It’s summer halftime, and the heat is on – both literally and figuratively. June came and went, the first half of July is near, and we are on point through the end of August.
How are our working parents doing at halftime? My current status:
Because traffic is lighter in the summer (fewer cars & less business), it’s the perfect time for travel, lazy days and sunshine. Spend extra time with family and friends, but don’t take your eye off the remainder of the year.
Soon enough the temperatures will cool down (we hope), but with the arrival of fall, business will heat up. The halftime of summer also marks the halftime of 2019. Time is going by fast, isn’t it?
Here’s your two-minute warning
If you already have your second half marketing plan set, congratulations! We hope you rock it! If not, now is the time to start researching, planning, and executing.
When life and business get busy, a plan serves as a tool to keep you on course.
As you know, you simply can’t hope people will find you or do business with you. Being a successful business owner means constantly marketing and promoting your business.
We huddle at halftime
Here on the Porch, after we travel, relax by a body of water and spend a little extra time with our people, one of our favorite summertime activities is writing and facilitating marketing plans. So if you aren’t quite ready to score in the second half of 2019, give us a shout.
Tomorrow marks the 4th of July, the day that our country dons the red, white and blue and celebrates its independence from Great Britain.
Every year, we gather with our friends and family to celebrate the anniversary of our freedom and enjoy our togetherness and our traditions. Regardless of whether you celebrate the 4th with a small group of family, a large group fireworks event, or a beautiful beach-town parade, it’s an exciting and spirited time in the United States. The sights, sounds and smells are familiar and comforting.
Here are a few of my favorites of July 4th:
Parades! Kids on bikes, dogs in wagons, marching bands, dancing girls, music, floats, crazy patriotic outfits … I love it all!
Popsicles. On a hot day, there’s nothing better.
Barbeques – the smell of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs is everything.
4th of July themed desserts – who doesn’t love some creatively spun sugar?
Lee Greenwood’s Version of “God Bless the USA.” It makes my cry. Every. Single. Time.
Watermelon cut in slices. Quintessential summer. And so delicious.
Sparklers to kick off the firework lineup. So many childhood memories center upon waiving sparklers through the air.
Fireworks. Duh. The more, the better.
Togetherness. Family togetherness. Friend togetherness. Community togetherness. The 4th of July brings us all together, doesn’t it?
The reminder of how lucky we are to live in America. Like seriously, seriously lucky.
From everyone here on the Porch to you, may your 4th of July be filled with joy and celebration. Happy Independence Day, everyone!
GivingTuesday is December 3 and North Texas Giving Day is just around the corner – September 19. Is your organization ready for this nonprofit marketing challenge?
Giving Days are a celebration of philanthropy. GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that kicks off the charitable season, when many nonprofits focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day is an annual giving event that empowers everyone to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about in an easy-to-use platform.
Criticism of Giving Days
There has been criticism of Giving Days like GivingTuesday. One, GivingTuesday is in December, usually the best fundraising month for most nonprofits. Two, many nonprofits use GivingTuesday as an excuse to get spam-ey:
“And what is in these #GivingTuesday appeals and communications? A great new story? A special giving opportunity that I can be a part of to do something powerful, unique or impactful? Again, generally speaking, no. They are cash grab emails. Give today. Donate now. Make your donation. Why you might ask? Well… uh… because it’s #GivingTuesday seems to be the response.”
Giving Days are not a giving bonanza. That’s a lot of pressure to put on one day. But, they are a great way to raise funds and introduce yourself to new donors. And, local Giving Days are often during the more fundraising fallow parts of the year, so as not to take away from end-of-year giving.
Plus, local Giving Days are often organized by foundations or organizations that have resources and tools to promote philanthropy in ways that small nonprofits often do not have the funds and manpower to do. These larger organizations reach out to media, offer marketing tools, and some, like Communities Foundation of Texas, give out bonus funds to organizations who accomplish certain goals during North Texas Giving Day.
I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but in light of some sobering statistics on U.S. giving, it is important to take advantage of Giving Days in a strategic and focused way. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project found that while overall giving went up slightly (1.6%) in 2018, this was largely driven by major gifts (donations of $1,000 or more).
Revenue from smaller gifts decreased. Donations of $250-$999 dropped by 4%. Gifts under $250 fell by 4.4%. And, perhaps most serious of all, the overall number of donors fell (by 4.5%) as did retention rates (a 2% drop) and the number of new donors to an organization (a 7.3% drop). This means that:
“Giving is increasing because of larger gifts from richer donors. Smaller and mid-level donors are slowly but surely disappearing – across the board, among all organizations. Philanthropy should not and cannot be just the domain of the wealthy, and the entire sector needs to look at how we reach out to and engage these donors.”
So, now that we’ve got the bad news out of the way, lets get to planning. Because as my mom says, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.
First Things First – Focus
A winning Giving Day strategy has a focus. Organizations who focus their Giving Day goal on one program or initative – say, a new Maker Space for a library or a fund that supports afterschool programming for underserved kids – tend to do better than those who do not target donor giving.
Increasingly, donors want to know where their funds are going and its much easier for people to wrap their mind around one thing – a program or a new piece of equipment – than the dreaded “General Operating Costs.”
Light a Match
I had a boss once who said that having a donor match was like throwing a match on gasoline – it really lights a fire for giving. People love a deal and donor matches make it feel like they are doubling their money. Find a local company who is willing to sponsor a match – you can even offer marketing incentives like putting their name and logo on your Giving Day emails, social media, and website.
Marathon, Not a Sprint
Make a plan for the months and weeks leading up to your Giving Day. Luckily, both Giving Tuesday and Communities Foundation of Texas provide great campaign timeline tools to help you get started.
Also think about:
Get some “ringers”: Assign advocates for your organization who can promote your nonprofit on social media and can make a donation in the early hours of your campaign. People like to join a bandwagon that has some momentum behind it.
Be specific: Paint a picture with your gift amounts. For example a library can say a $50 donation buys 10 new books or $100 donation supports 3 hours of afterschool tutoring.
Make it easy: Look at your donor giving page. Is it easy to use or is it cluttered and clunky? Clean it up before the big day. Giving Days are digital by nature and people are most likely to give online. If it takes a long time to make a donation or the process is confusing, your donor will “abandon cart.”
But the Day Itself is a Sprint
Giving Days are very social by nature – social media that is. Acknowledge your donors on the day of (with their permission of course.) Push out social posts promoting the focus of your fundraising for the day. Interact with your ringers. Let people know how far along your are to your goal and how much match money is left. Talking about how much match money is left creates a sense urgency. And, of course, celebrate and thank your donors.
Giving Days are a great way to acquire new donors, engage with current donors, and of course, raise money for your cause. But you have to have a plan. Giving Day campaigns are a marathon (except on the day of, when its a sprint). Are you geared up? If not, we can help.
We preach the importance of being authentic – personally and in branding.
Part of being truly authentic means not pretending that life is sunshine and roses when it isn’t. Last week on the blog, Jacqui (aka The Back Porch Rocker) offered her thoughts on recovering from life’s unexpected storms.
One of her suggestions is another familiar refrain on the Porch – to have and give grace.
In the spirit of authenticity, her post hit me hard. We often encourage our followers to have grace, but I realized that in my forty-something years, I have never, not once, asked for grace – personally or professionally.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced it. There have been times I received grace without having to ask for it. And there have been times I extended it to others. But I can see that there have been times I probably should have asked for grace. There are times I should have extended it to others without them having to ask.
Admittedly, I was born with the “suck it up, buttercup” mentality. I have always considered my ability to keep things together, for myself and for others, one of my great strengths.
That all changed for me a little more than four and a half weeks ago when a personal tragedy shook me to the core.
A “suck it up, buttercup” mentality would not have shown grace – which was desperately needed – to my family, my friends or myself.
Something had to give professionally. I had to take a step back. I had to ask for grace at work.
The entire Front Porch Marketing team responded without hesitation. Our clients and business partners who knew what had happened did the same.
I was extended grace in many, many ways. And I am thankful for it.
So the next time grace is called for, try doing these thing to show grace to a team member, client, partner, or even a boss:
Anticipate and delegate needs. If you are aware of a project or deadline, consider how you or others may be helpful to get it completed or postponed. Communicate and/or delegate those needs accordingly.
Forgive mistakes. Forgiveness is always important. Mistakes during this time are understandable.
Don’t take things personally. During a time of crises, jovial people may become short-tempered or normally talkative people may go radio silent. It is not about you or their feelings toward you. Don’t take it personally. See number two, above – it applies!
Provide a “free” zone. Offer a listening ear. Make it known you are a judgment-free. When a team member needs grace, give it freely without questions, expectations, or conditions.
Life has a way of rocking us unexpectedly.
Strive to build work environments that allow every member of your professional tribe to feel safe in asking for grace at work when they need it.
Like most people in the Dallas area, I have spent the past few days reeling from the destructive, unexpected storm that hit us over the weekend. The loud, powerful downburst morphed a sunny, beautiful sky into a threatening, frightening tempest that wreaked havoc on our landscapes and our lives.
It seems a particularly pertinent analogy for life’s tenuous nature. Occasionally, we are hit by an unexpected storm that knocks us down, be it personal, professional, or physical. Whatever the cause, the resulting derailment can cause us to feel simultaneously overwhelmed and paralyzed.
So what can we do to stay afloat?
Gut Check: What’s Important
When you’re moving through life unencumbered, it’s easy to try to be all things to all people and spread yourself too thin. When things get real, you no longer have the luxury or the responsibility. Check in with yourself and identify what your priorities are. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … let everything else fall away.
Live Where You Are
Are you sad? Be sad. Angry? Relieved? Frustrated? Whatever it is you are feeling, let yourself feel it. When we try to fight against our feelings, it often leads to a longer, more drawn out suffering/healing cycle. You have to live where you are. You just do.
Just Start
Get going. You have things to do and a life to be lived. If it feels like you’re spinning, take 15 minutes and Brain Dump. Write down everything that comes to mind. No structure. No numbered lists or categories. Just write everything that comes to mind in a free flow fashion – you can make sense of it later.
Life can be a beast so be kind to yourself and to others. It’s an instant mood-changer. Smile. Breathe. Look for the positive and the good. Gratitude improves every situation – there is always something to be thankful for.
Strength is the Silver Lining
Whatever has challenged you, knocked you down, or thrown you under will be the seed for tremendous growth. It may be hard to see, but one of life’s greatest gifts is the fact that life is difficult, because in dealing with life’s unexpected storm, we build invaluable strength.
Design and build your brand. A branding exercise can help you define essential elements of your brand. Explore who you are, what your vision is for your brand, and how it is relevant to your target audience.
2. Define your USP.
Once you understand how you fit into your target market, determine how your brand is different from the competition. This is your unique selling proposition (USP).
3. Build the cornerstone.
Use your USP and create a short message defining your brand position. The message should be subtle and easily recognizable to your audience. Use that message as the cornerstone of your marketing.
The best ambassadors for your brand are its team members. Collaborate and communicate with them. You need them to buy-in and be trained for any interaction to maintain brand consistency.
Create standards and policies to use internally outlining how marketing materials are to be named, stored, and utilized. These include logos, slogans, previously used concepts, etc. Guidelines can help your brand maintain consistency and stay efficient in times of employee turnover.
5. Build a community. Develop relationships.
Social media has become a principal source of customer service. Engage consistently and continuously with your audience to build a connection and a reputation for authenticity.
Influencers can be a strong ally in growing your brand. As with any relationship, you have to make sure the influencer is a good match for your brand and then work to keep the relationship healthy and growing.
6. Protect your investment.
Your brand’s reputation is hard-earned. Once you’ve developed it, protect it.
Set up Google Alerts so you may be instantly informed if there is news impacting your brand. Be vigilant on social media.
Crises will happen. Take ownership. Be honest and transparent with the information you have and how you are working to mitigate any damages.
7. Update and polish regularly.
Track the results of any marketing campaign. If needed, polish existing fixtures and upgrade as needed.
We would love to help you design, build and manage all aspects of your brand!
I have been to plenty of conferences before, but I don’t think any a conference has resonated with me quite like this year’s Nonprofit Communicators Conference. Judging from the theme alone, “Communication for Social Good, Impact, Authenticity and Executive Presence”, the conference could have been six hours of well-worn clichés. Instead, I came away with a lot of great insights.
Authenticity Matters
When I hear words like “authenticity,” it sounds like one of those touch-ey feel-ey phrases that make me roll my eyes. Why should we care if a company is being authentic or not?
We live in interesting times. Globally, we are experiencing a lack of trust in institutions, including schools, media, government, and yes, nonprofits. With the share of Americans donating to nonprofits in decline, this lack of trust is disturbing news.
For-Profit companies cannot afford to ignore this reality either. Almost two-thirds of the consumers around the world based their purchasing decisions on their beliefs.
Authenticity is knowing your story and owning it. It is your history and your values. These values must be proven over and over again. A company’s history, story, and values are how they can inspire others.
Here are a few authentic brands. Is your brand an authentic reflection of your company?
Leadership Models are Changing
When I saw that there would be a workshop on executive presence and internal communication, I thought it would be someone telling us to “power pose” our way through work. The workshop turned out to be much more than that.
I used to think of a leader as a hard-charging person who was often the loudest or the most extroverted. Sort of like a bull in a china shop, but more charismatic. More of drill sergeant than a coach.
This “command and control” model of leadership is changing. People spend more than 90,000 hours of their lives at work. Our work and personal lives often blend into each other; with many workers who are expected to be “on” 24/7. I think these people deserve better than a drill sergeant for a boss.
Leaders listen, are constantly learning, they always ask for feedback and they are other-centered.
Leaders also have a “magic sauce” called Executive Presence.
Executive Presence is Crucial
What is executive presence? It’s the qualities of leadership that
Character – Qualities of a leader as a person that are fundamental to who they are and give us reason to trust them. These qualities include integrity, concern for others, and humility.
Substance – Cultivated qualities of mature leadership that inspire commitment, inform action and lead to above-and-beyond effort. These qualities include practical wisdom, composure and vision.
Style – Over, skill-based patterns of communicative leadership that build motivation and that shape and sustain performance. Behaviors like intentionality, inclusiveness and assertiveness fall into this category.
Executive presence is an inside>out process, it starts with inner work. The workshop presenter described executive presence with a flight analogy – executive presence is like “putting on your oxygen mask first.” You must know who you are – your story, your voice, your values – before you can expect to lead others.
You can’t bluff your way through executive presence. True leaders are difficult to come by for a reason. Anyone can bark orders at people. Few people can actually inspire others to act.
I know which type of leader I would like to follow and which type of leader I aspire to be.
The Power of Storytelling
Human beings are wired for stories. Stories are a universal language. They carry weight, often even more so than facts because stories can make us feel something – joy, sadness, anger, etc.
Both organizations and individuals must know their story to make an impact in this world. A few questions to think about when contemplating your own story:
What is the story you are telling the world? Do your organization’s values match your deeds?
Whose story are you telling?
How will you tell your story? Does your story lend itself to video? Social media? A podcast?
Stories matter – they inform our world view and they can inspire others to action. What’s your story?
Corporate Culture Communicates a Lot
Today’s workplace asks a lot of its employees, and employees are looking for more in return. In fact, as many other institutions are losing the public’s trust, people are increasingly placing their trust in their employers. Globally, 75 percent of people trust “my employer” to do what is right, significantly more than NGOs (57 percent), business (56 percent) and media (47 percent).
Culture is a kind of communication; it conveys what your company values. When your corporate culture is aligned with your values, when your company “walks the walk,” your employees are more engaged. An engaged workforce is a productive workforce.
And a word of caution from the conference: “Social media has raised the stakes of internal organizational culture.” You don’t want one of your employees becoming so disengaged from their work that they pull an … emergency slide.
The conference resonated with me for a few different reasons, but they basically boil down to this: I feel like I am at a point in my life where questions about authenticity and leadership are becoming more and more important. How we present ourselves to the world, whether it’s in a professional or personal setting, matters. The stories we tell are important. And whether we are being true to our authentic selves, is paramount.
Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got some inner work to do.
Last week Greg Asher wrote a
great blog on the importance of proofreading. Errors in punctuation and
grammar make me twitch, so I completely related. But it got me thinking … what
good is proofreading if the writing itself is bad?
Here on the Porch, I am frequently called upon to write, edit, and polish pieces of all sorts. I really love it — writing is my thing. It’s my clarity, my therapy, and my joy. Feeling the way that I do, I am always surprised by the large number of people I encounter that don’t like to write, are terrified to write, or are just not good at it.
Writing is important now more than ever. We communicate digitally through email, text, and social media constantly. And oftentimes what you have written will be what forms a first impression of you. Strong writing skills are critical.
The good news is, you can become a stronger writer. Writing is like a muscle – it needs exercise! The best way to become a better writer is … to write.
You can do it! Don’t overthink it – just get started. You don’t even have to start at the beginning. Get your thoughts on the page and you will quickly find your direction.
Know who you’re talking to. Your audience will drive your tone and style. You wouldn’t write formally to a friend and you wouldn’t communicate too personally with a client.
Use your own words. Your writing should sound conversational and it should sound like you. Be authentic.
Be clear and concise. Avoid buzzwords or filler – they are completely unnecessary. Make your point and make it clear with a strong, active voice. Don’t be passive – be impactful.
Before you press send, read it out loud. Make sure there are commas where you naturally pause. If a sentence is too long and rambling, figure out a way to shorten it. Not sure about something? Look it up. The Associated Press Stylebook is my compass.
Writing is not something to fear. When done well, it can showcase you in the best possible way. So fall in love with writing! (or you can always call us to do it for you!)
1. Go beyond spellcheck. Computer checkers are good to use as a proofreading tool, but they are not foolproof so don’t stop there. Digital spell checkers may not flag incorrect use of homophones (e.g., “to,” “two,” “too”) or other contextual errors (“then” for “than” or “he” for “the”). Worse, some of the errors missed by digital checkers may change the entire meaning of your message (“are” instead of “aren’t”).
2. See it with fresh eyes. Take a break between writing your text and proofreading it. Circling back after some distance can help you spot mistakes more easily. Review your text three times – once for spelling, once for punctuation and once for grammar.
3. Read it backwards. Reading your words independently, rather than in context, can make any misspellings jump right off the page. If it doesn’t sound right, it may not be spelled correctly, and probably deserves a second look.
5. Read your text out loud. Insert proper punctuation where you “hear” pauses. Make a change if a sentence sounds too long, too fragmented, or too ambiguous.
Everyone has not-so-fun aspects of their job, even if they love it overall. For me, playing the part of “brand police” is up there with entering my time as one of those things that are the least fun parts of my job.
Who are the “brand police?” They are usually folks from the marketing department who visit your desk, pointer finger wagging, reminding you to use the proper brand colors for your company or to use the most up-to-date version of your corporate logo, and not the one you saved to your desktop three years ago. Playing brand police is a necessary evil.
I always feel like a nag when I play that role. Brand consistency is just one of those things that is not high on people’s priority list, especially if they need to get a flier out. Right. Now. It’s not fun to rain on someone’s parade and explain to them that using five different fonts and lots of exclamation marks in the same collateral piece is not a good idea.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s hard to find time to explain why. Why staffers should stick to the company’s color palette. Why you shouldn’t stretch out a logo to make it bigger. Why your company’s words should match its deeds. Why using so many exclamation marks is not a good idea!!!
So, here is a semi-official edict from the Brand Police, on why brand consistency is important.
Establishes Trust and Authenticity
When a company delivers a brand experience consistently, the public learns what to expect from that company. Over time, this builds trust. If a company is flinging from one tactic to the next, with no clear unifying purpose, that company takes the risk of looking unfocused and unprofessional.
Sticking to a cohesive brand says something about who you are, that your brand is your corporate identity and not something that you created just for marketing purposes or because its trendy.
Builds Brand Equity
Over time, customers will get to know your company through your brand. Your brand will become synonymous with certain values and expectations. This brand equity will come in handy when you launch a new product or venture, or in some unlucky cases, when your company goes through a rough patch. Your brand is your reputation and at some point, you will need to trade on your reputation. Make sure you’ve built it up over time.
Brand consistency is important. It helps to establish trust with your customers. It builds equity, which will come in handy one day when you need it. And it gives you the opportunity to measure its effectiveness.
I think that’s worth sticking with the right brand colors and a few less exclamation marks, don’t you?
