build a relationship, and increase brand loyalty.

I love a good analogy, and I liken running an event to conducting a symphony. A symphony needs a strong conductor to unify performers, set the tempo, and control the pacing of the music. It needs a strong and diverse instrumental ensemble to provide a beautiful, multi-layered performance. And it needs a captivating musical score that sets the tone and crescendos in spectacular fashion.

Planning and executing a successful event lies in these details:

Crystallize Your Vision

Start by “scoring” your event. Identify your audience, define your message, and determine the experience you want to provide. Having a clear vision is important, because all the smaller event details and decisions will flow from it.

Logistics Follow

Your “score” will inform your logistical decisions. Choose a venue, food, music, entertainment, format and feel in keeping with your vision. Stay true to the experience you want to provide and these decisions will flow easily.

Choose Your Partners Wisely

Ensure the professional  partners you choose to assist you are on board with your vision. Your caterer, photographer, videographer, etc. should be well versed in what your plans and expectations are for the event.

Plan and Train

Plan everything, down to the minute. Have a schedule and a timetable. Ensure that your “orchestra” understands their roles from beginning to end. Identify your transition times, your presentation times, time spent ramping up and time spent winding down. It’s all important. Extremely important.

We love planning and executing events for our clients. Most recently, it has been our privilege to partner with Practice Ministries in order to “Set the Table” for the future success. We look forward to delivering an exceptional experience to their attendees bright and early on Thursday morning!

Do you need some help planning an event? Come see us on the Porch!

Everything is bigger in Texas! This includes the opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to network and learn from each other. One of these opportunities – the Governor’s Small Business Women’s Forum – was recently held locally in partnership with the National Association of Women Business Owners, Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County.

There, as part of a digital marketing panel alongside other local business owners (including Kalyn Asher, president of our fabulous client Asher Media, Inc.), I had the honor of presenting tips from the Porch on integrating your digital marketing with your brand strategy. Now, I get to share them with you rockin’ readers, too!

Brand Identity

1. First, build a strong brand identity. The foundation of your brand strategy is your brand architecture.

Brand architecture is built on the following pillars:

• Vision – Determine who you are and who/what you aspire to be as a company.
• Personality – The human personality traits that describe how you want to be known.
• Positioning – The place your brand occupies in the mind of your target audience.
• Affiliation – What you want other people to think of and associate with your company.

Strong brands have three main attributes. We like to call them “The Three C’s”:

• Connection – Brands that cultivate loyalty connect with their target audiences. Consumers care about what your brand stands for.
• Conviction – Everyone in the company needs to believe that the brand is important.  They need to know that the company brand stands for a specific and important promise. Company leaders need to understand the brand, articulate it clearly and champion it internally.
• Consistency – Brand consistency equals earning consistency. Be consistent with your look and message. Deliver on your brand promise at every touch point.

Content is Key

2. Create quality, engaging digital content. The foundation of your digital marketing strategy is having content you can utilize consistently as part of your overall brand strategy.

Another key thing to remember are the three “C’s” of content. Your digital marketing content should be:

• Customized. According to The Content Council, 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom online content.  Also, they are more likely to buy from companies that deliver customized content. Nielsen’s 2018 Total Audience Report shows American adults spend nearly half of their day online looking at content. Most consumers liked custom content for brand engagement. Know your audience. Use the power of personalization to your advantage.
• Creative. Create customized content. Keep your content consistent in your brand guidelines but try to push the boundaries of your brand and voice.
• Cohesive. The customized content you create should be repurposed across platforms and networks.  But remember, repurposed does not mean identical.  Your content should not look the same or say the same thing across different channels.

Don’t Forget Email Marketing

3. Finally, do not underestimate the power of email marketing. It is cost-effective and allows you to easily create different journeys for different groups content-wise.

Customize your email content so that it is personal.  This goes beyond simply including users’ names.

Make your marketing emails skim-friendly. Emails should have a clear call to action and purpose. The less effort and time required for interaction, the better.

In conclusion, if you want to rock a bigger, better brand, start with a strong foundation. Integrate your customized, creative and cohesive digital marketing to connect with your audience.  Remember: Consistency is key.