Marketing leaders, what are you doing to nurture relationships with your customers?

Consistency and connection nurture relationships. Sure, loyalty and points programs are tactics that bring brands and customers closer together.

But genuine allegiance is an outcome.

A recent conversation with a marketing leader provided inspiration. This marketing leader has had some challenges. But realized the value of marketing.

The company had cut the marketing budget. All the momentum that person built was put to a halt. And then the company brought in a consultant. First, he asked her what was happening on the marketing front. To which she replied, “Nothing.’ And, obviously he was shocked.

How to foster genuine relationships.

Business leaders do these four things:

1. Conviction – Know the brand. Marketing leaders walk the talk. And they demonstrate it every touchpoint. Then, clients and their customers can see it and feel it.
2. Consistency – Do you have a message map for your client? Share the value proposition of the brands you work on, on every platform, consistently.
3. Communication – Know your audience. Then recognize: how do they want to communicate? It isn’t about you. It is about what works for them. Marketing leaders will recognize this and pivot messaging to solve clients’ problems in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the client.
4. Connection – If there is consistency communicating the message, then the connection will happen. But as a marketing leader, how do you deepen the ties with your client and their customers?
   • Weekly meetings with clients
   • Weekly catch-up calls on both status of projects, and how pain points with consumers are being addressed
   • Notes on special days to recognize achievements
   • Boundaries set on both sides, so that both marketing and client are set up to succeed

Marketing leadership: Take inspiration. Deepen connections. Accelerate growth.

We love to partner with smart leaders who value marketing. And, if we can help, let’s talk about mutual partnership to grow top line sales.

Pinterest fails like these make me snort laugh.

It is terrible, I know, but they are so funny! Perhaps because they are relatable. You see something, you think you can do it, it turns out differently than you planned.

“The more the plans fail the more the planner’s plan.” Ronald Reagan

It’s time to evaluate your marketing strategy for the second half of the year. With Q1 in the rearview mirror, and Q2 well underway now is the time to plan what comes next.

We wax the marketing plan lyrical often, additional reading can be found by searching Marketing Plan right here on Off Your Rocker, because it is a topic we keep coming back to because it is that important. Running through your activities, business, leisure or really anything without a plan often leads to failure and even the best laid plans fail. When and if plans start failing it is time to dig and plan some more.

Planning 101: Be Proactive

For any project or initiative to succeed, it must be carefully thought out. One of the key qualities of any project manager is to be proactive. This comes because of good planning. Proactively address potential problems and prepare possible ways to fix them while they are still predictions. Challenges like inadequate funds and resources, low staffing, or poor time management – are likely to arise in any plan. Effective planning lets you see them and fix them before they hinder the desired outcomes. 

Pinterest Fail? Evaluate and Pivot

It is easier for teams to pivot from a plan versus starting from scratch. Existing plans guide and ground activity. Even if an initiative or project is failing or failed pivot and plan some more! In the pivot remember the importance of staying positive and true to your brand.

Now is the time to look at the 2022 plan and evaluate what stays in, what stops and what needs to be added. Let’s get ready for the second half and move forward with purpose and intention to thrive the rest of the year. If you need a marketing planning partner, give us a holler!

Recent readings over Spring and Easter Breaks provided four great reminders for me as a business leader. And I hope they do the same for y’all too.

For those of you who do not know, one half of my heart – my son – attends Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, right outside Orlando.

We stayed at one of my favorite beaches over Easter, New Smyrna Beach, which is a hour drive from my “son~shine.” And, where I purchased a beach condo, aka short-term rental investment property, earlier this year. It is affectionately deemed the “money pit.” But that is a blog for another day. I digress.

Reminder One: Be a GD Cheetah

A beach read was Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. She shares a visit to the zoo and the Cheetah Run. The cheetah, Tabitha, is tamed. She performs on queue.

A little girl asked, “Doesn’t she miss the wild?”

Zookeeper comes back with a BS answer.

Doyle writes that Tabitha would sigh and say, “I should be grateful. I have a good enough life here. It is crazy to long for what does not even exist.”

“I’d say: Tabitha. You are not crazy. You are a GD cheetah.”

That had such a profound effect on me. I later cried as I read the excerpt aloud to my daughter. Without the GD, of course. And I asked her to promise me to always be herself. To be a cheetah.

Reminder Two: Finding Leverage

Not as an emotional experience for me, but profound none the less. Reading the latest issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

Time is our inventory.

An article by Adam Bornstein explores business growth by not necessarily adding more people. Rather, exploring this. “Smart growth is not about spending more time, nor is it about maxing out your time. It is about finding leverage.”

Reminder Three: Damn the Sycophants

I cannot remember what the article was about. It was the word. The word I had to look up.

I was reminded, although sometimes painful, I treasure those around me who are not this.

Surround yourself with talented people. Those who are smarter than you. Formidable team members push back. They may not think like you. But they make the organization better. These folks fill in for your short falls.

Reminder Four: Being Too Efficient

In a past life, I was ultra-organized. I am a Franklin Covey Planner Training Course graduate for heaven’s sake. Organized all the things in my office and life.

Then, I started Front Porch Marketing. And, had my second child at an “advanced maternal age.”

Words quoted from Edward Tenner in another Entrepreneur Magazine article spoke to me. In summary, big business always has the advantage. However, entrepreneurs combine technology with connection to people. Something big companies cannot do.

Jason Feifer, author of the article, cited Blockbuster and Netflix as an example. Early in my career collaborating with folks at Blockbuster and Viacom shaped me into who I am today. And I am eternally grateful for those experiences. I saw how they tried to evolve. As well as saw what was attempted and did not happen. These learnings were invaluable.

So I hope these four reminders for business that I learned this spring will resonate with you too!

Are you assessing your brand right how? Recently I was invited to sit in on a brainstorming meeting about marketing and growth. Here I was able to pick up some powerful marketing tools needed for growth. These tools may be applied both for personal and business growth.

Assessing Your Brand: Assets

In growth, we learn powerful information. So look at and determine your growth, and the path you took to get there. Assess the road your brand has taken – whether it’s a personal or business brand. Revisit where you have been and decide where you’re headed. Assess your brand’s strengths and weaknesses by asking yourself these questions.

• Present your strengths and weakness so that you stand out, sell your brand.
• What is new with you? Determine what you have learned and how it matters.
• Why does your business exist?
• Who are previous clients and why did they hire you?
• Evaluate your goals: where do you see yourself long/short term?

Target Audience Evaluation

Your target audience are the people you want to work with, your customers and potential customers. The internet provides resources to reach your target via platforms such as blogs, newsletters, social media, and alumni groups. Use these resources to be present for your customers, and assess your brand’s voice on these platforms.

• Who are you targeting? Who’s the decision maker that could benefit from your expertise?
• What are the hot topics? What’s trending in your brand’s space?
• Protip: Subscribe to platforms that your target audience subscribes to.
• Listen to your customers. Assess what they are talking about, and their relevance to your brand.
• Protip: Participate on sites that interest you, this is a great networking tool for finding like-minds.
• Become like your target, interact with their “friends” socially to really get to know them.

The Social Media Impact

Social media is more than a picture sharing platform, it is great for networking. Use social media platforms such as LinkedIn to learn about and follow clients to implement current trends.

• Use social media to introduce your brand to your potential customers, potential employers, and to your peers.
• Seek out and become a “friend” to past clients as well as their friends, and network with them, sharing your expertise.
• Your LinkedIn page should mirror the career for which you are aiming. Find websites dedicated to that career and subscribe to them. This will allow you to network and stay on top of any current or future possibilities. Brag about yourself on your profile, be proud and loud.

Plan and Grow Your Brand

Planning is the most important step one can do to get to the next level. So, plan, plan and keep planning. Brainstorm with colleagues and staff about ways to grow your personal brand and/or your business’ brand. Gather, analyze and leverage data, creating a message map of the recurring themes that you see. Really think about: what is your end game – a job, a career, an entrepreneurship? Evaluate and understand what you will need to get there by assessing your brand. Update your skills, explore what’s new and current. Investing in yourself is important to your brand’s growth.

Social media trends for 2022 look a little different than last year.

Social media trends for 2022 will increasingly be about customer experience and personalization. Those agendas are paramount. And, most if not all social media platforms are increasingly moving more and more toward “pay to play”. In other words, platforms want you to pay to get people to see your social media. For instance, this looks like boosting posts on Facebook. Trends that involve an interaction with customers, and especially those that offer some measure of personalization (as opposed to just pushing out a message to everyone) will top brands’ to-do lists.

Here are some of the social media trends we see for 2022.

• Short-form Video – Less is more, and people don’t read. The human attention span is short. So, a video a minute or shorter is plenty long enough. Do a series of short videos each making one point, instead of one long video. Repurpose your existing long videos into shorter snippets and program them for different social media channels. Reveal a different aspect of your company, or solve a different problem on different channels as opposed to playing the same content on the same day on the same channels.
• Customer Service – Customers are conversing more than ever via DMs, Twitter and comments on posts. Monitor these conversations and be responsive on any channel that customers are contacting you on.
• Social Commerce – Customers want to check out immediately on whatever social channel they are on. Social commerce offerings (like buying a dress directly from an Instagram photo) are growing on every channel. Perhaps this social media trend is appropriate for your product or service.
• Paid Social Advertising – Algorithms continue to change. And, platforms continue to ramp up their paid social offerings. There may be a need to add a paid strategy to your organic posts to get wider reach and more engagement. The ultimate goal is connecting with more potential customers, right?
• Influencer Marketing – Micro or local influencers are more important. Work with these influencers who really already love your brand. They can demonstrate your product or service in a way that is unique to them and resonates with their audience.

Content remains king.

Have a plan. Don’t chase squirrels. Plan your content for the year – or at least the next quarter – to meet your brand’s sales goals, branding initiatives, limited offerings, or even just calendar holidays. Planning your content means have a blog and regularly contribute to it. Then, promote your new content on your social media platforms. Build your content marketing practice like you’d grow a garden. Keep at it.

What do customers want to know? Customers want content that is focused on:

• Deeper Meaning – Be authentic. Answer questions that are helpful and offer perspectives that can be touch points for your brand in a customer’s life. Find your commonality. Create your company’s tenets, and do those fewer stronger things in a deeper way.
• Giving Back – Showcase volunteer efforts and donations. A company’s charitable giving is important for 73% of Americans’ purchase decisions. People WANT to love you. Showcase how you are showing love for others. Giving back increases loyalty.

Overall, after the past few years of being disconnected, consumers are craving connection in every aspect of their lives. But make connection with your brand meaningful. Be convicted. Be consistent. Create a connection that will last, create loyalty, and continue these social media trends for 2022 to the years ahead.

Are you ready to spring clean your brand for 2022?

Spring is in the air! As much as we need to enjoy this time and “smell the roses” it’s time to go through your media channels and update them. Use the idea of spring cleaning on your brand and your company’s media assets to help you stay relevant with what’s going on in terms of design, copy, content, PR and media to be competitive in today’s marketplace. Maybe its time for a marketing audit?

Could your logo use updating?

Let’s first start with your logo. Is it still relevant? Does it convey what your company stands for and the products/services you provide? Maybe it doesn’t necessarily need to change, it just might need an update. Use these questions as more of a checklist, and think about your logo against the backdrop of your company’s competitors’ logos. Sometimes business have had the same logo for decades and it works, but sometimes it does not. What these companies often do is simplify their logo, and clean up the look of it to make it feel more modern.

Is your social media talking to the right people in the right way?

Try a spring cleaning social audit:

It’s time to get your hands dirty and do some data analysis – spring clean your social media. Take a look at the insights/analytics offered on each of your social media platforms to find out better times to post. See what content you have posted in the past that got the most likes and comments, and then do more of that. Long-term, you can record your followers and likes in an excel sheet or Google sheet, to track changes from month to month. Or you can subscribe to a scheduling app like Buffer or Hootsuite to post your social media. Those types of platforms have great analytics to track your engagement over time.

Then do a competitive analysis:

Hello Neighbor! Your social media be doing well and be on track, but it’s important that you see what your competitors are up to as well. Pablo Picasso once said “good artists copy, great artist steal.” Now don’t take this advice literally, but don’t be afraid to adopt similar strategies that other companies in your industry are doing. It’s a great place to start. Work smarter not harder. Start with something that works in your industry, make it your own, and then improve on it.

Brush the cobwebs off your website.

Your website is your company’s home. This is probably the most important place to focus your spring cleaning because this where you want your clients to go – again and again. Since this is your brand’s home, how good is your homepage? Make sure you have quality imagery, an engaging font, and text that flows well when read.

It’s important to consider not only how your website looks, but also how it works. Is it easy to navigate your website? Does your website answer the questions that people would ask about your product or service? You might also consider adding Google Analytics code to your website so that you can study your site visits. Where do visitors come from? What pages do they read? How long are they staying on your site? This information can help you continue to build a better and better website over time.

Conclusion:

It’s important to stay up to date with your brand’s image online and this spring is the perfect time to do it. Get your spring cleaning done sooner than later, and welcome your customers and fans into your remodeled “house” the rest of the year!

AHA Moments are happening again!

AHAs and WHOAs. When the way the world of work is done shifts, like it did Q1 of 2022, you can expect a little bit of both. Our annual team kick off meeting this year was an AHA for us! Unfortunately, not everyone could make it. But it was the first time for us to meet two team members in person. They had joined us in 2021, but we had not all met in person yet. Such a great AHA moment!

We were also so excited to be onsite with our client last week. Their manufacturing facility inspires. Yes, we creative individuals love being in this environment because we can have lots of AHA moments together. Then, some of us go into a cave for a few hours after to recharge, taking all that inspiration with us to create. That meeting was the first time we met our client of several months in person vs via a screen. We hugged, natch.

WHOA, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.

In a catch-up lunch, Friday, a longtime advocate of ours was very anxious. And he admitted, he’s a bit angry. He starts international business travel again full throttle this week. He liked his pandemic routine. WHOA. We all kind of got used that didn’t we?

Another client of ours brought us on board recently. Their team is overstretched all the way around. Trade shows and conference are back now in person, and that adds a lot of extra marketing work to their plate. What’s extra hard for them right now is the fact that some of their clients are demanding online events as well. So, WHOA, they are now doing double the work.

We’ve been virtually ready for this for years.

Between all the client AHAs and WHOAs, it’s easy for us to just keep rollin’. Eleven years ago this month, we were founded on a virtual model. So, not much changed for us workstyle wise over the past two years. The rest of the world finally realized what a great model remote work is, and caught up to us!

Now the “Hybrid” work is emerging. Hybrid offices practice some time in the office and some time remote. According to U.S. News & World Report, the younger generations love the hybrid idea. But, they also love the connection of the face-to-face model. The older generation, who were the yuppies of the ‘80s, working 70 hours a week, now prefer not to be in the office all the time. And everyone seems to still be moving forward, getting things done. So remote and hybrid models are making more sense to a lot of workers.

Different work styles can work together.

Whatever style you or your team members or clients chose, be kind and carry on. You CAN work together! Remember professionals of all industries and levels are going through AHAs and WHOAs of their own as 2022 progresses. It may take some people time to settle in to their optimum work style, and make it work for their family, their team, and their company.

How to make working together easier.

When you’re working together, the key to a successful partner relationship between an agency and an in-house marketing client is articulating goals on both sides. What does the in-house marketing director want out of the partnership? What role(s) will the agency fill? And for those on the agency side: what is the expertise that you are offering and how will it fit into the work and process of the in-house marketing department. Ultimately, what common goal is everyone working toward?

3 traits of a successful in-house marketing director (when working with an agency):

1. Treat the agency like a partner. Be available. Share the wins and the losses. Exchange information and best practices. Work united toward a common goal.
2. Let people do their job. It has been said many times – surround yourself with smart people and let them do their jobs. This is very true when working with an agency. You, as the in-house marketing director, know your brand better than anyone. But the agency will have deep knowledge in how to market your brand to the right people, at the right time, and in the right place. Take advantage of this expertise.
3. Be clear, concise and direct. Communication is key to a great in-house/agency working relationship. Having clear goals and being able give good feedback will make the process of creating great work run smoother.

3 traits of a successful agency (when working with an in-house client):

1. Be transparent. Give real world examples with data and KPI results to show that you know how to do this work successfully. Show and tell your successes that relate to your new client’s business to increase their confidence in your expertise.
2. Flatten your organization when it comes to direct contact. Allow clients to be able to communicate directly with different members of your team if they need an opinion on a specific matter. Shielding most of your agency from the client and running everything through gate-keeping account service people prevents deeper brand knowledge and deeper connections.
3. Prepare to collaborate. Including your client in the creative process will not only make the working relationship work better, the client will have the opportunity to “own” the idea with you. Then, you’ll have no better champion for your idea than your client as it moves up the C-Suite approval chain.

Growing your partnership and working together – in-house and agency – requires determination. First, be determined to recognize the value of the people that you are working with. And then, be steadfast in your determination to succeed together.

It’s time to go PTO!

It’s spring break week for most of the team on The Porch. For those of us with school-age kids, it is a time to break away from the daily routine and rigor. The memories of Spring Break 2020 linger, so it makes us more conscious to take a break — whatever that looks like. Staying home, road-trippin’, or flying away. Our kids need it, parents need it, employees need it.

There are many benefits of breaking from routine to go PTO. Here’s our top five:

1. Happy Teams. Breaks are happiness, happy teams create better, more creative solutions
2. Making Memories. Sharing stories is a porch favorite and vacations create the perfect environment to fill our story cup.
3. Improved well-being. According to a Gallup study those who “always make time for regular trips” scored 18 points higher on a well-being survey than the group that does not take a break frequently. The regular trip group had fewer physical complaints, improved quality of sleep, and were in a better mood compared to before vacation.
4. Brain Tune-up. Taking time off can be like getting a tune-up for the brain, improving your mental health and cognition.
5. Work Life Balance. Team members with balanced work-life are more efficient in completing assignments and less susceptible to stress. Helps with burnout, unexpected or unscheduled absences and employee engagement.

Take PTO or vacation if you can

There are so many benefits of taking time to recharge and reconnect. When you take time away from the stresses of the daily grind, it can improve your physical and mental health, motivation, relationships, job performance, and perspective. A vacation can help you feel refreshed and more equipped to handle whatever comes when you return. If you are on break this week, have a wonderful escape, if not, plan and take your next PTO. 

What have I learned from my classes at school?

As my academic journey nears an end, I am reflecting on key learning from classes. I’ve gained valuable lessons that I’m taking with me. The most precious thing I’ve learned from this path is realizing my strengths. My strengths are communication, technology, research, accuracy, and consistency. And I will strive to apply these strengths in my future work life.

Being part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program

I am in my final semesters with good academic standing in school. Thus I was given the opportunity to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. The GS10K Small Business is a prestigious program which partners small business owners with students. It’s a win/win for both the student and business owners.

To start, this partnership gives some students their first job experience. Next, it gives small business owners the opportunity to give back to their community – as a mentor, colleague, client or partner. First, the staff of Front Porch Marketing have become my mentors. So they continue to guide and challenge me. Next, they are helping me realize my strengths. And finally, I get to use the tools I am learning in school on the job to become successful beyond my educational journey.

Biggest key learning from classes: communication

Front Porch Marketing is a digital marketing firm that operates 100% virtually. Communication is key to the success of our company. Formally addressing people in email and text messages is an important business process. Prompt and clear responses keep projects moving and clients happy.

Beyond communication, I am learning time management, organization, accuracy and consistency. Often, organization and time management are crucial to success in a virtual environment. First, as a full-time student and part-time intern, I have to organize my files and time efficiently. Then I am able to meet my deadlines. I use these skills daily at Front Porch.

Finally, we also alternate writing on the FPM website blog. So this is my first blog post written for Front Porch Marketing!

What have I learned?

Technology is leading future work. For marketing, you need a desktop, cell phone, internet, and online meeting forums like Zoom and Microsoft Collaborate. And I use various software for this job including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. In addition, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, Word Press and Adobe Illustrator have become part of my weekly duties.

• I researched YouTube to learn how to implement and launch Pipedrive CRM. Pipedrive is a customer relationship management tool. It is a cloud-based software program designed to manage and track sales prospects, progress, and win/loss revenue. 
• I used Microsoft Excel to transfer data from Pipedrive into a report for updating clients contact information. I also retrieve other client information such as email addresses and physical locations from the Excel spreadsheets I build.
• At Front Porch Marketing, I keep Mailchimp updated for clients, monitoring and updating contact lists. Mailchimp is an email marketing software program.
• I use Microsoft Word to create and duplicate client files, letters, and reports. Here real world work reinforces key learning from classes almost every day.
• I can connect with others on Zoom and Microsoft Collaborate, which are virtual meeting platforms. We share information in real time for better communication.

Nearing the end of my classes: the final dance

After suffering through all the reading writing and arithmetic, this semester’s courses seem hand-picked. Lessons learned apply to the marketing field, and to today’s trends and current events. I am currently studying cyber security and the importance of securing devices. I am also taking PC Help Desk Support classes. Listening and writing skills are required. First, we learn to develop problem-solving techniques. Then, we relay what we learned to a customer or co-workers.

And most relevant of all, I am in the middle of Introduction to Digital Media. Many fields including marketing, movies, newsletters, and web design include digital media. We have completed projects that involved setting up and learning Word Press, creating our own website and adding a weekly blog.

As my journey continues, I have been blessed to have the best people at Front Porch Marketing to guide me to the finish line. Therefore I want to thank you all – you rock!