We have put together a must-read list of ’10 marketing books for 10 years’. Front Porch Marketing turns 10-years-old this month! Marketing has been constantly evolving over the past decade. As an all-remote, agile marketing company, we’ve evolved right along with it. But sometimes it can get hard to stay on top of all the changes.

That’s why we turn time and time again to the experts in our marketing books. In honor of our 10^th anniversary, we rounded up 10 must-read marketing books that we think demonstrate positive perspectives and practical advice.

Books are one of the easiest ways we know to dive into new marketing topics. Then we can grow our practice and application of that knowledge. We hope these suggestions offer you some inspiring new perspectives on the ever-evolving world of marketing and help you stay on top of all the changes. If we can help you with your marketing challenges in any way, please ask!

Must Reads: 10 Marketing Books for 10 Years – our marketing reading list for 2021

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers by Seth Godin

This is one of our favorites. Seth teaches you how to frame your marketing messages so that your customers will willingly accept them. Permission marketing enables brands to cultivate long-term relationships with customers. This builds trust and ultimately increases the likelihood of making a sale. Seth challenges you to only talk to people who are already raising their hand asking to speak with you. Then he shows how this customer is your most valuable one.

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant

This one is near and dear to our own Front Porch Marketing mantra. Adam – an award-winning researcher and professor – says that the key to success is not ambition or greed, but thoughtfulness. Good guys will indeed finish first in Adam’s worldview. And he gives ample evidence and example to prove it.

The Results Obsession: ROI-Focused Digital Strategies to Transform Your Marketing, by Karen J Marchetti

Karen leads with proven and practical digital strategies to boost client leads. She shows you how to increase email click-through rates and generate higher opt-in rates. She shares how to assess your current digital marketing channels like SEO, email and PPC and optimize them for better results. And with an emphasis on small business, this book serves as a handbook to make the most of every marketing dollar.

Marketers of Tomorrow: A Step by Step Toolkit for Inbound Marketing by Tyrona Heath

Tyrona, a Google marketing alum, offers valuable information on attracting and converting customers using inbound marketing. With SEO, blogging, social media and email marketing as your toolkit, follow Tyrona’s step-by-step system to set up and deliver an inbound marketing plan. Turn strangers into visitors, visitors into leads, leads into customers and customers into loyalists using minimal resources.

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

The authors of this book base their thinking on a study of 150 strategic marketing moves spanning more than 100 years and 30 industries. They show you how to build lasting success from creating a new market space (a blue ocean) in which there are no competitors. This book represents a ground-breaking new perspective because dominant marketing thinking for the past 25 years has been concerned with creating revenue by taking market share away from a competitor.

Brand Storytelling: Put Customers at the Heart of Your Brand Story, by Miri Rodriguez

Miri helps brands understand the why and how of infusing their marketing strategies and tactics with an authentic voice that will resonate with consumers. This book serves as a template for helping brands discover that voice, and their story, and structuring them to share insights with their customers.

Killing Marketing: How Innovative Businesses are Turning Marketing Cost Into Profit by Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose

Joe and Robert – the founder and the Chief Strategy Advisor for the Content Marketing Institute – share bold thinking putting content at the forefront of marketing. They’ll help you create value for consumers and instill loyalty in your followers. This book outlines how to look at marketing as a profit center instead of a cost center. Content marketing helps brands own media instead of purchasing it.

The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks: How Brands Create Authentic Engagement by Understanding What Motivates Us, by Joe Federer

Joe, the former head of strategy at social media giant Reddit, offers effective engagement strategies on social media through the lens of human psychology, neuroanatomy, biology and anthropology. Using more than a decade of experience, he explains consumer behavior in social media in terms of how the different social platforms each represent different mindsets: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego.

Tap: Unlocking the Mobile Economy by Anindya Ghose

From the MIT Press, Anindya draws from his extensive research in the US, Europe and Asia using real-world examples from global companies to explain consumer behavior in the mobile realm. He identifies nine forces that shape consumer behavior and how to tap into those forces to influence shoppers and maximize brand opportunities.

What’s Your Problem? Become a Better B2B Marketer by Enhancing Your Problem-Solving Skills by Steve Goldhaber

Before jumping into content marketing, step back and assess what the core business problems are that content marketing can solve. Steve offers a guide to identify and define those problems. Then he helps you understand where content marketing can add the most value for your brand. Content marketing is more than just writing and design, and Steve teaches better techniques for distribution, measurement and optimization.

Let us know if you’ve read some of these, or have others that are your favorites! Please share your favorite marketing books in the comments to make our list more complete.

Empathy. Understand and share the feelings of another. More relevant in our country now more than ever.

Like many, last week on the Porch was spent defrosting from the massive winter storm.

Natural disasters occur. Business owners and leaders lead with empathy.

Heed these marketing and communication 101s:

• Safety first. Focus on the wellbeing of your team, then your clients. Reach out to check on them, their families and business. Focus only on their immediate needs and any help you may be able to offer. Show genuine empathy for those in crisis. Everything else waits.
• Teamwork makes the dream work. Thanks to one of our amazing team members, we had two co-working spaces. We were able to use that to communicate with our clients and to help them manage their internal and external business messages. In turn, it was easier for our clients to focus on their own team’s needs. Rally the troops that are available and get to work focusing on others’ needs.
• In addition, dedicate to serving who, how and where you can. We know from our own experience that the smallest gesture can make a powerful impact. This time, the Porch had power so we were able to offer our space and internet, and laundry room, to our Clients and friends who did not. Other clients had water their neighbors did not and eagerly gave of their own resources. Others may simply need an ear to listen. Make it a point to let your clients know you are there to help them in any way you can, not only with the needs that earn you income.
• After that, patience is a virtue. Rethink planned marketing initiatives.
  • Email marketing: Your communication can wait when other people are in crisis.
  • Social media posts: Meet your customer or Client where they are. During these times, emotions are highly-charged. Be authentic and empathetic.
  • Press releases: Don’t send press releases during times when a portion of the country is going through damaging events. Timing is everything.

Most importantly, extend empathy. There will come a time when you are facing your own unexpected storm and will need someone else to freely offer it to you.

In conclusion, we hope you and yours are safe, warm and damage-free. Client service is not simply our job; it is our heart.

Please reach out if we can help you.

You are trying to save resources and graphic design seems like something you, a team member or a marketing / communications professional can do.

You’ve worked hard to make your dream a reality. Of course, you want to ensure it is recognizable. The first rule of thumb? Build trust in your brand.

Building that trust requires a connection with your target audience. To achieve it, your creative execution must be constantly consistent. It is crucial to get it right.

Here are four tips:

• Know what you need before you begin. Define your brand pillars to create a strong foundation. What is your brand vision, personality, positioning and affiliation?
• Next, have a creative professional define brand colors, fonts and creative execution guidelines. Mind the brand.
• Don’t settle. There are many programs that allow anyone to try their hand at graphic design. Use caution. Layout, font and colors are just a few of the key elements of graphic design.
• Take your time. If you choose to DIY your brand creation, understand it will be a time-consuming process to get it right. Take the time necessary to not only learn what you want, but what you need. Learn the art of design.

Experience pays. In the end, it will save you time and money to hire a professional graphic designer. They have the programs and experience to communicate your brand. They will give you the exact guidelines to follow to easily remain consistent and help distinguish your brand from the competition.

Own it. Once you have chosen your brand architecture and standards, own them. Use them religiously. Don’t use your logo in one color scheme on one social media post, then alter it for another. Instead of a random mixture of colors, know and use complementary colors. Keep all of your design elements consistent – Every. Single. Time.

There is value in creative and graphic design. Be consistent and follow brand guidelines. If you don’t have consistency, you won’t build connection. Without them, you may as well do nothing at all.

In conclusion, have a partner or team with the experience and know-how to help you stay consistent. We’re ready to rock when you are.

With Valentine’s Day fresh on our minds, let’s talk about how we can love upon our C.E.O.S. (Customers, Employees, Owners, and Suppliers). Most people shy away at the idea of expressing love in a professional context. However, by the end of this article, I hope that I’ll be able to reframe your mindset.

My own mindset shifted when I recently read The Servant by James C. Hunter. I was humbled, enlightened, and awe-struck at how simple yet empowering loving others can be. I started looking inward at how I express love and what that kind of love looks like outwardly.

If I were to ask you who you love in your life and how you show that love what would you say? Family? Friends? Hugs? Kisses? The answers are endless and the thought of being that personal and intimate with C.E.O.S. seems like a bizarre notion – which is completely understandable. Yet, when I talk about love I am not referring to the feeling of love. Instead, I am referring to the act of love.  

The type of love that I want to focus on is agapé love. This type of love is shown through actions of service for others. Extend yourself for the needs of others. Become an active listener. Be present. It’s being intentional. Most importantly, it’s being a leader that embodies a servant heart.  

The First Step

The first step towards embodying a servant heart is to think about other’s needs before your own. For our C.E.O.S. what does that look like? Would you be able to recount their needs and have them agree with what you said? There is a huge difference between wants and needs, yet in the business world, that gap becomes greatly nuanced. If you are constantly trying to meet the wants of everyone, that can quickly become a tiring and daunting task. “Wants” are grandiose and greedy in nature and as quickly as they’re met, more take their place.   

On the other hand, if you are intentionally seeking to meet the needs of the C.E.O.S. and devoting time to understanding why those needs should be met, I assure you that both parties will come out victorious. A solid foundation, a blooming partnership, and a deposit in the emotional bank account will be the fruits of servicing your C.E.O.S. In other words, meeting a want can be a fleeting win but meeting a need can become a foundational victory.  

The Second Step:

Being an active listener is the second step to loving upon your C.E.O.S. Who loves being ignored? No one. We live in a culture where being silenced is stifling and being expressive is stimulating. Communication thrives through the multitude of platforms that technology has given us: Facebook, FaceTime, instant messaging, Snapchat, Twitter – you name it – yet, these platforms have hindered us. We have become so reliant on being heard that the moment others try to speak, we are quick to counter or revert the attention back to the point we were making. In other words, it has become a norm to listen with the intent to speak instead of listening with the intent to listen.  

If we take the time to practice active listening with our C.E.O.S. without a doubt, we will gain much more than just a business contract. For example, trust becomes fostered, patience is cultivated and respect is rewarded. In the words of James C. Hunter, “listening is probably our greatest opportunity to give attention to others on a daily basis and convey how much we value them,” (The Servant, pg. 106). This act of love is transformative in relationships. As a result, your C.E.O.S. truly sees that you value them.  

The Third Step:

Being intentional is the third step to loving upon your C.E.O.S. Showing that you intentionally value others is a beautiful thing. You are letting them know that no matter what their title is, that you see them for who they are as a person. Moreover, by taking the time to understand who they are no matter where they are on the totem pole, you are making deposits into their emotional bank account and garnering respect.  

Being intentional can start with small actions. For example, if you praise someone for doing something, be sure to be sincere and specific. Additionally, when you need to fix a problem, be sure to make the problem the focus, not the person. Lastly, if you’re having a conflict with a team member, try to see the conflict from their point of view. By incorporating intentional gestures into your everyday manner you will not only see a world of a difference in the people around you but you will feel it.  

In Conclusion:

I urge you to love upon the C.E.O.S. in your life with these three steps in mind. In conclusion, go the extra mile to serve others, practice active listening, and be intentional with all that you do. If you have a favorite way to show love to those in your life, please share them with us in the comments below. We would love to get to know you and your heart for others! Above all, my hope for you today and every day is that you are shown love and empowered by the notion that to give is to receive.  

What is Content Marketing, and how do you win at doing it? How do you know what steps you need to take? Last month, we talked about doubling down on your brand – envisioning what your brand stands for, evolving your brand to meet your company’s needs today and emerging stronger in 2021.

This month, we’ll give you some pointers on taking your shiny new branding out into the world – with Content Marketing – for the win. What are the places that consumers will see your brand and interact with it? You’ll want to read thru to the end, because we’re going to tell you exactly what steps to take in this month’s extension of our Marketing 101.

Once your company has been thru a branding exercise, you’ll leave with your game plan and you’ll know what to do next. You’ll have your target nailed down, your brand’s personality defined and know exactly what category of business you can excel within. The first step once you’ve done this important branding work is your visual identity.

Ready, Set, Marketing – Your Brand’s New Logo

Commission an easy-to-use logo that works in many places. Your logo will be on your website, your social channels, your advertising and even on print work like business cards and brochures. Your logo should be simple, look good large or small. It should be easily used in black, white, and any brand colors you designate.

We’ve designed half a dozen new logo systems this past year, and while they are all quite unique to the company they’re designed for, they all have one thing in common – flexibility.

Your Brand’s New Website

If your company has a website, is it responsive, meaning does it work first and best on mobile but also on tablet and desktop devices? Modern websites need to be built with functionality for users top-of-mind.

This is called User Experience, or UX. How your customer goes thru their journey on your website should be carefully considered to make their experience as simple and rewarding as possible.

Next, your website should incorporate other important factors like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which helps search engines like Google find your website easily. Google can then present it as a choice when consumers are searching for a business like yours. Using keywords and key phrases can help search engines determine how helpful your site is answering their questions.

Location is also a very highly weighted factor for search engines as well. If you are, for instance, a local restaurant trying to attract customers in the surrounding area, then this type of information should be of utmost importance when designing your new site.

Your Brand’s New Blog – the Starting Line of Your Content Marketing

Once you’ve built your website, keep your site content fresh. One of the most important parts of a new website is the blog. This is the place where the Content Marketing race starts. Regularly updating your blog means Google will keep revisiting your site to catalog the new helpful information you are sharing to “index” it for customers to find in search.

Blog posts are like a regular newspaper column for readers. They can subscribe to receive your news. They can make comments on your article at the end of the article. We write blog posts on topics relevant to our customers’ businesses for their website. This helps them to both build relationships with current customers as well as attract new potential customers.

Help solve people’s problems. Make this key in your blog content. Also, posting on a regular basis is equally important.

Your Brand’s Content Marketing Outreach

Think of your new site as your business’ virtual storefront. It’s your home base. Your social channels – like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn – and other tactics like email marketing, Text Message Marketing are in essence, not just your advertising, but your chance to talk to your customers 1-on-1. An opportunity to develop a relationship with them. Each of these tactics has a specific use for a small business – every channel is not appropriate for every small business.

Winning in Email Marketing

Content marketing’s main ingredient is email. First, email marketing shares insider information with your best customers. After all, they opted in to receive this email newsletter from you. For instance, retail stores could offer special discounts, special not-on-the-website items, and special gifts-with-purchase to their favorite customers – which in the digital world would be their email subscribers.

For a restaurant, email marketing can announce a dining event, or a big menu change. Or a business service could announce open jobs, industry news that would affect their customers or tips and tricks to get the most out of their service.

Winning in Social Media

Social media, as a content marketing winning tactic, promotes blog posts, events, promotions, products or simply build conversation and relationships with different customers.

Our restaurant example, for instance, would want to rely heavily on Facebook, as that is the place to grow a local community – interacting with actual people who rely on their business, garnering reviews from customers, and posting events that their businesses is hosting.

But, an interior designer however, would focus on Instagram, as their clients might be all over the country, and consumers on Instagram are interested in all things beautiful. Hashtags #likethisone at the end of an Instagram post help customers find your business, much like the old card catalog at the library could help you find books on a specific topic.

Use Twitter for getting and sharing news with industry peers to establish your voice of authority. Are you an expert real estate broker? Then, share industry news in your category and give your take on any particular article. Follow reporters who work on your segment of business and interact with them when appropriate to demonstrate your expertise, making you a viable option for quotes in articles in the future.

Further, on LinkedIn, a non-profit foundation could share their quarterly goals, fundraising efforts and events, and results to a business audience of potential donors and board members.

Your Brand’s Content Marketing Win

Start with your brand. Establish a strategy for your content marketing for the win. Implement your tactics. Understand that marketing, and especially digital marketing, is a marathon with no finish line. How you run that marathon matters. Keep at it, perfecting the steps you take a little at a time. But start by taking that first step in content marketing for the win.

Most business leaders know successful marketers when they meet them. These marketers are focused on the same things they are. Building enterprise and customer or client value.

Marketers must mobilize all the people inside and outside the organization. They are focused on return. Do less, more consistently and effectively.

Therefore, hate to tell you, just because your bestie is on Instagram, doesn’t mean she is a marketer. Newsflash. Sorry to disappoint.

Moreover, our team is filled with seasoned marketers. We have fabulous, cream of the crop interns. They keep up with multiple clients, projects, deadlines, industries and trends. These folks are skilled enough to have conversations with CEOs. Front Porch Marketing is not a teaching hospital. For instance, we are triage surgeons on most days.

Technology and consumer attitudes have and will continue to change drastically. Marketing professionals must stay flexible. Know a bit of everything that is going on in the company. Some days are filled with customer service and distribution. Meanwhile, other are sales management and internal communication.

However, despite the varying roles, these qualities are at these professionals’ core. Super powers they have in common.

The Super Powers of Successful Marketers

1. Adaptable. In other words, with all technology changing at light speed, know how to evolve with it.
2. Analytical. Marketing is data driven. Some don’t know what to do with all the data being generated. Therefore, if you can sort through it, and find the relevant. You will be indispensable part of any organization.
3. Collaboration. Must be an extraordinary team player. Seek input. Solve issues. Foster cooperation. Similarly, often the CMO is the company’s glue. The entire team rallies around the company’s vision because of this person. Illustrate how collaboration creates more value.
4. Excellent communicators. Words have power. The right words break down barriers and rally the troops. Inside and outside the organization.
5. Creative. Marketers value innovation. Take risks to facilitate it. They vigorously seek solutions. Explore new approaches. In conclusion, continuously.
6. Inquisitive. The best marketers are a cross between a detective and a scientist. Therefore, they ask the questions.
7. Strategic. Start with why. Strategy is the key to successful businesses. Obsessed is a strategic thinker. Constant eye on the market. Diligently studying consumer behavior. In addition, watch the competitors’ every move.

In conclusion, marketing is a marathon not a sprint. Have the right people on your team. Boulders move up the hill with smart people pushing them. Above all, right now, everyone could use a few less boulders. Therefore, pick the marketers that demonstrate super powers.

Have an internal marketing team? Outsourced function? Freelance consultant?

It doesn’t matter what your marketing team looks like. Or what the project looks like. If you’re B2B or B2C. Ask the questions.

It is the last week of the first month of a new year. Therefore, one third the way through first quarter.

Our world looks different than it did even a month ago. With the constant changes, it is critical to focus on the “why.” Make sure the entire organization is aligned. After that, measure initiatives and report results and data.

Business leaders and their marketing team share the responsibility for growth. In other words, work together to achieve collective outcomes to improve enterprise value. Reframe conversations. Arrive at common language. In conclusion, ask and answer the questions.

Marketing Team: Ask These Questions

1. Do we remember why we are here? The first step to create alignment, excitement and positive team energy cross-functionally.
2. Have our business goals, objectives and strategies changed? Similarly, need to be tweaked?
3. Who are our customers / clients? Are the same as last year? How have our existing clients’ mindsets, decision drivers, perceptions changed in the last month?
4. Are we doing enough to add value and fully leverage our relationship with them?
5. Where are we falling down? A positive discussion with constructive criticism and actable outputs.
6. What could limit or impact our strategy, direction or execution?
7. What has been our biggest marketing success this month?
8. Are there new key relationships and milestones or events coming up we should be aware of?

Marketing contributes more than 50% of firm value when brand, customer and digital assets are properly valued. And, the impact of marketing performance, collaboration and perceptions are measured. Marketing is an asset, rather than a cost center or risk mitigator.

We are grateful to work as a marketing team for our clients. Front Porch Marketing asks the questions. We can work as fractional CMOs and outsourced marketing department. In addition, we help write marketing plans and execute marketing initiatives on a retainer or project basis.

Where are you on your 2021 goals right now?

Already, we are halfway through January. What has the year looked like for you? Are you following through with your resolutions? Are you on the trajectory to meet the goals you have set for yourself?

Or are you going through the motions? Because it already feels like you don’t have the time to start or already missed your chance.

Creating resolutions or goals at the start of the year may seem frivolous or trivial to some but these ideas can truly kickstart your year on a high note. When it comes to 2021 goals for your company or for yourself as a team member, I want to encourage you to commit to getting things done. By putting your mindset into one that is proactive, realistic and driven I believe that you have the ability to accomplish any goal that you set your heart to.

Now that I’ve got your mind thinking about your goals or potentially lack there of, it’s time to get to business. Grab the nearest paper you have or even open your notes app.

Think of three types of goals you want to set for yourself.

Three Types of Goals: Physical Goal

The first kind of goal is physically oriented. There are numerous ways that this goal could look like to you. It could look like a number on a scale or the number of workout classes you take per week. Or it could look like you getting more rest than you are getting right now and allowing yourself the time to recharge. We could also pivot to nutrition where you may want to be more proactive about what you put into your body rather than what you do with it. Maybe that looks like eating a salad twice a week or skipping desserts until the weekend. Truly, YOU know your body best – what do you want this goal to look like?

Three Types of Goals: Mental Goal

The second kind of goal is mentally oriented. Do you let yourself take a breather when you need it? Or do you push through and jump onto the next thing on your never-ending to-do list? While endurance is admirable, I want to encourage you to also take the time to listen to what your body and mind are telling you. If you take a break after a long day there is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, you deserve that breather and I am proud of you for persisting with as much tenacity as you have.

This goal may also look like setting healthy boundaries that you’ve always wanted to set but felt like it just never stuck. I myself, have difficulty with setting boundaries but with practice it has become easier to find pockets of peace in my day. This could look like you sending automated messages through your work email past a certain time. Be more proactive with your work/life balance.

Although silly, something that helped me was writing in my agenda “me time.” This was my way of giving myself the space to do whatever I wanted for one hour. Therefore, not to stress about the other things on my agenda. It allowed me to recharge. Hit the ground running with new ideas and a positive attitude.

On the flip side maybe you are so set in boundaries to the point that your no’s in life highly outweigh the yes’s. Give yourself the mental space to step out of your comfort zone. Therefore, try something new. Start saying yes to things that you wouldn’t normally do and discover a different side of yourself that you may have never explored. In the infamous words of Babe Ruth, “never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

Three Types of Goals: Personal Goal

The third kind of goal is personally oriented. Think about something that you want for yourself. Is there a raise that you’ve been wanting for some while? But, haven’t been taking the steps to get it? Are there monthly profits you want to accomplish for your company? Or is there an activity that you always wanted to try out but never did?

No matter what this goal looks like, make sure that it makes YOU happy. Ask that person out that you’ve always wanted to but never have. Try new foods that you’ve been too nervous to try. The world is your oyster. With an entire year ahead of us, time is on your side.

Dig Deep

Goals and resolutions buzzing through your head? I encourage you to write them all down. No matter how frivolous they may seem. Take a moment to dig deep. Then, analyze what you’ve written. Is there a common thread? Something that surprised you?

Whatever it may be, I want you to group them up as best as you can and find those three core goals. With the simple act of just writing these down, “you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals.”

How fantastic is that!?!?

Have Your Three?

Now, figure out a game plan. Plan out realistic smaller goals. Reach your overarching goals and resolutions. Create consistency. Is your goal to get a raise? Then, start looking at the historical value that you bring to the company? Should you do more? For instance, meetings you could attend during your free time? And are you taking the steps to reach that goal?

In conclusion, whatever goals you choose to set, remember to make 2021 the year of getting things done.

Your Brand in 2021: Front Porch Marketing has seen an interesting client trend this past year, especially in the second half. Many entrepreneurial brand companies have decided that 2020 – and indeed 2021 – is a good time to double down their brand. They want to really dig in, define their brand and differentiate themselves from their competition. Even big corporate companies, like Burger King, have rebranded, seeking to better define their mission and vision going forward.

If you step back and take a look at your brand with the fresh eyes of 2021, does it look like the company you envisioned when you started? Likely, your brand has evolved and so have you. Does your current branding reflect where you want to be in 5 years with your company or even where you are now, or is it trapped in the past? Maybe it’s time to graduate your branding.

Your Brand in 2021: Envision, Evolve, Emerge

Are you adequately featuring your new products or services? Are you communicating your most compelling benefit? Does your brand look legit, grown-up, like a serious brand that does serious business? Don’t get the veto vote from a customer or a partner business because your brand is not getting taken seriously. You know you can do the job…make sure your branding speaks that truth this year.

Branding – and the digital marketing that embodies branding – has become more important than ever. Your customers and clients are getting bombarded with texts and emails from business service providers to retailers. Ask yourself “why should they read mine?”

What do you stand for?

Do you know what your company’s biggest benefit to your customer is? Do you know how each of your products or services add value to their lives, make their lives easier or answer their questions? Does the tone of voice you use resonate with your customer, and instill loyalty to your brand?

If you don’t know the answers to some of these questions, 2021 might be the year you think about doubling down on your brand. What DO you stand for? What is your mission? As part of your Marketing for 2021, branding can help you answer all of these questions and more, leaving you with a clear map of where to take your business next and how to get there. Branding gives you the platform and parameters to deliver tangible solutions to your customer. We’ve seen the excitement and commitment of more than half a dozen of our own clients rebranding for the future, in just the past six months.

Don’t just work IN your business, work ON your business.

Branding is not just about looks though, it is also about strategy and tactics. What are you going to say, and where are you going to say it are key. You need to be cohesive and coherent in your messaging, as well as look professional. Small businesses often fall down thinking they can “do it themselves” with marketing but without a marketing background – from logo design to social media to PR. Often, they are holding themselves back because they are too busy working IN their business and to work ON their business.

So double down on your brand this year – strengthen your commitment to your particular strategy or course of action. Become more tenacious and resolute in your bringing your brand vision into 2021 and beyond.

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.