Over the weekend, a friend sent me some screenshots from the Instagram account of an event we are both familiar with. “HAVE YOU SEEN THESE???” she said. The series of posts featured a scantily clad woman and her friends promoting the event. Slightly confounded by the choice, I took a quick visit to her Instagram page. She had a gaggle of followers, but no real connection to the audience or the event itself, and unfortunately, it didn’t play well.

The idea of using a social media influencer was not a bad one. Influencer marketing is on the rise – Google alone saw a 325% increase in “influencer marketing” searches last year. It’s based on the practice of using influencers in your niche to create and distribute relevant content and share it in an authentic way. It can be a fantastic way to find and reach your people.

However, influencer marketing is a wasted exercise (and investment!) if you aren’t using the right influencers. And while it’s tempting to use metrics like number of followers as a measure of influence, it’s important to take a closer, more comprehensive look at a potential ambassador before you ask them to promote your brand.

Fit

How relevant is the influencer to what you do? How aligned is their content with your messaging? The best partnerships are natural fits – their audience must believe that the endorsement is genuine and your audience must be able to relate to them.

Engagement

Is the influencer engaging with their followers in a meaningful way? Or are their pages just a collection of selfies? If people aren’t commenting and interacting with the person, keep looking. Your audience will get bored with someone who is just skin deep.

Reach

Reach is certainly a valid consideration, so take a look at traffic and followers. But ask yourself who they are reaching. Is it your target audience? Reach is irrelevant if the influencer isn’t reaching the right people.

Authenticity

Influencers must be viewed as authentic and genuine. Is this person partnered with too many sponsors? If so, they will not appear trustworthy.

When chosen thoughtfully, an Influencer partnership is one of the best ways to build your brand online and raise awareness among your target audience. Need some help choosing the right influencer? We can help!

Frequently, we ask a potential client what their marketing budget is in an effort to better understand what resources we will use to meet branding and marketing goals.

And regularly, we hear, “What should our marketing budget be?”

We are already two weeks into Q1, so let’s talk about your marketing budget. Total marketing budgets are on the rise (yay!) and are at 7 – 12% of total gross revenue. If one of your resolutions this year is to grow your small to mid-size business, let’s rock.

Here are four things to remember when formulating your marketing budget:

1. Small businesses should budget 7 – 8% of gross revenues for marketing in order to compete against larger companies.

2. Track your marketing budget and results monthly – at a minimum. If you consistently track your results you will be better able to adjust your marketing spending over time to spend smarter, not harder.

3. Increase the budget for new product launches. Keep track of what you make on the product and tweak as needed to cover the marketing costs and increase profit from sales.

4. One size does not fit all. While the latest Forrester Research report projects that digital marketing spending will make up 44% of all ad spend, this number can vary depending on a variety of factors including industry, growth plans and local market.

As you create your marketing budget this year, don’t start with the tactics. Develop a defined marketing budget to support a marketing plan with measurable goals and a sound strategy.

Happy New Year, friends! Yes, it’s officially THAT time of year … the holidays are over, the kids are back to school, and we take a look around at the carnage and decide that things have to change. And THIS is the year we are going to resolve to make those changes.

So we make some resolutions. We’re going to lose weight! Get in fabulous shape! Get fabulously organized! Become the best mother/wife/friend/person EVER! We google “how to make changes.” We examine our motivations, set realistic goals, plan our rewards, and set out on our course to become a newer, better, version of ourselves.

Blah, blah, blah.

Um, no offense to anyone who truly commits to change in the new year and follows through with it (there may be one or two of you out there), but let’s face it, most of us get busy and forget our New Year’s Resolutions five minutes after we make them.

Listen, I’m all for self-improvement. But I wholly believe that the greatest improvement any of us can make to our lives, and the lives of everyone around us, is to resolve to do something simple … BE HAPPY. Find your happiness. Create happy moments. Do happy things. Big things. Little things. Anything that lightens your load and makes you smile.

How about these things?

Take a spur of the moment trip

Have dinner with someone who makes you laugh

Write someone you love a letter

Eat something you’ve never tried

Take a long walk

Find a place to dance

Stop doing something you do only out of obligation

Binge watch a new show

Treat yourself to something big

Spend a day volunteering

Call an old friend

Read the paper on Sunday

Tell your kids a story about your younger self

Cook a special meal for no reason

Forgive someone

Forgive yourself

Life is short, friends, and we only have this one. Our time here is precious. Enjoy it. Smile broadly. Breathe deeply. Laugh loudly. Love the people that love you (and forget the ones that don’t). Be happy.

Now those are resolutions.

Change – in time or circumstance – often sparks reflection. The match may also be our own – or another’s – experiences, a song heard, or a quote shared. Equally true is the reverse – reflection often sparks change. Growth is ignited by both. As 2018 nears its end on the Porch, we are reflecting upon this year and gleaning insights to lead us into next. We hope our reflections will serve as a guiding light to your own.

As Chief Rocker, 2018 has been a year of growth for me professionally. In the spring, I graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program – one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have done for my career and business thus far. As wife and mom, it has also been a year of transition and growth for my family. My husband has grown his team at work and is settling into a new leadership role.

“I believe that days go slow and years go fast.” Luke Bryan

Nowhere is this more apparent than in parenting. My daughter transitioned brilliantly into a new school and turned five, which seems like a landmark year. This fall my son entered what is widely rumored to be the most difficult year of education at his high school. He has shown tremendous grit and commitment to achieving success with his grades, his varsity football team and his competitive shooting team.

It has also been a year of anticipating and preparing for big changes ahead. With college on the horizon – and a mom’s need to collect as many experiences with him as possible – I once again increased my volunteer commitments at his school. As a parent, change is bittersweet. The growth you model, encourage and watch proudly take shape in your children is the same growth making you wish desperately time would slow down.

For my other love – Front Porch Marketing –– our passion and dedication to the development and growth of our clients’ brands continues.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs

Rock Star Vanessa Hickman:

As 2018 comes to a close, I am joyful that I have the opportunity to do what I love … sharing stories and helping organizations create and share their story. For me, the most meaningful project of 2018 was partnering with Practice Ministries to tell their story and raise funds in order to expand their ministries. Two of my loves collided: my faith and my work. To have found something I love and which allows me to contribute to the prosperity of my family makes me grateful, humbled and blessed.

“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” James Cash Penney

The Porch saw some changes in 2018, too. We added two Rockers. For one of them, a personal and professional collision of another sort occurred when her homecoming this year also grew our roster of amazing clients.

Lil’ Rock Maria Gregorio:

I moved back to Texas after a brief time in Kansas and I have somehow managed to reconnect and work with some old friends: Julie and Girl Scouts. It reminds me of an old Girl Scout song “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold … ” While I did enjoy my time in Kansas – I did indeed make new friends and learned a lot – it’s nice to be home again.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” John C. Maxwell

Back Porch Rocker Jacqui Trujillo:

2018 will be remembered as a year of tremendous change for me. Fear and discomfort can accompany change of any sort, but in the end, what I discovered is that sometimes the change you fear the most is the change that saves you … and turns you into exactly who you were meant to be.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” Brene Brown

Finding our joy and practicing gratitude each day – regardless of circumstance – have also provided opportunities for reflection and been a catalyst for change in 2018.

The Rock Tara Engelland:

This year I have tried to take time at the end of each day to make a list of the things I am grateful for, both big and small. It’s amazing what practicing gratitude can do for your overall sense of happiness and contentment – especially on bad days. Sometimes, I even find the everyday things that I consider to be such chores are the things I am most grateful for. It really helps put things into perspective.

We are immensely grateful to our clients for the changes and growth we have experienced through the opportunities to work with each of you.

Classic Rocker Greg Asher:

2018 brought about the opportunity to work with great clients and a wide array of companies. From new products and services to new growth opportunities and new customer segments, they inspire me daily with their passion and commitment, and have me looking forward to a dynamic 2019.

“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

As you reflect upon 2018, contemplate what roads you (and your brand) should start or continue to travel and where you should change directions. Focus your energy on making those changes so the reflection you see in the rearview mirror is a year full of growth, for yourself and for your brand’s bottom line.

From all of us on the Porch, may your holidays be merry and your 2019 shine bright.

As planning for 2019 kicks into high gear, now is a good time to take a look at what’s “en vogue” in the marketing world. Is your marketing plan ready to strike a pose?

Some things are classics, and your go-to, wear everyday piece is CONTENT. Quality, engaging content is the cornerstone of any successful marketing plan. Beyond that, the following trends are simply accessories to be mixed in when they fit a brand’s individual style. Much like the latest  fashion fads, not every trend is the right stylistic fit for every brand.

With that caveat out of the way, here are five things walking the marketing runway:

Marketing Automation

ROI has been realized in 75% of companies in just one year of marketing automation use. Companies using marketing automation have reported a substantial 34% increase to their sales revenue, regardless of company size or industry.  In addition, 91% of users say it is “very important” to their overall marketing success. It’s all the rage – which puts marketing automation at the very top of the 2019 trendsetters’ list.

Chatbots

Chatbots can quickly recognize and respond to data … in real time. This gives both consumers and brands a virtual assistant to do anything handling customer queries to ordering a pizza! This saves time, money and human effort. We need look no further than the hugely popular Alexa to understand why the use of chatbots is taking over automated web communications.

Video Marketing

The growth of video will continue. Facebook Live was rolled out in April 2016, and in just two years, the average number of broadcasts doubled, earning more than 150 billion reactions. Video ads are still going strong as well. In August 2018, 65% of ad impressions on Instagram were the result of video content. If those stats aren’t enough to convince you that the video marketing craze will continue, consider this: When customers watch a video on a website, Google pushes that site up in its search results … ideal for any brand.

Native Advertising

Native advertising is on the rise over the use of banner ads, because it doesn’t disrupt the user experience. This increases consumers’ willingness to share it, which generates more sales leads.

Inbound Marketing

Because it’s simple, versatile and 61% cheaper than traditional marketing, inbound marketing remains a cost-effective method of connecting with your audience. Keeping inbound marketing hip is:

• Blogging. Statistically, blogging is three times more effective than traditional marketing in its ability to generate sales leads. It also allows you to include a variety of content that isn’t strictly direct product advertisement.
• Social Media. While AI and Chatbots create a life-like assistant, a strong social media presence creates an opportunity for consumers to engage with real people – making your brand appear more relatable. It also makes it quick and easy to provide exclusive offers or coupon codes to generate customers. To allow for a more seamless experience for consumers, you can also expect to see the continued integration of services into third-party apps by social media companies.
• Email-marketing. Companies that choose e-mail marketing can double their number of generated leads over those that do not. Adding automation can then double that amount. With numbers like those, e-mail marketing continues to be the top model of effective inbound marketing.

Here on the Porch we would love to design a marketing plan for you to premiere in 2019 (perfectly coordinated to your brand’s individual style, of course).

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

– John Dewey

School Days

I was always a very academic kid growing up. Once I got to high school, that drive turned up to eleven. I was a combination of Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller.

I guess you could say I was tightly wound.

Luckily, I relaxed significantly once I graduated from high school, and even more so once I graduated from college. At the time, I knew my formal education was ending. I also knew that I would never stop learning. But I did think that learning would take place in a more formal setting.  However, that was not the case.

While I do like learning in a classroom setting, a lot of the learning I’ve done in service of my career, has been done quite informally. Yes, I have attended many conferences and workshops. I have also Googled, YouTubed, and DIY’d my way through a good chunk of my professional development.  Learning by doing has been the best way for me to develop my skills.

This DIY, hands-on approach is also a reflection of where education is trending as a whole.  A few of our rockin’ clients reflect these trends.

Learning By Doing

Faith Family Academy emphasizes a MASTER program – Math, Art, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research. They understand that there are different approaches to learning and that no one subject has cornered the market on how to solve problems  This holistic approach is needed if today’s students are to be tomorrow’s leaders and workers.

Another client of ours, Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, also emphasizes learning by doing. They understand that the best way to learn leadership skills is through hands-on trial and error. Girls are expected to work their way through real-life problems that you can’t study your way out of.

What do you do when the volunteers you scheduled to help with a service project don’t show up? What if you disagree with your troop on how to spend troop Cookie funds? And speaking of Cookies, how do you keep your eyes on the prize when you are selling at a Cookie booth and its 20 degrees outside?

I recently attended a workshop hosted by another rockin’ client, Sandler Training of Fort Worth. The facilitator guided us through different scenarios in an interactive, small group setting. Attendees came away with real actionable next-steps they can take to land a new client.

We live in interesting times. Most information is at your fingertips. Which essentially means, information is cheap. What you do with it, that’s the key.

Oh how the holiday retail landscape has changed over the past decade. It used to be that folks would leisurely enjoy their Thanksgiving feast, sleep off said feast, then line up on “Black Friday” at the crack of dawn to get in on the big deals they were after. While the Friday after Thanksgiving is still the official start of the holiday shopping season, things have certainly changed. Thanksgiving is no longer off limits – many retailers are open. In fact, consumers can shop at stores or online before the Thanksgiving meal has been cleared from the table.

While Black Friday still holds its own as the most significant shopping holiday on the calendar, there are now a multitude of shopping holidays competing for attention. Between Black Friday, Small Business Saturday (we on the Porch always encourage shopping small and shopping local), Cyber Monday, Free Shipping Day and Super Saturday (the last Saturday before Christmas), it’s hard to know when the best time to do your holiday shopping is. These “holidays” were created to boost holiday sales and lure us in with the promise to save big on every item on our lists.

Here are some numbers to put things into perspective:

• The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales in November and December — excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants — to increase between 4.3 and 4.8 percent over 2017. Total spending is expected to range from $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion.
• According to NRF, for some retailers, the holiday season can represent as much as 30 percent of annual sales with hobby, toy and game stores reporting the highest percentage, accounting for approximately 30.1 percent of their sales during the 2017 holiday season. Overall, last year holiday sales represented nearly 20 percent of total retail industry sales.

Do you jump right in after Thanksgiving and knock out everything on your list? Or are you one of the 40% that begins holiday shopping before Halloween? Do you hold out for possibly better deals with the chance of not getting what you want? Or do you usually procrastinate and hope for the best? It takes all kinds!

The good news this year is that the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas is long – 32 days whereas next year will only be 26 (although Hanukkah is early this year). That means retailers have more time to lure us in and those who usually wait to shop, well, you have more time to wait.

The forecast for holiday sales is good this year, but we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to see how the shopping season plays out. In the meantime, I’ve got some shopping to do!

Here on the Porch we love rocking social media on behalf of our clients. Each platform has a slightly different tone, tenor and audience – and we enjoy the nuances of each and every one. Instagram is a light, happy platform that can tolerate a touch of irreverence, and truth be told, it’s my favorite.

Around here my colleagues playfully call me “Queen of Words,” and so it should come of no surprise to anyone that my personal feed is filled with wordy quotes. Inspirational quotes such as, “Surround yourself with people that force you to level up.” Quotes that speak to me, like “Be a good person but never waste your time proving it.” And funny, just-my-personality quotes like, “Sometimes things are just best said with an eye roll.”

I. Love. Quotes. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving and gratitude, I share with you my 10 favorite Instagram quotes about gratitude:

1. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” Karl Barth

2. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

3. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” Thornton Wilder

4. “They do not love, that do not show their love.” William Shakespeare

5. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust

6. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

7. “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” Henry Ward Beecher

8. “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

9. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy

10. “Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.” Nigel Hamilton

Beautiful and inspirational, right? May you all have a wonderful holiday, surrounded by everyone that you are grateful for! Happy Thanksgiving, from our Porch to yours.

This time of year, the stakes are high in the charitable giving arena, making nonprofit marketing more important than ever. Roughly 30% of all nonprofit giving happens during the last month of the year, from #GivingTuesday (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) through December 31.

Donors are feeling generous, so the time is now to launch a compelling marketing campaign to support your annual appeal. The competition for donation dollars is real, so keep these things top of mind to ensure you don’t get lost in the noise:

Keep Your Messaging on Point

Messaging should be compelling and concise. What will inspire donors to give to your nonprofit over another? Your messaging should be clear and speak to your audience in a resonant, emotional way in a voice that supports your mission and is undeniably yours.

Make Sure Your Website is Ready for Prime Time

This is likely your biggest campaign of the year – your website should be ready to receive visitors. Make sure your website is compelling, current and eye-catching, and that your campaign is highlighted on your homepage with a clear call to action. Your donation page should be front and center – make it easy for people to give!

The Time is Now for Email Marketing

An optimized website only works if you’re driving traffic to it, so create some well written emails that will resonate with donors and drive people to your site. Consider using storytelling in your campaign – it’s a powerful way to arouse emotion and inspire action. A good narrative brings people together, evokes emotion, and creates empathy. Fundraising is a very human-centered enterprise, and when our emotions are tapped, we are much more likely to act.

Support Your Campaign with Social Media

Nonprofits are all competing for dollars, and social media will be abuzz. You can’t afford not to be telling your story there. Every platform has a different voice and demographic, so tailor your messaging to each channel. Establish a monthly social media calendar to ensure all your touchpoints are covered, and encourage sharing by your stakeholders and friends.

Don’t Forget to Say Thank You

Recognize your donors and their gifts quickly. Leave them with something that makes them feel undeniably good about supporting your organization.

It’s go time for Nonprofit Marketing! Are you ready to rumble? If not, come see us!

Truth be told, I have not historically been the epitome of the happy, organized, relaxed holiday doyenne. Instead, I have been the poster child for procrastination (“I know those limited edition sneakers are hard to come by … but I’ll find them tomorrow”), delusion (“I am in great shape – plenty of time left”), and last minute panic (“It’s Thanksgiving morning … where am I going to find a pie dish?”). Every year I find myself with the very best of intentions, but decidedly too much to do and not nearly enough time to do it.

So I am turning over a new leaf. I want to actually ENJOY the holidays this year. Care to join me in that? Let’s do it.

First, Let’s Think About Things

Spend some quiet time thinking about what you have loved about the holidays in years past. Who do you want to spend time with? Where? What is important to you? What is important to your family? Ask them … you might be surprised by what they love and what you only think they love. Let the rest fall away.

Fall in Love With the List

The key to managing the holidays is planning and organization, and the key to planning and organization is … the list. Actually, let’s pluralize that … LISTS. Gifts to buy lists, gifts you’ve bought lists, lists of activities, lists of recipes, lists of groceries for the recipes … you get the idea. Make your lists and scratch things off as you go along – it’s uber gratifying. If you want to knock yourself out, invest in a holiday planner. A friend of mine just bought this one and it looks awesome!

More Important than the List is the Timeline

Some things can’t be planned for but setting a timeline and keeping on schedule is essential. It will minimize the need to shop for and hand-deliver gifts to all your kids’ teachers on the last day of school before the break. Sigh. I might have done that a time or ten. New leaf, new leaf, new leaf. Plan ahead, people. Time moves at warp speed in the months of November and December.

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

Don’t stop doing what makes you feel good, even though you’re busy. Sleep, exercise, meditate, get outside, laugh, breathe. Put “me time” on your list. It keeps you from losing your mind. Your body (and your family) will thank you.

Stress Happens so Have a Ripcord Nearby

Despite all our thinking and list-making and scheduling, there will be times when we feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Find a way to decompress and re-center, whatever that is for you. For me, it’s tennis and a bubble bath. For you, it could be karaoke and tequila. Do it. I don’t judge.

And lastly, ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS. Be present. Be joyful. Make some memories.