At the beginning of the pandemic, I was not worried about my mental health or how I would cope with lockdown. As an introvert, I genuinely thought this will not be a big deal for me. I am a young-ish person in reasonably good health, so I was not worried about getting sick. This will be my Olympics, my time to shine.

I was wrong.

It’s one thing to stay inside all day because you want to, it’s quite another because you have to. Add to that doomscrolling and my tendency toward rumination, I found myself falling into what I call, a Covid Hole. Everyday started to feel like it had the same flavor. It was like each day was a sad, sad Groundhog Day.

I can’t really explain why exactly, but I started crawling my way out of this dark pit in September. Maybe it was the realization that I needed to cut myself some slack. Maybe it was the timing – I love fall. Whatever the reason, here are a few things I’ve done that have helped my mental health.

Get Out There

Get out where? Anywhere. The “where” doesn’t matter, just change your environment and ideally, see people and hang out with friends if you can. At some point, I decided to put my mask on and just go outside.

Meeting friends for coffee and was such a breath of fresh air to talk and enjoy their company. I became used to seeing masked faces and returned to my pre-Covid retail habits. I spent hours at Barnes & Noble and Target, my happy places. Even professional networking made me feel better. The chance to socialize lifted my did wonders for my mental health.

Human beings are social creatures, even the introverted ones. I realized I need more social interaction than I thought. Just call me a “talkative” introvert.

Accept the Transience of Life

I heard a tip once that helps my mental health: when you find yourself in a stressful situation, add “for now” to the end of that sentence. Work is so busy and stressful, for now. Fighting with my computer is driving me crazy, for now.

Everything comes and goes, the good and the bad. Wishing for bad things to stop happening is like trying to stop the ocean with your bare hands. The ocean, life, is going to do what it wants to do. Accept that waves come and go.

Ask for Help

I’m not saying I am great at delegating, but asking for help, is … well, helpful. You are not alone in this, so ask for help – from your family and your co-workers.

Look Forward to Something

Whether that something is big or small, it’s a joy to have something to look forward to. For me, I’ve been looking forward to coffee with friends and on a much bigger front, the impending birth of my brother’s first child. Her name is Elise but I like to call her Baby Gregorio. Thinking about my impending role as “Fun Aunt” lightens my mood and helps my mental health.

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I hope these ideas, while not groundbreaking, were helpful for you. As someone whose everyday life always has a small hum of nervousness around it, I know it’s hard sometimes to pull yourself out of rut. But it can be done. You can find the joy and you can ask for help. The main thing is believing that you can feel better.

Go build yourself a sturdy raft and find some excellent first mates. It may feel awkward. It might even make you feel nervous – trying new things can do that sometimes. But that feeling will go away and I can almost guarantee you that you will feel better.  

Fundraising for causes near to our hearts is in the Front Porch Marketing team’s fabric of being.

Last year marked my last of three being involved in Jesuit Preparatory School of Dallas Mum sales.

The new Mum Moms found a new solution to Mum sales in the COVID19 world. No Homecoming Dance or other celebrations. So why spend the time or energy?

Reasons Not to Cancel Your Fundraising Efforts

1. It is tradition. Everyone wants to continue traditions and celebrations. Even if they look differently. Students want to celebrate Homecoming. Donors want to continue annual giving and / or event attendance. They look forward to it. We are thirsting for normalcy.
2. Fundraising for Mums helps the school. Our school communities need more funds to operate at their best. Now more than ever.
3. Volunteers for Mums builds school community. Volunteers help make the work happen. They come together. Celebrate tradition. Share stories. Ask advice. Coming together to make this happen.

Tips for Fundraising During the COVID

1. Adjust communication tone. Be authentic and empathetic.
2. Adapt communication vehicles and their frequency. Email, text and phone are preferred. Make sure they are quick and to the point. Adjust frequency. More emails and texts are needed to break through the clutter. But they must be on point and useful.
3. Reinvent your event. Socially distant or online. Engage experts if needed. Events can still happen. It takes extra time. More investment of dollars is needed. Keeping the conversation going is immeasurable.
4. Make involvement easy. SignUpGenius is a great vehicle. Make sure volunteers know where and when to meet. Maximize their time spent. Create opportunities to volunteer from home.
5. Make donating simple. Eliminate all the barriers to donation. Make sure the donate button or page is front and center. Optimize the speed and ease of use.
6. Pick up the phone or schedule a video conference. Check in with your donors. Reach out. Show them you care. You do.

My Mum Mom fundraising era has (maybe temporarily?) ended. The relationships I made with all communities and the students are priceless. Make sure your efforts create the same.

A tracking pixel is a little HTML code that tracks behavior from your customers – it records for instance when a user visits your website or opens an email from you, or interacts with a banner ad that your brand has created. It essentially fills the same role as a cookie but tracking pixels cannot be blocked by normal browsers like cookies, so they offer an alternative information tracking process.

A tracking pixel is also a tiny graphic with the dimension of 1 pixel by 1 pixel. Because it is this tiny, no one notices when it is included on a website or in an email because it is usually designed to blend into the graphics.

Brands can use a tracking pixel to gather this behavior data and then analyze it to make better decisions on what to put on their website, in their emails, on their social channels. Where are most of your customers located so you can market to them at a local level? Are most of your customers are on-line late at night, so it would make more sense to schedule your emails or social media when they are on-line looking for answers? Maybe a tracking pixel could give you more insight into answering questions like these.

How Does a Tracking Pixel Work, and What’s in it for You?

By adding this little snippet of code to a website or email, the brand links a piece of content – like a web page, an email, or a banner – to the pixel’s server. Then when a user, let’s say visits the brand’s website (where the tiny pixel is) the code gets processed by the browser being used and is then registered and noted in the server’s log files.

When this process occurs, several different pieces of information can be transferred in regard to the content that a user is interacting with. Brands can find out answers to questions like:

• What is the screen resolution of this device?
• Is this content being viewed on a mobile device or desktop?
• What is the OS of device the customer is using?
• Is the customer looking at your content in a browser or in an email program?
• What is the IP address and location of the viewer?
• When was the content was viewed?
• What types of ads does the customer like clicking on?

One of the most common use of tracking pixels is for retargeting. Did you just look at a pair of shoes yesterday and now you’re seeing those shoes in Instagram? Do you feel like you were just talking about a specific thing and BOOM there it is in Facebook? That is a tracking pixel doing its job. That little guy is trying to be helpful!

Tracking pixels are also used to measure a marketing campaign’s performance or track conversions. They can be used to build an audience base for a new product or service.

How to Insert a Tracking Pixel

Web and social analytics tools such as Google Analytics and the analytics available within Facebook for Business, for instance, give brands thorough explanations and tutorials on implementing tracking pixels. There are two ways to include a tracking pixel in your website:

• Through your CMS dashboard.
• In the hardcode of your website. If this is the case, you will need to get your web developer involved.

What’s in it for your customers?

Tracking pixels can benefit customers over time, as the data garnered can be used to make offers more relevant, questions answered more readily, and overall make the user’s experience better. Privacy advocates argue that pixels violate user privacy and allow spammers access to personal data more readily. User consent must be secured first and GDPR rules require the choice of opting-out of being tracked.

Many of the data points tracked and logged by a tracking pixel can be helpful information to brands when they decide what to highlight on their website – which part of the website is the most popular and gets the most traffic? One could infer that this particular content is valuable and sought after and therefore create more like it to be more helpful to their customers in the future.

Use tracking pixels wisely and carefully by being a responsible brand – answer their questions, be helpful, get them the information they need. In this way, the tiny tracking pixels can yield big results for both you and your customers.

Bad habits are time-sucking, energy-wasting, and detrimental to our wellbeing. So why does seemingly everyone have them, and is there a way out? We develop bad habits mostly due to stress and boredom. These bad habits actually address certain needs in our lives! While cutting them out cold turkey may seem like the best solution, the better alternative is actually to replace our bad habits with good ones. By doing so, we replace our bad habits with a healthier behavior that addresses that same need. Here’s Front Porch’s advice for overcoming bad habits:

Set a deadline

Setting deadlines forces yourself to act. Whether this means forcing yourself to move and undertake the burden of rent or not stopping until a task is done, put yourself in a situation where you physically have to get your rear in gear!

Knowledge is power!

Read about what you want to be/do. It will build confidence and help you in a professional setting, and any setting for that matter.

Eat well and exercise

The power of a good morning routine can easily be overlooked. I have found that waking up early and exercising jumpstarts my day, as well as automatically removing any stress I was carrying.

Find a substitute habit!

As mentioned earlier, we develop bad habits to deal with stress, such as nail biting, foot tapping, and jaw clenching. Finding a substitute habit will help overcome bad habits. An example of a substitute habit can be taking a walk when you find yourself tapping your foot. Also, squeezing a stress ball when you start clenching your jaw.

Find a buddy!

Joining forces with someone who shares a common goal can be very powerful, and this way you both hold each other accountable. You are in it together!

Cut out triggers

While this may seem self-explanatory, actually stick with it! Throw away sweets, hide TV remote, delete apps temporarily- do what needs to be done to ensure you rid yourself of the bad habit.

Conclusion

Bad habits are normal, so don’t beat yourself up! If you are able to recognize they are bad, you’re one step closer to replacing them. Thank you for reading, and we hope you are able to overcome at least one bad habit with Front Porch!

Next up in the Rocker Spotlight series is Front Porch Spring Intern Sarah Kiburz! A recent grad from the University of Arkansas, Sarah gives us the scoop on her internship and all things marketing.

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

That it is pushy and unwanted. People think marketing is all about selling something, which is partly true, but it is more so about meeting people’s needs.

One of the biggest lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

Be confident and assertive! It is okay to highlight your accomplishments in order to get noticed. Hard work goes a long way, but you can’t expect people to note every good thing you do. Speak up and be your own advocate!

What does good marketing look like?

Good marketing meets the customer where they are. It connects on a deeper level, is expertly timed, and highlights the purpose behind the business.

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

Either on a beach in Maui or watching a Broadway musical in NYC.

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

Loving, thoughtful, driven.

What is your favorite thing about FPM?

As Front Porch’s Spring Intern, I am able to work diligently on projects with minimal supervision. It is a great feeling when your boss trusts you and your work!

In what ways does the team at FPM have aligned values?

The team at FPM has aligned values in that they truly believe in the clients they work with. They establish deep relationships and are therefore able to create meaningful, high-quality work that resonates with customers.

Your goals for FPM?

I hope Julie and the team can continue to grow the business by adding clients and potentially expanding the team to take on a whole host of new clients. They are some of the busiest people I know, and they love a challenge!

How would you describe the culture at FPM?

I would describe the culture as incredibly inclusive. The team is a tight-knit group that likes to have fun, but everyone gets down to business whenever necessary. It is a fast-paced work environment where there is always something that needs to be done.

How does FPM differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

FPM has an incredibly experienced team that acts as a powerhouse when it comes to meeting clients needs. They differentiate themselves with a casual and humorous approach to marketing but are no strangers to hard work.

Fun fact?

I am musically inclined! I danced(mostly ballet) for 12 years and played the violin for 6 years, which I have been wanting to pick back up.

Fayetteville, AR, can sometimes feel like a bubble. The craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic still doesn’t seem real here!

I wanted to give you an insider’s look from Fayetteville in relation to the other states.

The Stats

There are 4,012 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus and 91 deaths as of May 10th. A shelter-in-place was never issued in Fayetteville.

Restaurants were allowed to reopen dining rooms starting Monday, May 11. Non-urgent dental services also opened Monday. Pools, water parks and beaches are set to open May 22, with restrictions.

Bars are still closed under Phase 1, which I think is a smart decision. Arkansas has 3 casinos, all of which will be open on May 18. Some stores in Fayetteville opened back up Monday, including thrift stores which I was able to visit.

Phase 1 of Fayetteville Perspective

Phase 1 of this new implementation allows restaurants to be at one third capacity, with seating six feet apart. Employees must wear a mask and gloves, and patrons should wear a mask. If patrons are not wearing masks the restaurant has the right to turn them away. Phase 1 also includes daily health screenings of employees, and groups cannot be larger than ten.

My Perspective from Fayetteville

I am located in an apartment complex near Dickson Street, the central hub for restaurants and bars for students at the U of A. While Dickson street has been mostly shut down, some restaurants offer curbside pickup.

From my perspective in Fayetteville, roughly 50% of people I have observed in the grocery store are wearing masks. It is possible to keep 6 feet apart but difficult, especially if the store is crowded.

Fast food restaurants are all open, and some dining rooms are available with limited seating. The Northwest Arkansas Mall remained open, but most of the stores inside were closed. I have stayed in Fayetteville thus far during the pandemic because I feel it is safer than Dallas, however I will be moving home soon.

What I’ve Learned Through My Perspective From Fayetteville

1. Be respectful. Wear a mask if you feel that is right for you. You are shielding both yourself and others from potential exposure.
2. Supporting local and small businesses is very important during this difficult time. Whether it be patronizing favorite local coffee shops with curbside pickup or stopping in to a new store, I have made efforts to express my appreciation.
3. Just because Fayetteville feels safe, does not necessarily mean it is. Since a shelter-in-place was never issued, people are still going about their days as if everything is normal here. In my perspective from Fayetteville, it is just as important that we preserve our health here as it is anywhere else.

In times of uncertainty, it can be easy to focus on the negatives. Economic downturn, job loss, and our loved ones getting sick are certainly reasons to be feeling distraught. While these feelings are normal, an important shift in our thinking is crucial to survive this fork-in-the-road and come back stronger than ever. There are positives of the pandemic that should be accounted for, and I am here to highlight these for you!

Positive #1: Experiencing and appreciating the little things

Now that we are all on house arrest, it gives us the opportunity to get outside more. Maybe you are getting to know your neighbors and even family members better. Yay for lawn happy hours! This positive of the pandemic has instilled in us a better sense of localism. It also helps us realize how interconnected we are and (hopefully) allows us to recover a sense of society.

Positive #2: We are more in touch with our networks!

A perfect example of this is my family’s weekly Zoom call. Before COVID, I wouldn’t hear from or see my family in Dallas for months at a time. This crisis has opened a new channel of communication for my family and allowed us to check up on each other frequently. We all have technology to thank for this!

Positive #3: Surprising effects on climate change

Another positive effect COVID-10 has had is fewer carbon emissions, potentially saving around 300 MILLION tons of carbon emissions per year. Not to mention all the other awesome benefits such as work/life balance and decreased traffic congestion! Air quality has improved in areas of lockdown, and carbon emissions are down in China. From February 3^rd to March 1^st they experienced a 25% decrease in emissions.

Positive #4: Our responses to future pandemics should improve

Our current situation has exposed shortcomings all around, including test kit accessibility and a faster global response. Taking what we have learned from this pandemic, there is all the more reason to be more prepared in the future.

Positive #5: It has encouraged altruism

Celebrities and athletes have made considerable donations to those taking a hit by the pandemic, and that is just naming a few. Some major health insurers have also promised to cover care and testing related to COVID-19. Our client Faith Family Academy has approached the the situation with immediacy, and teachers have made generous food donations for their students, as well as other restaurants such as Cane’s!

Overall, we don’t want to dismiss your normal and expected feelings of despair during difficult times. However, we also need to shed light on the positive opportunity the pandemic has presented us. Let’s turn a new leaf and embrace these positives today!

The Before and Now:

E-learning has affected students today in both good ways and bad. Before e-learning I was up at a set time each morning, took the bus to and from class, and had my whole day carved out. There was a distinct accountability system, where I was obligated to show up to class to get notes and participation points.

Now, classes are set up via recorded lectures or live video conferences. I can ask questions in the chats during live lectures and email if I am confused on the recorded lectures. It has shortened the length of most of my classes because we are not directly interfacing. Test schedules remain the same; exams are proctored and timed, using Lockdown browsers. I have less of a schedule, making things harder to time-manage.

What I like/miss about e-learning today? Benefits vs. how it could be improved?

What I like about e-learning is that I save time not traveling to and from class and I have more “free time.” I also don’t have to be up at a given time, I can watch prerecorded lectures at my convenience, and tests are open book.

What I miss about in-person classes is seeing my friends during my classes, walking the campus, interfacing with professors, getting off topic with entertaining teachers, and having a set schedule.

Benefits of e-learning include time spent going to class can be used elsewhere, certain tests are easier, and I can take time to do things I wouldn’t normally do (ex: go to a park, walk a trail, explore Mt. Sequoyah).

Areas of improvement for e-learning today include live lectures to help with questions that need to be addressed. It would be beneficial if classes with recorded lectures could go live once weekly. This also may help with understanding material if one is directly interfacing with the professor. Also, I would appreciate potentially adjusting the test material such that it is not significantly more difficult than any in-class test would be.

Lessons that are applicable to business and working from home:

Lesson 1: Just because you technically have more free time, it may not feel like it. With E-learning today, you must become a time-management expert! It is so easy to procrastinate if one is not physically going to class or work. We are more productive when our work is public rather than private!

Lesson 2: Nail down a routine- whether it be waking up at a specified time each day, setting working hours, or scheduling breaks in between work. Routines keep you on-track, motivated, and they deliver results.

Lesson 3: Keep your videoconferencing as close to “normal” as possible. Test the software before you schedule a call so that if it needs finetuning you are not wasting other people’s time. Be professional and minimize distractions! If you know your dog will bark when the mailman comes, either put yourself at the opposite end of the house or put the dog up while you videoconference.

Whether we realize it or not, E-learning affects students today. Awareness of these small changes can lead to improvements in productivity. Taking advantage of the benefits may change your working or learning style for the better.

Teamwork is essential in so many aspects of our lives today. How many team hats are you wearing right now?

My kids’ closet shelves are scattered with different hats, jerseys and socks, for instance. I love all our different teams, whether its academic, spiritual, work, sport. We even call our family a team.

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

Big agency life perk is the opportunity to join brands and marketing teams spanning different sizes, categories and geography. Joining new teams to reach goals is one of our favorite things. We are energized and inspired regularly by the talented, dedicated teams we partner with to achieve defined objectives.

Did you know that our Chief Rocker blares Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney every day in her car during football season? The lyrics resonate with her for many reasons and because of the quotes by some of the greats at the end. Above all, her favorite quote is from Joe Namath: Life is a team game. It is the big game.

Effective teamwork is simultaneously simple and challenging.

We’ve rounded up nine factors that we link to team success. The folks that live and nurture these factors seem to achieve their targets effectively and consistently.

Nine factors of successful teams:

1. Clear and Defined Goals
2. Clear and Assigned Roles
3. Be and Stayed Organized
4. Respectful Interactions
5. Constantly Communicate
6. Equal Contributions
7. Support Each Other
8. Produce Quality Outputs
9. Have FUN!

My family invests a lot of time in sports, we are a football, basketball, soccer and baseball loving crew. Therefore, team sports organically have all these components – how convenient for parenting two preteen boys! Do your teams hit all the notes?

Teamwork rocks!

Background

If you are reading this, you are probably curious to learn more about branding! Before we dive deeper into branding, it is critical to understand how your brand represents your purpose. Brian Whipple, CEO of Accenture Interactive, says “Brands must genuinely commit to aligning their businesses with purpose to differentiate themselves.” Innovative companies such as Apple have done this, starting with the “Why?” mentality instead of “Who?” or “What?”  

When businesses focus on why they are doing things, they establish purpose and garner respect. It is important to actively take steps to support your cause, because it is the action instead of words that makes a difference, and people can see this. Customers want to see companies supporting the things they support, and when this happens, they are 63% more likely to purchase.

Why it’s important

To build equity in a customer’s mind, a brand must be: memorable, meaningful, aesthetically appealing, transferable, adaptable over time, and protected legally. It means differentiating yourself and finding ways to stand out among competitors. It matters because brands stick with people!  

How many times do you think you have asked for a Kleenex when in reality you meant a tissue? James R. Hupp states that people refer to tissues as Kleenex because of their well-known reputation and product quality. People become emotionally invested, and while some people will hunt around for the best deals others will stay loyal to the companies they trust.  

Why you should start with branding

Brands define you from the very beginning and act as a launching pad for your business. They are a “lens through which the words and actions of a company, its competitors, and the environment in general are converted to thoughts, feelings, images, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes, etc., about a product (or family of products).” At Front Porch we place serious emphasis on branding because if you don’t define who you are/your purpose, how will you be credible? 

Is it okay to forget branding just to have something out there? 

In certain rare instances, it is okay to create something just to get it out there. This would be most acceptable for smaller projects or a company who has difficulty defining its brand. If a company is truly struggling , it may suffice to take a step back and begin generating content. Hopefully somewhere in the midst of creating content that company realizes its purpose and is able to establish its brand successfully. 

Key Takeaway:

Much of the value perceived by consumers is completely subjective. If you begin with branding, you will have a solid foundation that the rest of the company’s actions should follow, and you will always have something to circle back to should you stray from your brand image. We believe branding should be first always, and we would be delighted to show you how it’s done!