Reflecting on the past year, we are so grateful for courageous, fearless business leaders. We continue to be inspired by those who bravely carried on in 2020. Grit and gumption.
Cheers to those leaders who showed up. Those who made the most out homeschool, while working or not, closures, pivots, business opportunities and personal and professional loss.
Earlier in the year, I watched no TV. I read only the daily work related briefs and blogs.
However, in the later part of the year, I read a good chunk of mindless trash. This is how I escape. Reading fiction, mostly murder mysteries and romance novels.
The two personal and professional development books I did read were life changing for me. Leaders must read. One was this. The other was Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness. I read it twice in the past two months.
Leaders will brave the new year.
How?
Do you. Brown talks about praying and cussing. Those who know me will not be surprised I love this. She talks about not being moved. Doing work in an honest way that is true to yourself. Leaders, time to truly support each other. I let others “do you.” And, I do me. Belong to yourself. ” … brave the wilderness of uncertainty, vulnerability and criticism.”
Speak truth to bullshit. Do not shut down. In other words, that is the easy road. Leaders do not avoid communication. Learn more about others. Even if we still disagree, at least we engaged in meaningful conversation. We have a deepened mutual understanding. However, at all costs, be civil.
Strong back. Soft front. The latter is most challenging for me. No more armored front. I will stay open. Leaders are comfortable with vulnerability. “A soft and open front is not being weak; it’s being brave, it’s being the wilderness.” Eeeek … here goes. I can do it.
Be fearless. I am a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program alum. The experience was life changing. My co-hort continues to inspire me. My growth group was named, “The Fearless Five.” Coincidence? “Fear is how we got here.” Fear and blame. Own your pain. Do not inflict pain on others. Be fucking fearless.
Read the book. It is worth your time.
And, in conclusion, I am driven to make this my best year, for me and my family, business, team, clients, community, country and world.
And here we are at the end of 2020. Last year’s reflections focused on time and community. At the end of 2019, we encouraged you to spend the first year of this new decade in community with others and in the company of those you love. Little did we know how life-altering 2020 would prove to be.
This is the year of the letter “I.” 2020 has not been idyllic, but it has been, for better or worse, impactful. First, it has been isolating. But, 2020 has illuminated how important people and community are, and how much we take for granted in our modernized world.
2020 highlighted the fact that we are all imperfect people who could use a little extra kindness and grace extended toward us.
It’s been a year of incredible innovation and imagination to say the least. How did this happen? Industrious people were required to slow down and indulge in the company of those closest to them while requiring others to be indefatigable in their care of others.
So we hope these reflections lift your spirits and provide hope and inspiration for a brighter 2021.
Chief Rocker Julie Porter
For me, 2020 was always going to be a monumental year. I anticipated significant changes in my personal life. But I never would have imagined how quickly and continuously my family would have to adjust our plans and expectations.
From a personal perspective:
My son graduated from high school during COVID. Bands of angels are singing that it happened. Then, his school, as did most others, adjusted their plans to provide a wonderful graduation celebration.
Yes, he also left the nest and began his freshman year of college. Now, he’s more than 1,000 miles away. No amount of planning could have prepared me for this. So I simply miss him. My heart yearns for his presence every single day. Yet, I am so proud of him. Of course, he has acclimated brilliantly to his school in a different state, even without the usual opportunities to build new relationships.
Next, I quickly learned I should not quit my day job in favor of becoming an elementary school teacher. Actually, I would be awful (and miserable!) at it. My daughter, an extrovert, began learning online after Spring Break 2020. Homeschooling isn’t for either of us. As a result, I could never be more thankful for those blessed with the ability and passion for teaching.
And finally, my husband, employed with the same company for 19 years, left his job. That could be a whole blog post itself.
From a business perspective:
This year, I have marveled at the Front Porch Marketing team. Their talent, attitude, dedication, collaboration, innovation and work ethic are unmatched.
Honestly I don’t know what I have done to receive them as one of my many blessings. They are the best.
So 2020 was a reminder we need to let people do their thing. I often said to our team members, “You do you. I will do me. There is no judgment.”
Inspiration has come from business owners and leaders who pivoted, rebranded and/or valiantly stayed the course. Hence, I am grateful many have realized the power of branding and marketing in growing and saving their businesses.
Mid-March, I wasn’t sure what would happen to Front Porch Marketing. What would happen to our clients’ businesses? Where would new business come from?
Every year brings new lessons. 2019 was hard for my family because of a personal loss. It made us stronger ~ my family, my business and me. Thus, I am grateful for the strength I gained and could rely upon this year. Looking forward, I am hopeful for the opportunity 2021 holds. May we continue to be the light. Always find the joy.
Media Rock Christine Finnegan
2020 was a pivotal year in my life. To start, I had to take hold of my family’s well-being like never before. This was more about a mindset than physical acts, particularly with college-aged sons. Their emotional framework was dictated by how I was reacting to our world, as we knew it, changing seemingly overnight.
Consequently, my sons and I operated as a unit and, as such, our already strong bond increased to a new level. So 2020 made me more resilient. I hold the ones I love closer and tighter. In some ways, I am going to miss the closeness the quarantine afforded my sons and me.
Rock Star Vanessa Hickman
One special outcome from the year is gratitude for all the things! Big things, small things and everything in-between. Bigger and better appreciation for simple creature comforts (toilet paper), ability to provide for our kids, travel and go to school.
Separation intensifies love, so my case-study of one validates absence makes the heart grow fonder. This year brought great appreciation for missed events, gatherings and people. It really put a spotlight on our priorities and was a reset on how and where we spend our time.
We are more grateful for our family, friends, community, healthcare providers, food suppliers, teachers, delivery drivers, and leaders than ever before.
We continue to be amazed by our community’s resilience, resourcefulness and ability to keep going with a positive attitude. It is always good when your blessings are bigger than your bummers and that is how we are wrapping up the year and to that we give thanks!
Rock Collector Alison Moreno
In such a turbulent year, I have found that being grateful for the small things helped me find more moments of peace. First, making a concerted effort to find joy in the everyday helped me to recognize I was able to spend extra time with family. I could learn new skills, enjoy being outside on a beautiful day and work with wonderful people. In these things I have found healing in gratitude and I am going into the new year knowing there is always good around us – we just have to look for it.
Intern Allison Corona Del Cid
2020 has been filled with challenges. But it has also been a true blessing to spend this year growing closer to my family, friends and faith. And I am truly appreciative of my FPM family and the joy they get from our clients’ successes. So here is to a new year! My biggest wish is for health, happiness and hope for all.
Swiss Army Rock Lea Ann Allen
2020 – the year that seems to have taken away so much from so many. On paper, it meant job loss, isolation, breast cancer and a pandemic. But I choose to acknowledge that this is the year I have realized a lifelong dream I never thought was possible. After a 30+ year career as a female creative, I am finally doing work that I am good at doing. And it is work that I love doing – for and with kind people who value me.
Now I work exclusively with women-owned businesses like Front Porch Marketing. Women have always been strong. This year, for the benefit those around them, women across the world have had to take on additional roles and shoulder heavier burdens. It surprises me not at all that women are persevering and creating work for others: recommending each other, lifting each other up and keeping each other afloat. In short, 2020 has been a year of incredible strength and resilience on everyone’s part.
Lil’ Rock Maria Gregorio
This year did not go according to plan. But, as Julie always says, “Be the light.” I choose to shine a light on the good things:
My niece, Elise, was born in November. She’s a few weeks old and doing great.
I have a job that I like and that I’m good at doing. (If someone told me as a kid that I would make a living with my creativity, I’m not sure I would have believed them.)
I have great friends and family. They are all people with whom I can share the good stuff and the bad stuff.
I am grateful for what I have because it’s a lot. It’s a lot.
From All of Us on the Porch: Let Your Light Shine, Friends
2021 is your chance to start fresh in marketing your business – so here’s your Marketing 101 for 2021
In the sea of marketing possibilities: programs, platforms, practices, what is the best course of action? It can be overwhelming. And with the promising new year of 2021 approaching, how do you decide what to focus or re-focus on? Marketing 101. Back to basics.
We are finding that many of our clients are spending this quarter reflecting and refocusing. They are homing in on what makes their business better, and then doing more of that for their Marketing 101. They are taking this opportunity – when much of the world is operating under an umbrella of The Great Unknown – to really get to know themselves, and know themselves well. And then take the necessary steps to take their company to the next level.
How did we get here? Pandemic. Panic. And from both of these we are seeing a renewed sense of Purpose. How has that manifested itself? We have all gotten more digitally focused, learning new platforms that keep work working when we can’t be together. We have all learned how to be more efficient with our precious time – doing more with less because we have to. We’ve all become experts at continuing to reach our customers with fewer resources. We have all learned how to focus on what’s important in our daily lives. So we propose Marketing 101: focusing on doing fewer important things for your business in 2021 – and doing them better.
Be the brand of your dreams.
Your brand is the foundation of your business and everything else builds up and out from there. So this is where we recommend starting. Right now is the best time to step back and reflect. Do you know what your mission is? Do you know exactly what kind of people find value in your company’s product or service? Is your brand working as hard as it could for you? Your branding should really represent and reflect your business as it stands now – because like it or not mostly everyone’s business has pivoted to an extent in the past three quarters.
We’ve rebranded a good number of our clients in the past 6 months – helping them really understand who they are, what they stand for, who their core audience is, and how they want to do business going forward. With a detailed Brand Elaborative in hand, business owners can easily discern where to focus their efforts and how to effectively market to their audience. It’s a map that leads them in the right direction for marketing in 2021.
Visual Marketing 101: Refresh your logo to reflect your brand’s mission.
A logo refresh is honestly a great place to start the new year as a Marketing 101 first step. New Year’s resolutions shouldn’t just be limited to a new diet, exercise routine or haircut. Your business can experience the same shot-in-the-arm – with a new logo – that a new haircut gives you. Armed with a strong visual presence, a lively color palette and versatile modern typefaces your brand now has new tools and a new voice to build community with your customers.
When you update your logo, you’ve created a reason to talk about your business, just as you would personally with a new haircut or new exercise routine. Keep your customers excited about the future. People want to hear good news, and celebrate success – since it seems in short supply recently – and with your new look and confident voice you can connect with them and bring them along to share in the journey.
If your brand was a person, would people want to hang out with them?
With your new branding and logo in hand, extend your voice and visuals to your social media and your website with a powerful Content Marketing plan. Make your customers feel like a community. Make them feel valued and a sense of belonging by helping them, educating them, solving their problems and being there when they need you. Your brand can have a definite personality and power. And your brand can use those powers for good. That’s a brand that people want to hang around with – the one that makes them feel important and smart.
Got limited resources? Marketing 101 says use what you have.
We hear you. One super efficient thing that brands can do is repurpose their existing content across channels. One way we maximize our client’s effectiveness is to take a look at what they have already done well and double down.
A great company brochure can be turned into 20 Facebook social media posts and most likely a blog post or two, with relevant bits of information and helpful graphics. Every company’s website is a treasure trove of social media content that’s already been written, just waiting to be broken into little pieces and shared as social media. Sometimes just having a fresh outside eye look at your company’s assets can help you see that you have more than you thought you did!
Be the best version of yourself for 2021.
Overall, when we’re looking at what to recommend to our small and medium-sized businesses for 2021, we keep coming back to these important things. Remind yourself of who you are and why you do what you do (branding), show your audience you mean it (logo) and bring them into your brand’s community (website, social, content marketing). A brand is a promise, and 2021 can be the year your brand makes a promise to be the best version of themselves.
Finding joy is the overarching theme at my daughter’s school.
It is perfect as children are good at finding joy in the simplest of things. It is also a reminder to find joy throughout the day. Yet, in the busyness of our professional lives, practicing gratitude often takes a backseat. As enter the Thanksgiving season, what if we took the time to find joy in the most miniscule of things each day?
Practicing gratefulness is particularly important for business leaders in challenging times. Research shows that an attitude of gratitude can mean fewer sick days and higher job satisfaction rates. It is easy to appreciate that both of those things help the bottom line.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
~Vincent Van Gogh
Start by finding the positives.
Was that presentation you’ve worked on for a month canceled at the last minute? Great! Now you have time to connect with a coworker or to make the call you have been putting off. Was a meeting called unexpectedly? No problem. Now you can grab that extra cup of coffee while you listen to a presentation.
Uplift yourself. Each day give thanks for one very small thing or accomplishment. Start daily and increase from there, consistently giving thanks for things that may seem miniscule.
Show simple appreciation. We all like to know our time is valued. Give thanks to your team for simple things. This can include changing the copy paper or hopping on a call at the last-minute. Pay attention. Check in with your team often to let them know you care. Celebrate any and all successes, no matter how small. If they are out of sorts one day, drop them a quick note to let them know you appreciate their work. Circle back often.
Using Text Messaging Marketing in your Marketing Plan
Is your brand using text messaging to connect with customers? Consumer preference to shop and connect with brands continues to increase steadily. Because of the pandemic, the mobile ecommerce growth that was expected to occur over the next 2 to 3 years, happened in mere months in 2020.
In addition to email marketing and social media marketing, text message marketing is an opportunity to speak with your customers in real-time. As a result, you can have real conversations with them throughout their customer journey. And, build brand loyalty. Use the space where they spend the most time – on their phone – to reach them.
Start with your business goals.
First, define your business goals before you incorporate a new marketing strategy. Next, select key performance indicators (KPIs) that will support those goals. These can be simple quantifiable measurements like subscriber growth or they can be revenue driven. Then with a clear plan for your text marketing program, you can set your company up for success.
Brands who text message can engage customers, increase loyalty and even drive revenue. Now more than ever, as consumers and brands are both feeling the effects of COVID-19, it’s important to be able to connect with your customer directly.
Simple reasons to think about using text messaging.
Texting could be a helpful addition to your marketing mix depending on your type of business. With texting you can build the type of relationships with customers that they crave. There are many different ways to use SMS. So, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Welcome new customers
Create a welcome offer to new subscribers. Then, build a drip campaign (a series of texts) for these new subscribers. This welcomes them to the brand and give them a reason to stick around.
Offer your text message subscribers extra perks for being a subscriber. Make offers ones that aren’t given in your other digital venues. Share early access to shop new items, access to a member’s only special sale or VIP access to products.
Share new products or sales
Excite your customers about a new service. Send them a text with a link to your website. Then they can easily sign up for your company’s newest yoga class or hot stone massage.
Encourage quick action. Share limited-time deals in your shop, best-selling items running out of stock and Buy One Get One Free offers. Texting helps you highlight the time-sensitive nature of an offer.
Alert and remind
Keep your customers up-to-date about steps in a service process. Don’t make them guess or wait or have to track you down. Text them when their tax return is ready. Show them pictures of their new kitchen being built. Keep them aware of when your serviceman is coming to repair their refrigerator.
Remind your subscribers about their abandoned shopping carts with a link directly to their cart to finish their shopping journey. As a result, it’s easy for them to finish checking out. Thank them for their purchase. Reward them with a bounceback offer after the completion of their purchase.
Share important or timely information to your text message subscribers. If you’re a restaurant, share news like COVID-19 safety precautions, new menu items or dining options.
Your customers rely heavily on their smartphones to connect to the outside world right now. Reach out to them using text messaging. Having real-time conversation with your customers lets them know that you hear them, you understand their needs and you are ready to add value to their lives.
Fundraising for causes near to our hearts is in the Front Porch Marketing team’s fabric of being.
Last year marked my last of three being involved in Jesuit Preparatory School of Dallas Mum sales.
The new Mum Moms found a new solution to Mum sales in the COVID19 world. No Homecoming Dance or other celebrations. So why spend the time or energy?
Reasons Not to Cancel Your Fundraising Efforts
It is tradition. Everyone wants to continue traditions and celebrations. Even if they look differently. Students want to celebrate Homecoming. Donors want to continue annual giving and / or event attendance. They look forward to it. We are thirsting for normalcy.
Fundraising for Mums helps the school. Our school communities need more funds to operate at their best. Now more than ever.
Volunteers for Mums builds school community. Volunteers help make the work happen. They come together. Celebrate tradition. Share stories. Ask advice. Coming together to make this happen.
Adapt communication vehicles and their frequency. Email, text and phone are preferred. Make sure they are quick and to the point. Adjust frequency. More emails and texts are needed to break through the clutter. But they must be on point and useful.
Reinvent your event. Socially distant or online. Engage experts if needed. Events can still happen. It takes extra time. More investment of dollars is needed. Keeping the conversation going is immeasurable.
Make involvement easy. SignUpGenius is a great vehicle. Make sure volunteers know where and when to meet. Maximize their time spent. Create opportunities to volunteer from home.
Make donating simple. Eliminate all the barriers to donation. Make sure the donate button or page is front and center. Optimize the speed and ease of use.
Pick up the phone or schedule a video conference. Check in with your donors. Reach out. Show them you care. You do.
My Mum Mom fundraising era has (maybe temporarily?) ended. The relationships I made with all communities and the students are priceless. Make sure your efforts create the same.
A branded Facebook page has the power to be a gathering place, a showcase or a conversation starter for your company. As a part of your social media marketing, a Facebook Business page is a very good addition to your digital asset family to connect with your customers and build a following for your business.
Why should your brand be on Facebook?
Here are five good reasons why your brand should consider being on Facebook, and a few suggestions on how to use this social media channel and it’s features to build your business.
1. Your next customer is looking for a local business just like yours
Potential customers are using Facebook to find a new favorite neighborhood restaurant, plant store, realtor or dentist. You might not think of it this way, but Facebook is a search tool just like Google. People use Facebook to ask their friends about their experiences with businesses all the time…in front of all their other friends. They use Facebook to look up your business to see what your food looks like, what your office interior looks like, what people say about you, and more.
Facebook organically suggests brand pages to people who are located nearby. Facebook also suggests brand pages to people whose friends already like that page and engage with that business. If your brand is not on Facebook, you’re not benefitting from this simple suggestion.
If your business is on Facebook, friends can recommend you easily, give you good reviews and chat about you with their circles. Facebook is a good way to be a part of the conversations that are already happening between friends all over the country…but especially in your local trade area. By having a page, you can present your brand to your community and host those conversations.
Local customers are also looking for events in their area, and Facebook Events – another great Facebook feature – helps you easily create and post an event page with its own URL and mechanism for inviting people right on Facebook. Have a fun outdoor pop-up event next month? Build an Event page and share it. Need volunteers for a non-profit help day? Facebook Events can rally neighbors to help.
2. Engage Your Employees Digitally to Show the Human Side of Your Company
You want people to think of your business as a person that they like. They need to connect to faces, names, voices and personality. Showing the human side of your business endears your brand to your customers, and creates loyalty. You already accomplish these things in your place of business with your own employees, so extend this personality and corporate culture onto your page, giving your employees a digital way to connect with the company. This both gives them the emotional reward of connectivity and shows their friends publicly what a great company you are.
Your employees are your ambassadors. Highlight their accomplishments and their awards on your company’s page, and their networks will see that engagement as well. Value your employees publicly to build positive company culture not just among your current employees, but with your future employees.
3. Your Future Employees Are Keeping Tabs on Your Company
When you use Facebook to showcase your company, you are speaking directly to not just your own employees, but to their communities containing your future employees. Convey the personality of your company and attract new employees who are already a good culture fit.
Facebook also has another helpful feature called Facebook Jobs. Companies with a Facebook Business page can build a job post easily and immediately post it into the Facebook Jobs bank. Your followers will be the first to see your job posting – which also resides as a post on your business page. Who better to be your next employee than someone who already knows all about your brand? Facebook jobs also appear in Google search and display job local to the searcher.
4. Your target demographic is on Facebook
Do you know who your customers are? Facebook Insights can help you discover the demographics of your customers, to better market to them. When people like, visit and comment on your page, you can gather information from their Facebook profiles that is helpful for your business. Using this information, you can pivot what your business does to meet your customers’ needs.
For example, if you are a CPA and your Facebook followers continue to ask you what seems like the same tax question over and over – that might be a cue to write a blog post on your website that addresses that very topic. Then, share that page on Facebook so that your followers get the information they need. And voila, you are the voice of authority and their hero.
5. Build Your Digital Presence with Facebook Traffic
On Facebook you can present information and tell stories about your company a little bit at a time; much like you would become good friends with a person over a period of time by sharing little stories about yourself. These stories give weight to your SEO and give your company better Google Search Ranking.
You can drive traffic to your website from your page. Sign up new email list subscribers. Build your authority in your field by curating and sharing relevant and useful articles. In addition, offer special sales to customers, incentives for activity on your page and hold contests or promotions.
Facebook Business pages are one of the important tools many small businesses use in their digital marketing plan. In conclusion, with 2.4 Billion active Facebook users, more and more small businesses are utilizing a Business page to connect with their customers – and future customers – through daily conversations and brand story telling.
A tracking pixel is a little HTML code that tracks behavior
from your customers – it records for instance when a user visits your website
or opens an email from you, or interacts with a banner ad that your brand has
created. It essentially fills the same role as a cookie but tracking pixels
cannot be blocked by normal browsers like cookies, so they offer an alternative
information tracking process.
A tracking pixel is also a tiny graphic with the dimension
of 1 pixel by 1 pixel. Because it is this tiny, no one notices when it is
included on a website or in an email because it is usually designed to blend into
the graphics.
Brands can use a tracking pixel to gather this behavior data and then analyze it to make better decisions on what to put on their website, in their emails, on their social channels. Where are most of your customers located so you can market to them at a local level? Are most of your customers are on-line late at night, so it would make more sense to schedule your emails or social media when they are on-line looking for answers? Maybe a tracking pixel could give you more insight into answering questions like these.
How Does a Tracking Pixel Work, and What’s in it for You?
By adding this little snippet of code to a website or email, the brand links a piece of content – like a web page, an email, or a banner – to the pixel’s server. Then when a user, let’s say visits the brand’s website (where the tiny pixel is) the code gets processed by the browser being used and is then registered and noted in the server’s log files.
When this process occurs, several different pieces of
information can be transferred in regard to the content that a user is
interacting with. Brands can find out answers to questions like:
What is the screen resolution of this device?
Is this content being viewed on a mobile device or desktop?
What is the OS of device the customer is using?
Is the customer looking at your content in a browser or in an email program?
What is the IP address and location of the viewer?
When was the content was viewed?
What types of ads does the customer like clicking on?
One of the most common use of tracking pixels is for retargeting. Did you just look at a pair of shoes yesterday and now you’re seeing those shoes in Instagram? Do you feel like you were just talking about a specific thing and BOOM there it is in Facebook? That is a tracking pixel doing its job. That little guy is trying to be helpful!
Tracking pixels are also used to measure a marketing
campaign’s performance or track conversions. They can be used to build an
audience base for a new product or service.
How to Insert a Tracking Pixel
Web and social analytics tools such as Google Analytics and the analytics available within Facebook for Business, for instance, give brands thorough explanations and tutorials on implementing tracking pixels. There are two ways to include a tracking pixel in your website:
Through your CMS dashboard.
In the hardcode of your website. If this is the case, you will need to get your web developer involved.
What’s in it for your customers?
Tracking pixels can benefit customers over time, as the data garnered can be used to make offers more relevant, questions answered more readily, and overall make the user’s experience better. Privacy advocates argue that pixels violate user privacy and allow spammers access to personal data more readily. User consent must be secured first and GDPR rules require the choice of opting-out of being tracked.
Many of the data points tracked and logged by a tracking
pixel can be helpful information to brands when they decide what to highlight
on their website – which part of the website is the most popular and gets the
most traffic? One could infer that this particular content is valuable and
sought after and therefore create more like it to be more helpful to their
customers in the future.
Use tracking pixels wisely and carefully by being a responsible brand – answer their questions, be helpful, get them the information they need. In this way, the tiny tracking pixels can yield big results for both you and your customers.
Curbside Sales for restaurants and retailers appear to be here to stay – so think upselling, at least for a while. Your customers still crave your product. But, they want to enjoy the purchase and the consumption of it in their own homes. The simplest way to keep retail and restaurant doors open is curbside service.
Rather than shopping in your store, customers can order on line or by phone. Then, they can swing by your store as you bring their package to their car. Instead of dining in your restaurant this evening, customers are calling in their order. The customer then pulls up to your curb 15-20 minutes later ready to take their meal home.
Curbside pick-up – partnered with on-line or phone ordering – gives restaurants and retailers an effective way to keep selling. Indeed when things open back up again, this is also a new way to increase sales to an additional audience beyond the traditional in-store or in-restaurant customer.
Pick-up is not a new practice, but it is one that has been quickly honed during the pandemic.
There are best practices for curbside sales that will benefit both the customer and the business owner. Keep in mind that the easier you make things for your currently stressed-out customer, the more likely they are to return for this convenience again and again.
Get ready for curbside pick-up by optimizing your website and social media
Get your website, customer email and social media up to speed. Make sure your customers know you offer curbside service and how that works is a way of upselling. Put this information on the homepage of your site. Build a separate landing page for curbside and link to that on your social platforms. Zanata Restaurant in Rockwall added a pop-up talking about Curbside Pick-up on its homepage.
Remind customers weekly on social about curbside service. Consider having a weekly curbside special with a great photo of the item and the deal.
Build community with your customers. Encourage them to take a picture of their purchase (food or clothing or whatever it is) and tag your store on social media. Then you in turn repost their picture thanking them publicly. This is called “User Generated Content” and is a best practice by big and small brands alike.
Make the ordering process easy for everyone
When customers are ready to order, provide an on-site phone number for the customer to call or text to let you know that they are at your curb ready to pick up their order.
Process payments in advance either on the phone or via your website or app. Keep the transaction at the curbside swift and contactless. If you must transact at the curb invest in a mobile card processor.
At the time of order, ask your customer for their type and color of car picking up, and a description of the driver for clear instructions to deliver the right order to the right car.
Designate a parking space or a specific spot as the curb service pickup area. Mark this area with signage that has clear instructions and the on-site phone number for the customer to call once they have arrived.
Create a designated table inside to place curbside orders to streamline delivery during busy times. Have plastic ware, extra sauces, etc here to add to bags for food orders. Add tissue and gift bags here for retail merchandise.
If you have the outside space to create a pop-up drive thru, this format can make things easier for both the customer and the business for upselling. Emporium Pies in Bishop Arts District built a pop-up “Pie-Thru.” Customers get pie without leaving their cars, mimicking their famous long line of people waiting to get pie on any given weekend.
Upselling: Keep them coming back for more
Restaurants: include an order menu in the bag with the take-away food to make it easy for the customer to order again. Hand write a thank you note on the menu. Let the customer know how much their order meant.
Ask the customer if they’d like to add a gift card to their purchase to either use next time, or to share with a friend. Or, if the customer hits a certain dollar amount on an order, add a gift card to the order as a thank you. This gift card will act as a bounce back for them to return to your store again.
Invest in higher quality to-go containers to maintain integrity of your dishes. Presentation and temperature are still important. Big Al’s Smokehouse BBQ packages every to-go order in tamper-proof, sealed packaging. Consider branding your to-go packaging with stickers or hand-written “Thank Yous.” Adding stickers with your store’s logo and phone number or website helps remind customers how to find you.
Think outside the to-go box for upselling
Consider narrowing the selection of items to your restaurant’s most popular items to offer curbside to streamline delivery.
Offer Family Meals versions of your most popular items. Make it easier for families to just order the “Daily Family Meal for Four” for instance.
Package an appetizer-entrée-dessert. This is an easy to pick-up choice. Switch out this special weekly to allow for local availability of ingredients or a chance to use up what’s on hand.
And of course, have staff deliver bags or packages to customers’ cars wearing branded masks.
Add the ability for the customer to add grocery basics to their order: milk, eggs, butter, bread, fresh veggies. Saving them an extra trip to a store can earn you a more loyal customer.
Go above and beyond to offer an experience while they wait
Live music outside adds enjoyment when guests come to pick up their order.
Some restaurants, depending on TABC laws, offer drinks to go to sip on while you wait for your order.
Customers can order ingredients for one of your signature dishes with instructions to learn how to make it themselves at home. Some restaurants have even staged events. Consumers buy the ingredients kit and then tune into a Zoom with the chef to make from home.
There are more North Texas restaurants good to go best practices for how to do curbside service right by upselling. And there are several ideas for optimizing the outdoor space you do have. Re-imagine how to use it for curbside service and outside sales.
You can successfully make this way of doing business good for your bottom line.
Communicating with your target audience is always important. Using the right tone to do so is paramount, particularly in the current climate.
There are several examples we can use from the last few months. Similarly, some have already popped in your head.
Here are three tips to avoid the wrong tone in communications:
• Stay connected. Social media and email communications play a crucial role in our interactions with clients, consumers and co-workers. Engage with each of them consistently across platforms.
• Build relationships. Don’t focus only on sales. Work to build relationships by sharing content meaningful to your audience, not simply advertising your products and services.
• Strike the right chord. It is important to acknowledge, in a genuine manner, the challenges facing the world. Changing your email greeting or signature is one simple solution. However, don’t simply throw an email together full of overused phrases such as “in these uncertain times” or “our new normal.” Use rhetoric and language relevant to your audience, but do not pander.
Clients have asked us if they should communicate about certain issues. We are always happy to provide our feedback. If you have worked with us before, you know we have opinions. We are not afraid to share them either.
But, above all, we want what is best for our clients personally and professionally and what is best for their businesses or organizations.
If you are going to participate in a conversation about sensitive issues, here are three additional tips:
• Choose wisely. If you are going to engage regarding sensitive subjects, make sure you add value to the conversation.
• Explain your position clearly and succinctly.
• Commit to specific actions. Share those commitments with your audience and be accountable to them.
How you communicate is as important as what you communicate. The tone is equally as important. Do not be tone-deaf.
In conclusion, no matter the topic, always be genuine. As a result, say what you mean and mean what you say.
