Spring is a beautiful time of year to sit on the porch and watch flowers bloom and the green grass grow. While April showers bring May flowers (unless you’re in Texas, of course!), as spring turns towards summer, we must evaluate and adjust our strategies to keep our flowers blooming, our grass green and growing. We START watering. We STOP the weeds from spreading. We CONTINUE fertilizing.

This start, stop, continue approach can help you rock your 2018 marketing goals, too. As we near mid-year, there is still time to impact 2018 results. It is a great time to evaluate how your marketing plan is blooming. For your goals to flourish, you may need to STOP less successful strategies. You may need to START new strategies to sprout growth. CONTINUE the strategies that are thriving and helping you grow your “green” (revenue!).

Here are some tips for evaluating your marketing progress and pruning your strategies to meet your goals by the end of the year:

1. Get the lay of the land

Review your 2018 marketing plan. In the hopes of boosting activity (and ultimately revenue), were you going to start a blog or a newsletter, send email campaigns, try paid social media posts, or launch a referral program?

2. Water the roots

Review your internal business development process. How well is your team growing prospective clients to revenue-sprouting clients? How are you distinguishing yourself from the competition?

3. Plant seeds online

Review your website. Is your content up-to-date, optimized for mobile devices and appealing to prospects? This is a good time to add new content based on 2018 experiences to date. Adding success stories or client testimonials can sprout new opportunities and potential relationships.

4. Cultivate relationships

Review vendor agreements. If you are using third party sources to help you with certain aspects of your business (SEO or lead generation, for example) is it proving fruitful? Are the results, activities, reports and general communications meeting your expectations?

5. Grow your green

Review your financials. Are the marketing strategies you are using ultimately sprouting a growth in revenue?

6. Prune when necessary

Review what needs to START, STOP or CONTINUE. Asking the following questions will help you to determine which strategies are working and which strategies need to be pruned:

• What areas for improvement have sprouted and can be addressed proactively throughout the remainder of the year?
• Where have things failed to flourish or failed to deliver the results anticipated?
• What is thriving and performing at or above expectations?

START – Plant new seeds to realize your 2018 marketing goals.
STOP – Pull the weeds and stop unfruitful marketing activities.
CONTINUE – Grow and/or maintain the portions of your marketing plan which are thriving.

Over the past three months, I have been honored to spend a great deal of time with a group of brilliant small business owners. These leaders’ businesses run the gamut from engineering services to inventors, executive recruiters to restaurants, and everything in between. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program has allowed me to learn about these amazing folks, as well as from them.

During our classes and breaks, my classmates asked me some marketing questions, and I noticed that many of the inquiries were similar. So it seems natural to share these insights in a more public way, in the hopes that they will be helpful to other small business owners and leaders.

What percent of my budget should I allocate to marketing of a new product?

There is no specific formula to calculate this. We typically recommend 5% – 15% plus, depending on the category you are in, competition, customer, client, timing, etc. The world we live in is constantly changing from day to day. The global economy changes. So make sure you have done your due diligency on product, place and price in addition to promotion. It makes a difference.

How much of my time should I spend on marketing?

Dear small business owners, you know your business better than anyone. No one is more passionate or determined to make your business a success than you. There is no cookie-cutter answer to this question. What we do know is that your time is best spent on marketing strategy and not execution. Your time is your inventory. Spend it working on your business not in it. Whether it is an internal or external resource, have someone help you. Your business will thank you.

How quickly should I see results of marketing efforts?

Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a long term commitment. We tell our clients we are not successful unless we are growing your topline sales but we need time to gain real results. You need to continuously put your business or product in the right places to reach your target market over an extended period of time. Make sure you have defined your ROI reasonably and that you are tracking it on a consistent basis.

Can you guarantee me a four to one ratio topline sales return on my marketing investment? 

The answer is no. If an outside marketing partner, other than a media buying firm, is telling you otherwise, look for another partner.

I hope you found these questions and answers helpful. I could wax lyrical on branding and marketing all day long! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at julie@itsfrontporch.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. Happy marketing y’all!

Isn’t it hard to believe that Q1 is already in books? Nevertheless, the time has come to analyze topline sales for the first quarter of 2018.

Why is this analysis so important, you ask? Demonstrating the value of your marketing and sales efforts by evaluating ROI is paramount for our client partners. And for our own business as well!

Take a look at these four things If your topline sales weren’t what you anticipated:

1. Were your marketing efforts consistent? Think consistency in creative, messaging and delivery. All are important, together with frequency, which is critical as well.
2. Are you proactively managing and following up on your sales leads? This oversight can be accomplished in a few ways, depending on resources (time, money, people, etc.). Something as elementary as an Excel workbook can be updated daily and analyzed weekly. Some of our clients chose other management tools, such as Hubspot, Pipedrive and Zoho. Maximize technology if it makes your business (and you!) more efficient and more profitable.
3. Are you communicating clearly with your internal audiences, and are they on board? Starting from the inside out is critical to the success of any strategy. Conviction is key. Make sure you have your internal champions. The team must understand the “why” and articulate strategy, initiatives and messages clearly. At every touch point.
4. Are your initiatives relevant and persuasive to your target audiences? Make sure you are connecting with your prospective and current clients and customers. Create an emotional connection. Be relevant. People will be predisposed to your brand and business if they are made to feel something.

Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

If your topline sales aren’t where they need to be, then let’s take a look at the possible reasons. We are here to help.

Peace. Out. And most importantly, rock on!

Earlier this week, I took my tennis-crazy son to the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in beautiful Palm Springs, California. Over the years, we’ve attended several professional tournaments of all sizes, but this one … it’s the best.

The desert weather is temperate and ideal. The mountain ranges on all sides provide a heavenly backdrop. The venue is world-class both in quality of infrastructure and use of technology. The food and drink offerings are unparalleled (Nobu has a permanent restaurant on site and the Moet champagne garden offers a place to lounge while sipping bubbly). The world’s best tennis players in both the men’s and women’s games come to play in both doubles and singles, and they are so well cared for that they mix and mingle with fans in an intimate setting.

This tournament has differentiated itself from its peers by being the best.

It’s a fascinating case study, because it wasn’t always so. In 1990, the tournament was in the red and in danger of being sold to a city overseas. Enter Larry Ellison of Oracle, one of the richest men in the world with a love for tennis, who stepped in and bought the tournament. Every year since then, he has improved it – building new stadiums, upgrading the grounds, bringing in permanent vendors, establishing strategic partnerships, offering increased prize money, and giving the fans an enhanced experience. He has turned the tennis world on its ear by being the same, but being different.

Differentiate Yourself

This mindset is an essential one for any business or entrepreneur. In your market, you must differentiate yourself from your competitors by doing what they do, but doing it better. Then you must seize upon this differentiator by positioning your brand as an industry leader, and creating a marketing plan to leverage your efforts.

Take a page from Larry. Do you think other tournaments are happy that he has set the bar so high? They aren’t! They fear they cannot keep up. Take on this mindset and separate yourself from your competitors. Then come see us on the Porch! We can help you stand out by positioning and marketing your brand and making it rock!

Influencer marketing has become a very popular form of social media marketing. Brands have discovered that an influencer partnership can have a positive impact on their revenue. This form of marketing allows brands to spread their content, connect with consumers, and build relationships more organically and directly.

An influencer is someone who acts as a mutual friend, and connects your brand with your target consumers. In today’s technological world, people are exposed to an abundance of purchasing choices, yet they don’t have the time to research them. Instead, buyers rely on friends, acquaintances, and fellow consumers to inform their purchasing decisions. The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for people to find other people who will help give them the information.

Luckily, social media has also made it easier for brands to seek out and partner with influencers who will get people talking about their company and products.

Partnerships with the right influencers can be extremely positive for your brand. A successful influencer will drive traffic to your site, spread your message across social media platforms, and grow your following. Ultimately, their recommendation sells your product.

When considering influencer marketing:

• Numbers aren’t everything. Don’t rely simply on the number of followers or social media likes an influencer has. Focus on who their followers are and what they are interested in. Those things matter more.
• Brand alignment is a must. Partner with influencers whose audiences align with your brand and the products you sell. Influencers come in all shapes and sizes: celebrities, industry experts, bloggers, YouTubers, journalists, etc.
• Authenticity is key. Collaborate and build relationships with influencers that truly believe in your brand. Buyers can detect partnerships that aren’t a genuine fit, and that may turn them away from your brand.

In 2018, influencer marketing is a powerful tool. If you’d like to develop relationships with social media influencers and aren’t sure where to start, call us. Front Porch Marketing can help!

A great logo makes your business. It serves as your abbreviated calling card, and speaks to your company’s culture, beliefs, and defining qualities without explanation. Add in color, font and unique graphical aspects and your logo becomes your brand.

“Your brand’s logo is the sort of thing that can have a bigger effect on your business than you first think,” says John Rampton of Forbes. “The wrong logo can make your brand come off as unprofessional, assuming anyone notices you at all. A good logo will create instant recognition within the minds of your target audience.”

Your logo should be unique, memorable, timeless, and versatile. It should stand out in the market. And it should represent your business and its message.

So you have an amazing logo!?!? NOW WHAT? Two simple but surprisingly difficult ideas:

Protect and Share.

On repeat. Make it your 2018 chorus.

From pictograms, ideograms, hieroglyphs to today’s world of avatars, emojis and icons, it can get confusing fast. If you are in a sea of sameness, unprotected and using your marks haphazardly, you are dead in the water.

Your logo usage must be easy, clear, and second nature. Take the Olympic rings, for example. No one mistakes them, everyone knows exactly what they represent, and what time it is when you see them. You can even hear the song in your head, can’t you? No questions. Put your logo under that filter. Every time you put it in play.

If you don’t diligently protect your marks, you are wasting effort.

So how do you protect your logo? You have standards, you have guidelines, you have a playbook and you follow it. No. Matter. What.

Remember, strong brands are:

• consistent at every touchpoint
• supported by strong teams
• not forced
• protective of their image

So in 2018, protect that brand. Share it. And do it again and again. As always, we can help!

All year we’ve been talking Pick Six to celebrate six years of Rockin’ the Front Porch! So, for our sixth and final newsletter of 2017 we have Six Things You Must Do Before 2018 – and each of them should only take you about six minutes. 

Friends, can you spare 36 minutes to finish the year strong?

Pick Six

1. WRITE a quick thank you message to a special client that made a difference for you in 2017. Here’s ours:

Thank you, Faith Family Academy, for trusting us to solidify your brand and your messaging and lead you in spreading the word about your fantastic school! You inspire us daily and we love being your marketing partner.

2. SCHEDULE a breakfast or lunch with someone you consider to be an important counselor or mentor. Pick up the phone and call that person right now!

Patti Johnson, be expecting my call!

3. DOWNLOAD an app that enriches your personal or professional life. We love the concept of beginning the year with meditation as a means for focus.

Headspace is our meditation app of choice. Their tagline, “A few minutes could change your whole day” sums it all up!

4. FOLLOW a new social media site to learn something new. Resolve to use your time wisely in 2018! Here is a marketing expert we love to follow on twitter:

We love Robert Caruso’s twitter @fondalo – he is the real deal!

5. DONATE online to a worthy charity with a quick visit to their website and a final tax-deduction for you in 2017.

Catch Up & Read is a great choice in the Dallas community!

6. CALL a small business. Enlist their help in refreshing that website, learning about SEO, writing a blog, or updating your social media … and we just happen to know a really great choice for this!

Front Porch Marketing can help!

Write. Schedule. Download. Follow. Donate. Call.

Pick six.

Rock your holiday, friends! We’ll be back in January with seven ways to seriously improve your online presence in 2018.

Social media marketing is constantly changing and evolving, which is both good and bad. Keeping up with social media marketing trends is practically a full-time job! And so is figuring out the best social media marketing strategies for your brand.

As businesses are planning for the new year, there are several social media trends that appear to be here to stay (at least for now). You should consider these when putting together a strategy for 2018:

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has exploded over the past few years and there is no sign of it slowing in the near future. Using social media influencers is an excellent way to expand the reach of your brand messaging when you choose the right partners to work with.

Studies show that 74% of people look to their networks on social media for advice on buying decisions. In addition, 40% of people have bought something because they have seen it being promoted by an influencer on Instagram or Twitter.

Finding the right influencer marketing partnerships can seriously get your brand noticed!

Social Media Advertising Costs

Gone are the days of social media posting generating free organic reach. In order to gain new followers and grow your brand via social media, you must have a social advertising budget. Unfortunately, as the number of advertisers on social media increases, so will the cost of social ads.

As people realize that social media marketing provides an extremely cost-effective way to reach a targeted group of consumers, the competition for social advertising results increases. Therefore, to keep up with the competition, a social media advertising budget is a must for 2018.

You Gotta Have Video

Did you know that social videos generate 1,200% more shares than text and images combined? In addition, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when they read it in text. It’s estimated that by 2019, video will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic.

Need I say more? It’s time to take video seriously! Social media video marketing needs to be an integral part of your social content strategy in 2018.

Social media marketing is constantly evolving. You won’t know if something is going to work for your business unless you test it. If you need help navigating the trends and reaching your audience, we on the Porch are here to help!

Hey, business owners, have you ever thought about what the “American Dream” is? Have you ever thought about what it means to you?

Over the weekend, I was honored that my son selected me to interview for an English essay about the American Dream. I am certain that it had absolutely nothing to do with proximity, nor did it matter that I respond very nearly to his beck and call (I know that it comes as a shock to many who know me that I can be a beck and call girl, but I digress).

The interview humbled me, and I found it to be a very thought-provoking exercise. The questions he posed to me:

1. In your own words, what is the American Dream? What does it mean to you?
2. Do you see the American Dream in your own life? Has it motivated you, influenced your decisions?
3. Over the course of your life, have your own dreams changed? In what ways?
4. How would you define a “successful” life? What’s most important?
5. Which generation – yours or your parents’ – has had a better life?

My answers were as follows:

1. The American Dream is the right to freedom, choice, justice and prosperity. For me, the American Dream means living in a place where we are free and are treated fairly. It also means the right to have multiple, differing opinions; and those opinions are respected and acknowledged, and actually make us better and stronger as a nation. Having the opportunity to prosper and start my own business are also part of what the American Dream means to me.
2. I see the American Dream in my life every single day. I am married to the man I chose to be married to and have two healthy, happy, wonderful children who attend schools we selected for them. We practice the faith of our choice. I started and have owned Front Porch Marketing, my business, for almost seven years, which not only helps my family financially prosper, but also helps those that work with me contribute financially to their households. I am also extremely lucky to partner with clients that work for start-ups, small to mid-size businesses, organizations and franchisees who themselves are living the American Dream. Daily, I am inspired by my family, team and clients. Because I am mindful of the fact that in other countries, many people, especially women, are not allowed the opportunities I am, I honestly count my blessings every day.
3. Some of my dreams have not changed, like having a family, giving back to our communities, and being successful professionally. Over the course of my life, others dreams have changed. I dreamed of owning the first company in which I worked. That didn’t happen, because I was hired away from that marketing company by a client that I managed. My dream then became to climb the corporate ladder and become the Vice President of Marketing for that company. Ticked that box. Then, I pivoted and started Front Porch Marketing. And it has been the absolute best part of my professional journey to date.
4. A successful life to me is being happy, healthy, kind, empathetic, resilent and respectful; having a strong sense of self; raising responsible, happy, kind, humble, respectful, empathetic, resilent children; giving back to others in need, and providing for the needs of my family.
5. I really don’t think it is up to me to judge if my generation or my parents’ generation had a better life, because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. And, because our world since 9/11 changes at light speed, in addition to constant emerging technologies today, our generation is more complicated; but I think one could make an argument for either

So why did I ask business owners to answer these five questions?

A perspective check-in is always a good thing, and I hope this exercise inspires you as much as it inspired me. Be well, friends; and keep livin’ the dream.

P.S. We can help you keep livin’ the dream by growing your topline through strategic branding and marketing, so call, email or text us today!

It’s almost the 4th Quarter, and here on the Porch, it’s all about cooler weather, football, holidays and … 2018 plans. The time is NOW to schedule your 2018 winning game plan. We can help you Play. To. Win.

Here are 6 Things to Think About as we head into Q4:

1. Volunteering.

   Folks, the need for volunteers is going into overtime to help hurricane victims. Our fellow Texans will persevere, but still need our help in Q4 and beyond. Over the last five weeks, the Front Porch Marketing team has donated some serious rocker time to help our clients whose teams were affected and to raise awareness for their fundraising and donation efforts. If you are looking to support hurricane victims in Texas and elsewhere, check out TrustedWorld.org. This fantastic organization based in North Texas helps us all keep on helping.

2. Supporting Women.

   Does your playbook include doing business with and promoting women-owned businesses? Look for WBE certified businesses by visiting Women’s Business Council-Southwest. Consider joining this great organization, and if eligible, get certified. Front Porch is proudly certified WBE, HUB, SBE and WOSB and recently attended the WBCS Business Works Expo in Arlington, Texas. We will gladly answer your questions!

3. Working Social Media.

   Are your fans crazy about your brand? Are they visiting your sites, watching you play and win the social media game, reading your blogs and newsletters and wanting more? It just takes one good quarter to make some great plays. Start now.

4. Celebrations.

   4th Q wouldn’t be 4th Q without events that celebrate family, friends and don’t forget – your team. We love it when our clients such as Mister Sweeper celebrate the team and let us help them plan it. Hint: Cinemark. Star Wars. Private Screenings. Make sure you have plans in place now to thank your team for 2017.

5. New Clients.

   Now that the Back to School huddle is over and everyone is settled into the new routine, we want to take a moment to shout out to two new clients who spend every day helping teachers do a great job of educating the children in our communities. Faith Family Academy and Catch Up & Read are North Texas organizations that demonstrate it’s all about having a passion for what you do.

6. and lastly …

   Friends, if you have to pick one of six things to do in the 4th quarter, pick this – Find. Your. Purpose. Like this one.

Our purpose at Front Porch is to rock your world and help you play to win. See you on the field.