As I was pondering what to share in this month’s newsletter, an email about books hit my inbox. It was my daily New York Times digest. And, one of the stories featured was the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. To be honest, I only scrolled through the first 50. And, gosh, I haven’t read any of them. But, of course, now I am excited to have a new “to read” list.

How to Vacation: Read Books

On our annual July Fourth vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama, not only do I cherish time with my kiddos, and the family tradition we have built. I enjoy reading, as I don’t have the opportunity to do it enough during the work week. On this vacation, I have a goal of reading a book a day. I know that sounds impossible, right? But I am a speedy reader when I’m engaged in a good book.

Reading to me is relaxation. It is an escape. Also, reading fills my head with new perspectives and ideas — even if I am reading romance or mystery novels. I do try to sharpen my parenting skills and throw in a parenting book now and then as well. In addition, adding business or professional development books to my library is important to me.

Books I’ve Been Reading This Summer

This year’s Fourth of July consumption, “dearest gentle reader,” did not disappoint. Highlights included:

James Patterson by James Patterson — My first audio book ever. Yes, stating this makes me feel like a dinosaur. I had no idea Patterson worked at J Walter Thompson. And was an executive there. He also produced some of the most iconic tag lines and creative concepts of all time! From this, I took away much. In addition to this one, I am adding two other books to my reading list: One by him and a book he gifts to others.

Five Principles of Parenting by Dr. Aliza Pressman — I have a 23-year-old son. Yet, parenting today and all the wise people and new learnings out there are still a benefit to me when I’m parenting my 11-year-old daughter. This book is a true treasure trove of wisdom.

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson — Wowsa. There were many unexpected turns and twists. Also, mind blown regarding new learnings on the science of volcanoes and other things. A must read y’all.

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune — This is one of the top easy-to-read and escape-into books of the summer.

Need More Insights on These Books?

Want to share why you read and what your favorites are? I’m happy to have a call or Teams chat. Or leave a comment here. Summer reading and time away from work are so important for the soul, don’t you think?

Of course, if we can help you with your marketing and branding needs, book discussion or not, email, call or text us.

Welcome Lillian Cloud, our new intern, to the Porch!

It’s time to welcome a new team member this fall — Lillian Clould. She is a recent college graduate from Texas A&M, and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Marketing at UT Dallas. We love our interns, and we’re so excited to introduce you to Lillian. You can read about her on our team page, and today, we’ve asked her a few questions about her perspective on marketing, so you can get to know her better. And then you can send Lillian a big Front Porch “howdy!”

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

I believe the biggest misconception about marketing today is that marketing is only about selling people stuff they do not need. Marketing is so much more than that now and we have such an opportunity to reach people today with marketing than ever before.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far at school is to make sure your professors know who you are. Build relationships with your professors, they can be a great resource.

What does good brand strategy look like?

I think good brand strategy starts with knowing your brand well and what direction you want your brand to go in.  At the same time, it is important to know what your brand is not.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

Rome!

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

My great aunt Lillian who I am named after.

If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be?

Three words that describe me are passionate, loyal, and honest.

Tell us about a major milestone in your life?

A major milestone in my life was graduating college this past year and moving away from my hometown and family. I went to college in my hometown so graduating and moving to Dallas was a big change for me but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

I think that the size of Front Porch Marketing allows it to get to know their clients well and have a real connection with them. Everyone I have worked with on the team is always so willing to help and listen to me which is exactly how we treat our clients and I think that makes us special.

What is a fun fact about you?

A fun fact about me is that I love to travel and learn about history and art.

After a fun and insightful summer with Front Porch Marketing, my internship has come to an end. Front Porch has taught me what it’s like to apply my advertising and marketing skills I acquired in college to real-life scenarios and clients.

Leading up to my first day at FPM, I was very nervous and did not know what to expect. But the team welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to see my full potential. I learned various skills and traits this summer in a low-stress and educational environment that I look forward to using for the rest of my career.

The Best Part of My Internship

My favorite part of my internship was working with one of our clients, Faith Family Academy. Our goal was to increase enrollment for the 2023 school year. We were doing a lot of promoting events and advertising on many different platforms. I got to see what it was like to strategically advertise to a certain target audience in a real life situation.

I learned so much about ad placement and design that I never would have thought to use before. Ultimately, this hands-on experience has taught me things I could never learn in a classroom. Most of all it taught me how to act accordingly in a professional setting.

Internships Are a Valuable Experience

The things I learned this summer I will never take for granted. I was lucky enough to expand my knowledge on marketing. They taught me with hands-on experience and a team that wanted me to succeed. I’ll apply this knowledge to my future. And I will use the experience I have acquired to drive a successful career for myself.  So I cannot thank the people I have worked with enough this summer at my internship. Plus I look forward to keeping in touch with them as I start my professional career, after my senior year at Texas Tech University!

Meet Ursuline Summer Intern Ryan Barton

Welcome our new intern Ryan Barton. Front Porch Marketing supports Ursuline High School by providing an internship or two for their students every summer. We have had the pleasure of introducing marketing and advertising to these rising seniors for several years now, and have enjoyed their enthusiasm and sparkle every summer.

This summer our Ursuline High School intern is rising senior Ryan Barton. Ryan is excited to utilize her strong communication and writing skills this summer and learn more about what we do at Front Porch. And we are excited to add her to the Front Porch team. Ryan is the captain of the girls’ basketball team, and president of school club Helping Hands, which she founded. We asked Ryan a few questions about herself to get to know her better!

What makes you want to have a career in marketing?

I took a class this year at Ursuline where you have to create a business model and work out the finances, marketing, and product. It made me interested in the marketing aspect of a business and what that entails.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your life? 

I have learned that every person is different and has an unique skill set. It taught me that comparing myself to others is not helpful or productive.

If you could describe Ryan Barton in three words what would they be? 

In 3 words, I would describe myself as determined, thoughtful, generous.

What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing, Ryan?

My main goals are to get experience in marketing and seeing if it is something that I would be interested in pursuing in the future.

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

I would go to dinner with my Taylor Swift. I grew up with older sisters so her music was constantly on and she has become a huge inspiration in my life!

What is a fun fact about you, Ryan?

One of my favorite foods is Caesar salad! I had one in New York when I was 10 and have loved them ever since!

We’re So Happy You’re Here, Ryan Barton!

Of course this summer we had to have a #swiftie as an intern. Of course! We are looking forward to seeing how your future develops, Ryan, and hope that your time at Front Porch Marketing is valuable to your career path. Welcome!

Ready to skill up this year by attending a great conference for marketers like you?

Why are conferences for marketers important? They’re a tool for growth in your marketing career! First, you are learning new skills. Next, you’re exposed to best practices from peers and mentors. Then, you’re growing your network for future collaborations and opportunities. And most importantly, any work experiences outside of the office give you a fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm for your job. It’s a win-win-win-win.

Attend one of these conferences for marketers this year:

Adweek: Outlook: You can join AdWeek for a value-heavy program to talk about the benefits of monetization strategies. Explore new tools disrupting the industry. Speakers in attendance include top names in media, marketing, and tech. This program aims to figure out how to use these innovations to supercharge growth and revenue. Over three days, you’ll learn how to connect with customers. Plus, you’ll tackle talent and transformation topics.

Content World Marketing: Content Marketing World stands out among brand marketing conferences. First, it provides a space for you to improve your content creation skills. Second, it helps you connect with other creators. At this conference, you will meet important professionals in the industry, meet potential hires, and gain knowledge to improve your marketing systems.

INBOUND: INBOUND’s key goal is to connect professionals in the marketing industry. Every year, this marketing conference is one of the biggest marketing events. In fact, it attracts thousands of world-class professionals. At INBOUND, you will meet some of the best and brightest minds in sales and revenue operations. You also get to network with leaders in marketing and customer success.

SXSW: Advertising & Brand Experience: SXSW is not your typical marketing conference. But their Advertising and Brand Experience track is a great way to expand your mind and your perspective. This SXSW track is designed for agencies and organizations. Find forward-thinking strategies to connect with communities.

SEO

MOZCON: MozCon is like a summer camp for marketers. This conference brings together digital marketers from all over the world for three days. During the program, marketers learn to overcome all the common and specific obstacles in the current marketing world. The speakers range from leaders in performance marketing, SEO, conversion optimization, local search, digital marketing strategy and conversion optimization.

Social Media

Social Media Marketing World: Social marketing is changing more and more each day. If this industry has taught us anything, it’s that you’ve got to embrace change to get ahead. Join thousands of the world’s smartest marketers and influencers — brought to you by Social Media Examiner. Walk away with real business-building ideas. And then put them to work for your business or clients right away.

Regional Traveling Conference for Marketers

Digital Summit Series: Digital Summit Series happens across the United States in more than 15 cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The summit includes sessions covering digital marketing best tactics and practices, SEO, content, social media, analytics and strategy. Plus, you can choose either a virtual event or attend in person.

Virtual Conference

AMA Conferences: As the global leader in marketing knowledge, the AMA provides a broad range of opportunities to collaborate, network, learn, and grow professionally. Here you’ll virtually learn from industry and academic leaders, speakers, and training instructors that you will encounter in the AMA community.

The benefits you’ll receive from a conference pay off all year long.

By attending a conference for marketers this year, you’ll be able to see the results in your work. Start applying what you learned to your everyday tasks. Then, begin a new project that will take your marketing department to the next level. You might meet your future boss. Overall, you’ll be inspired to try new innovations. And finally, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for having invested in yourself and your future career.

I get asked what it’s like to work with my mom, the boss of Front Porch Marketing, Chief Rocker Julie Porter. Well, let me tell you. It’s a lot harder than you would expect. Why? Because she expects so much more out of me and she knows that I’m capable of doing almost anything and everything.

Is work easier when your mom is the boss?

A lot of people usually say “oh she definitely lets you slack off” or “oh I bet it’s so easy”, but they couldn’t be more wrong. It adds a lot of pressure on me when I do work for my mom’s company, because I want to do my absolute best in order to impress my mom. I want to live up to her expectations of me. But, it is also very comforting to know that my mom is the boss and CEO. 

The boss always has your back

While she is always challenging and expecting the most out of me I know that she will always have my back and be the most understanding when it comes to work. No matter what, there will always be someone in my corner. She also tends to have a great support system.

She surrounds herself with the very best team members which makes my situation a lot more comforting. Seeing her support all of her employees, and create a successful remote working environment makes it a lot easier and more fun for me to do work for her, and the other Front Porch Marketing team members. I don’t say it a lot but when it comes to working with and for her sometimes, I can be a little excited. While she has taught me a lot about marketing, she’s also taught me about running a business. Because she is good at this.

Takeaways from a summer internship with a parent

All in all, this summer has been great so far and it has been a pleasure to heighten my business relationship with my mother. I’ve learned so much from my mom the boss, that I can apply to college and my future job endeavors. I owe it all to her and I love her so much. Thanks mom!

Our new high school interns Abby and Anna will be joining us on the Porch this summer.

Everybody say hello to our interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Every summer we host interns from this high school, and give them a little taste of what a professional marketing career might look like. They’ll be visiting clients, creating content, researching topics, preparing branding documents, learning some analytics and PR skills, and we’ll even have them write a blog post here on our blog. We are proud to support and mentor the next generation of Ursuline Academy students, as we have for the past seven years.

We asked our Ursuline interns Abby Sanders and Anna Wilson a few “get to know you” questions, so y’all could learn more about their GenZ perspective.

Ursuline Intern Abby Sanders

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I have always been really creative and have a playful sense of humor. I believe that marketing may be a good way for me to be able to express these traits while pursuing a career I enjoy.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? During the pandemic, I learned the value of not stressing out over the small things and how much I should value the time I have with others. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? Friendly, Optimistic, and Hard-Working 

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? I am really excited to learn about what a profession in marketing would look like and develop skills that will be helpful throughout my life. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would choose Walt Disney because he followed his dreams and pursued his passions to become immensely successful doing what he loves. My family and I love to go to Disney World, so I would love to meet the man that made those bonding experiences possible. 

6. What is a fun fact about you? I love to travel with my family and I have been able to visit 7 different countries!

Ursuline Intern Anna Wilson

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I want to have a career in marketing because I love social media and understanding people. Marketing is always growing, especially with the influence of social media. It allows people to gain so much information all in one place. I also find it fascinating the way people consume information and how one Tik Tok can immediately make someone buy a product.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that balance is a necessity is all aspects of my life. Whether that be between school and my social life, or making time for myself, I feel the best, and do the best work when I do not overwhelm myself with one thing. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? In three words, I would say I am enthusiastic, caring, and determined.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? My main goal at FPM is getting exposure to the marketing world. Seeing as marketing is not a class in high school, I want to learn as much as possible through real world experiences. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would go to dinner with my grandma to hear her advice and understand her life from my current, older perspective.

6. What is a fun fact about you? One fun fact about me is that I love cows and think they are really funny!

Two Rockin’ Additions to the Front Porch Team!

This week, we’re welcoming Andrew Porter, our newest intern rocker, to the team!

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing, Andrew Porter?

I’ve grown up watching my mom create this awesome company from the ground up and achieve so much in little time. It really motivates me to be successful seeing her achieve her dream and work so hard to obtain it. I want to be able to do what I want in the future as well and achieve my dream. Marketing has a special place in my heart and really does interest me in my future career endeavors.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your life?

There are many obstacles in life, but you end up gaining more from these obstacles than you have lost, if you choose to conquer the obstacles.

3. If you could describe Andrew Porter in three words, what would they be?

The three words I’d use to describe myself would be hardworking, funny, and committed.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing?

I really want to get my foot in the door with this marketing internship, and get some real life business experience for the future. I have 5 specific goals that I’d like to conquer while at Front Porch:

1) I will be able to professional handle myself according to the certain business or personal situation that is present. And learn from those that have more experience than I do.

2) I will be able to communicate with clients and strangers effectively for the benefit of me and others.

3) I will be able to effectively navigate the internet accordingly while also being proficient in Microsoft 365.

4) I will be able to successfully balance the many activities that go on in my everyday life with my multiple jobs, hanging with friends, and sleeping.

5) I will be able to build a basic understanding of marketing principles to assist clients in attaining their long-time goals.

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

One person I’d definitely want to go to dinner with would be Chris Farley. He is my favorite comedian and is literally so funny. I’d love to see him in person do his Matt Foley: Van Down by the River skit from SNL.

6. What is a fun fact about you?

I am currently the Vice President of Recruitment of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Rollins College and the Brotherhood Chair of SAE.

Setting up and running a successful marketing internship program is an important step to the future success of both your company and the next generation of marketers. Bottom line: what’s in it for you as a company is the creation of a skilled employee pipeline. You’ve taught them, you’ve trained them, and they know your business. All of those attributes will most likely make these interns your best next employees.

How to start your internship program? Start small with the intention of hiring one intern for one semester. With a 5-6 month window for the internship, you can more easily structure what the intern will do during their tenure with you. Be sure to ask your intern what they want to learn, and what they would like to get out of the internship. Also, take the time to coordinate with their college if need be, so that they receive college credit for their internship if that is an option. And most importantly, pay your intern a fair hourly wage for their contribution to your business.

Marketing Internship 101 – Training.

Begin an intern’s employment with introductions and training. Have a blog and/or website? Add them to the team and write an introductory post so clients, customers and the general public can get to know your talented intern. This also gives the marketing intern a link that they can include on the LinkedIn profile, legitimatizing their career before they graduate. In turn, introduce the intern to each person in the company, and ask them to explain what they do and how it fits into the big picture.

Ideally you’ll want your marketing intern to spend some quality time shadowing different people in your company to get the full picture of marketing: PR, copywriting, design, social media, analytics, etc. Encourage the rest of your company to be supportive of your intern in their language and actions. Make sure their first experience in marketing is a positive one!

Interns learn by doing, so show them how to do it.

Then, help your intern get comfortable on the platforms you use to do business, whether that’s WordPress, Google Analytics, Buffer, or any of the social media platforms. For a marketing internship, shadow days can help with this learning. After initial shadow days, interns can be given compartmentalized parts of jobs to complete: image search on a stock site, compiling social media stats monthly on an Excel spreadsheet, and even writing blog posts on topics that they are learning in school. The more you teach them, the more they can run with something and help you!

Set them free and watch them succeed!

Once your intern has mastered some tasks, give them something that they can own: a specific client report, a research project, a white paper, or an organizational project. They could also own a role like proofreading or coordinating employee content for blog posts. Your intern could then teach everyone what they’ve learned at the end of the project.

When you help the next generation of marketing students gain access to a “real” job by offering them an internship, you are paying it forward for everyone that helped you in your early career. And at the end of the internship, you’ll most likely have a successful full-time employee ready to hire. At Front Porch Marketing, we regularly hire one or more college student interns all year long, and add high school student interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. We love working with interns and highly recommend adding them to your staff.

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

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

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

Reminder One: Be a GD Cheetah

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

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

Zookeeper comes back with a BS answer.

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

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

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

Reminder Two: Finding Leverage

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

Time is our inventory.

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

Reminder Three: Damn the Sycophants

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

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

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

Reminder Four: Being Too Efficient

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

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

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

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

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