Everyone has his or her own morning routine – mine happens to include hitting the snooze button at least once, a big cup of coffee and a quick scroll though Twitter.

Twitter is how I keep up with friends, keep up with the news, but most importantly- how I keep up with marketing. By following my favorite branding and strategy experts, I am able to learn their insights from decades of experience that I don’t have.

Over the past few months, I have curated a list of marketers that I follow to cover all the marketing bases, and here are just a few of my favorites.

Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog) – Author of the book, Purple Cow and others, where he discusses how to transform your business and yourself by being remarkable, posts daily about permission marketing and tips on how to be the “purple cow” in a field full of competition. His twitter is purely reposts of his blog, which ranges in topics from how to turn your creativity into a profession, to how to power a digital future for your brand.

Jay Baer (@jaybaer) – If you want a daily update on all different aspects of digital marketing, follow Jay, as he is the most re-tweeted person in the world among digital marketers. His posts include influence marketing workbooks, six step playbooks for handling social media complaints, and everything in between.

Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) – If content marketing is your thing, then definitely follow Ann, as she is “waging a war on mediocrity in content marketing.”

Bonin Bough (@boughb) – He is currently chief of media and eCommerce at Mondelēz International (formerly Kraft Foods), and specializes in digital strategy that crosses paid, earned, owned and shared media. Posts a great deal of social media tips, and if you know Front Porch Marketing, you know we LOVE all things social media.

Marie Forleo (@marieforleo) – Guru of how to achieve the perfect work/life balance. Posts about how to build a business you love, increase customer trust through social media, and increase productivity in every day life.

Robert Caruso (@fondalo) – Another expert content and digital marketer, who tweets about innovative ways to improve your social media, tips on how to increase brand awareness for startups, and how to get results in B2B marketing.

Kim Garst (@kimgarst) – As one of Forbes top ten social media influencers, she is the queen of social selling strategy. Her tweets range from Facebook advertisement jumpstart guides, tips on how to keep the cost of SEO down, and “cheat sheets” for selling on social media.
Bryan Solis (@briansolis)- Expert on digital marketing who provides step by step help for brands looking to transform their digital approach to create a brand experience.

Neil Patel (@neilpatel) – If you want to read a little bit of everything about digital marketing, Neil is your guy. As a Forbes columnist with years of experience in marketing, he combines motivational business tips with the knowledge necessary to succeed as a modern marketer.

While these are just a few of the hundreds of successful and influential marketers to follow on Twitter, by reading a few of their posts daily I am able to keep up with the ever-changing world of marketing. In addition to following experts in the field, a lot of successful marketers follow venture capitalists, as they see and predict new innovation that affects most industries and markets. Effective and influential marketers have to keep up in order to connect with their target market, so why not utilize social media to do so?

Rachel Mains is an intern at Front Porch Marketing. Follow her on Twitter.

We on the Porch are passionate about Branding! We have talked about branding. We have talked about lifestyle branding. Now let’s talk about how photos define your brand.

Simply put, pictures are as integral to your brand as grapes are to wine! They bring your brand to life. Beautiful photography can be used in so many ways! Photos can be used on your website, for sales materials, market/trade shows, third-party training materials and for social media.

Delivering your brand message via social media is imperative. Of the top five social media sites, two of them are 100% visual! You can’t gram or pin without a photo, so what should that visual be? Your visual storyboard is just as important as your branding message.

Considerations:
Studio Shoot or Location Shoot?
Obvious or Subtle?
To Demonstrate or Not to Demonstrate?
Features need highlighting?
Professional or smart phone?
How to Represent the Brand?

Hold up a minute! How to represent the brand? Yes, remember all the branding work you’ve done around brand promise, brand characteristics … these need to be applied to your photography.  A simple three-question quiz to ask when choosing a photo to represent your brand:

1. Does it match your brand personality, characteristics and definition?
2. Does it evoke emotion?
3. Does it illustrate your story?

Should you invest in professional photography? Heck, yes. There is a direct correlation to sales for almost all the brands we represent. Photography matters. It is worth the investment.

Need proof? Here’s our Client L’Amour Des Pied’s showroom floor before and after an investment in photography.

Our world is served to us on screens and those screens can’t give us a 5 sense experience, we must rely on the photo to evoke necessary emotion. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. 

So, it’s February. Perhaps you are finding it hard to stay committed to your New Years resolutions. Or your year-end business goals are proving harder to accomplish than you anticipated. Or you have put off making that change in your personal life that you know you have to make. Let’s face it, change is hard. 

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” Arnold Bennett

The process of change can cause disruption in your life. This disruption can hit close to home and play with your emotions, bringing about feelings of doubt, uncertainty, and lack of control. It’s natural to want to maintain the status quo, it feels safer. But is it better? 

It is often said that change is the only constant in life. Yet we are evolutionarily predisposed to resist change because of the risk associated with it. Leadership today is all about managing disruption, and disruption is an hourly occurrence. Organizations and people that don’t embrace change are bound to lose ground and stagnate. Change is natural. Embrace it. Welcome it as an opportunity.

“Change is hard because people over-estimate the value of what they have – and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.” James Belasco and Ralph Staye

Whether you are undergoing change in the workplace or in your personal life, there are a few constants to bear in mind as you transition:

• Nothing happens without a readiness to change. You and everyone around you must buy in to the change and the reasons for walking the path.
• A support infrastructure is integral. Peer support and pressure drive change, and the emotional and logistical support will keep you afloat.
• Replace old habits with new ones. Replace negative situations with positive ones.
• Continuous introspection is key. Are you on the right path? Change is fluid, be willing to adjust.
• The goal is progress, not perfection. Overcome any setbacks you encounter and re-focus.

“Life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change.” Jim Rohm

While marketing is a dynamic and ever-changing field of study and profession, one major underlying tool marketers utilize is psychology. Innovative marketers have a true understanding of their target market’s actions, and use this expertise to shape their client’s approach. Understanding why a generation, society or any group of people acts the way they do is essential to connecting and communicating efficiently with them. 

However, there are other ways to apply psychology on the job to improve not only your career, but also your happiness and personal life. I had the pleasure of attending a guest lecture by Dr. Mark McKinney and Dr. Steve Fedorko in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University, where they spoke about this notion in depth. As psychologists who spent many years in the marketing and advertising world, they had an interesting perspective on how to succeed in business. Their book, My Client Is The Devil, is a “groundbreaking book to help client service professionals deal with stress on the job by learning simple techniques to become more psychologically hardy”. While I have not yet read the book, their presentation inspired me to take a step back and evaluate my perspective on life.

Client service fields are notorious for “burning out” their employees. Drs. McKinney and Fedorko attempt to alleviate the stress placed on these employees by emphasizing the importance of three competencies: control, commitment and challenge. Modern psychology has found that people who exhibit control in their personal and professional life, stay committed to their goals and readily accept challenge tend to be more resistant to stress and have a contagious effect on the people around them.

Everyone knows that positive people are more fun to be around, but sometimes people need a reminder to spread a little positivity. Drs. McKinney and Fedorko proposed a tool to help alter our perspective that may initially seem trivial, but has truly transformed my daily outlook in a positive manner. Rather than looking at a situation and making outward statements such as “why me?” or “this isn’t fair,” instead ask yourself what positive outcomes may come of this situation and assume that others are well-intended. The Drs. provided examples of how to apply this attitude that ranged from dealing with road rage to major work dilemmas. By practicing this attitude in smaller, every-day situations, it transforms into a habit.

Epictetus, a philosopher and teacher in Rome in the first century, said, “Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.” While this idea has been around for thousands of years, in our modern world full of constant business and high expectations it is easy to forget how big of a role our attitude plays in our happiness and eventually our overall success. Taking a moment to think before we react truly puts the problem we are dealing with into perspective.

Branding Rocks!

Duh! Of course we are going to say that. It’s what we do. It’s what we are passionate about! So you have your logo. Sweet! You have a vision. Fantastic! You have beautiful photography. Terrific! But do you have a brand? Not quite.

At the core of every marketer is a storyteller. We love to tell stories about:

• products
• places
• experiences
• … well we don’t really need a list – we just like to tell stories!

Digital media has opened up the communication lines for marketers. In the ‘old days’ (as my children say) you had a story to tell about your company, product, place or experience but you had to pay mightily for that story to be shared. Now there are several public forums that you can utilize to tell your story, which is a MARKETING DREAM.

So what does this have to do with your brand? Your brand is your story and vice versa. Why is it important to have a BRAND strategy in addition to your marketing plan? Here’s 8 reasons (we could give you 80, but we will save some for porch conversations):

#1 Your story makes you uniquely you! No one else is the same, which DIFFERENTIATES you from your competition.

#2 Consistent branding translates into RECOGNITION.

#3 Your brand is a PROMISE to your customers, your team and to the marketplace.

#4 Brands create an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION with your customer.

#5 Branding creates TRUST with all audiences.

#6 An established brand provides BUSINESS VALUE.

#7 A compelling background, history or brand strategy will MOTIVATE your staff and provide DIRECTION.

#8 Branding can FOCUS and guide your marketing efforts, saving time and money.

Sounds pretty good, eh? So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start rockin’ YOUR brand strategy!

Today is January 15th, of course it’s not too late! There’s never a deadline for making assessments of the past and setting goals for the future. In fact, now is the perfect time.

Full disclosure: I’m not a big resolutions kind of gal. There’s too much pressure to stick to them, and many of us stumble in keeping them. A goal, however, is a measurable and achievable thing. It’s a win to work towards. Achievement feels rewarding and gives momentum to continue and achieve bigger.

So you have some work goals. Kick-off meetings are in full swing and corporate goals have been finessed and delivered. And you have some family goals. The holidays allowed you to hit the re-set button and assess personal goals for yourself and your family.

Now is the tricky part – melding the two. It’s always a delicate balance. While family will always hold the trump card, you have obligations at work and work supports your family. Here are my suggestions as you map out your quarter or your year:

• Categorize the goals – are they strategic, operational, educational or organizational? This gives you some direction.
• Think about the steps you need to take to achieve the goals. List them. Assign dates to them. This all helps them feel more tangible and achievable.
• Assign deadlines and pick your top three goals. When those goals are met, re-assess and keep going.

There are going to be days that you get nowhere near your goal, and other days that the lens focused on your goal seems so perfectly crystallized. Remember that any movement is just that – movement. Put one foot in front of the other and think about the bigger picture. You WILL get there!

As you welcome in the New Year and think about personal goals for 2016, don’t forget your kids! Maybe you’ve thought about goals such as spending more time with them, making sure you’re saving enough money for college expenses or planning a special family vacation. These are great goals, but there are also some you can make that involve spending quality time with them to educate them financially and help ensure their future success.

Commit to activities that will teach them the importance and value of money.

There are many ways to teach kids about money, but actual activities that include engagement with a parent and others can be very effective, and don’t always require a lot of time or money. Here are three activities to consider with your kids in 2016 that can be fun to do together!

Show them the basics of saving by taking them to your bank or credit union.

It’s fun for kids to go beyond the ATM or counter, and walk inside for an actual appointment. If you can, open a small account for them with their allowance money or cash gifts from the holidays or a birthday. If the account is tied to yours, fees may be waived or minimal. The pride that comes with holding their own deposit slip, or seeing an online transaction for their own account, and hopefully shaking the hand of the local manager, makes for a special moment with your child. They can be encouraged to deposit additional money with you as they earn it or receive gifts or allowance, and when ready, obtain a debit card to learn to watch their balance and spend their money wisely.

Taking your child to your bank for their first official appointment can be a very special event for them to celebrate a New Year, birthday, or some other achievement. Consider talking with them about setting a goal for a fun trip with you to the bank this year.

Introduce them to investing by introducing them to your financial advisor.

If you have a local relationship with a financial advisor, ask if they will meet briefly with you and your child to spend some time explaining the importance of investing. Hopefully you can also open an account for them at that meeting if they have saved enough money, or that cash gift from grandma was large enough! The meeting can be kept simple by discussing worldwide companies your kid is likely already aware of – think Apple, Google, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Amazon, etc… Talking about these companies, how they make money for shareholders, and how to participate through various mutual funds is something your child will likely show interest in, especially if you’ve taken the time to introduce them to your personal advisor.

Creating a knowledge of the companies kids love beyond the products purchased and consumed is eye-opening and fun for them, especially when they recognize they can save their own money and invest in some of their favorite ones. They certainly understand hoverboards, Star Wars, and the other big sales hits of this past season!

Teach them to contribute their own money to causes they care about.

Once your child has a basic awareness of saving and investing, it’s wonderful to teach them why we give some of our money to causes we care about. They may have already volunteered their time, given away old clothing or toys, or placed coins into an offering plate or red bucket, but we also need to help them find their own passions for causes and develop good habits for giving financially.

You can discuss things they love and care about, talk about where there may be needs, and look at options for supporting those needs. They may love animals, have concern for those that are strays, and decide to send their money to an animal shelter. They may be sad for children that go hungry and want to give to a food bank. They can find causes around art, music, sports, and numerous areas of interest.

Then decide, what is the plan for giving? For example, is their allowance $5 weekly, and will they consider giving $5 every other month? Will you match that $5 for a $10 contribution? Once you make your decisions, it’s good for them to find a chosen charity’s website to contribute online, or for a younger child to help address an envelope for mailing your check.

When you receive the email or letter of thanks from the organization, sharing it with your child will teach them their small contributions are important and meaningful. Collecting letters like these with them over the years is a great goal, but also a reflection of time, and money, well spent.

May you, and your kids, have a financially healthy and Happy New Year!

Forrester predicts that in 2016, US advertisers will spend more on digital advertising than TV ads. Interactive marketing spend (email marketing, social media, display advertising and search marketing) will be 30% of marketing budgets (up from 24% in 2014).

Whether you are a start-up, a small business, or a business that is well-established, you should give yourself the gift of an interactive marketing strategy in 2016.

An October 2015 study by Pew Research Center found that 65 percent of American adults surveyed use social networking sites. Without social media as part of your interactive plan, you miss delivering your message to two-thirds of the U.S. population!!

Already rockin’ a social media plan? Awesome. Go you!

Let’s talk Facebook. In 2015, Facebook was the only platform to see a drop in active usage (-9% per the chart below). As Facebook fine-tunes their ad machine, organic growth is almost dead, so efforts on this network seem to be for not. In fact, several articles are calling for a move away from Facebook.

*Global Web Index – social-q1-summary-report

But not so fast! Facebook is still the largest social media platform with 1.55 Billion users. YouTube is in second place with 1 Billion. All other platforms are in the millions. So rather than move away from it entirely, we suggest you pay attention and leverage your audience.

Gone are the days of random posts and sporadic efforts. You need a strategy to maximize your investment. Your strategy should include content, consistency, connection and currency (advertising spend). With the right approach you can:

• Maximize your spend
• Reach new customers
• Grow your overall interactive reach

As an example, right now, L’Amour Des Pieds (one of our clients) is running a contest, which is a great way to connect. The marketing goal was to increase e-newsletter subscription, so we used a boosted post on Facebook to promote sign-ups.

Entering the contest is easy:

1. Like the L’Amour Des Pieds Facebook page
2. Sign up for their e-newsletter on lamourdespieds.com
3. Follow L’Amour Des Pieds Instagram (@lamourdespieds)

The contest ends today at 5 p.m. and the email database has already tripled! It goes to show what a focused strategy can accomplish.

Do you have your interactive marketing strategy for 2016? The ‘Porch is ready to help you rock it!

A week ago, my Christmas tree inexplicably came crashing to the ground, and with it, 16 years of family ornaments, a new one chosen every year by each of the five members of my family, came crashing down with it. Keepsakes shattered. Memories lost. It was heartbreaking.

But after the glass was swept away, the tree re-decorated, and my attitude re-adjusted, the loss reminded me of some very important things that I sometimes lose sight of in the holiday hustle and bustle:

1. Memories Have a Shelf Life – Strive to Make New Ones. I was surprised to learn that my kids couldn’t remember who chose many of the ornaments and why. Things that are meaningful at one point in time may fade, so embrace change and allow yourself to make new memories.

2. Nothing Is Perfect – Let Go of That Notion. Your holiday is not a magazine spread! Let go of the idea of perfectionism – it’s unattainable. And unimportant.

3. Open Your Eyes! The holidays are happening all around you, don’t spend your time frantically running around. Whittle your to-do list down to only what is truly necessary. Slow down. Say no to things that aren’t important. Open your eyes and enjoy.

4. Be Thoughtful. And Grateful. And full of thanks for everything and everyone around you that enriches your life. This is the time of year to recognize those people and tell them how important they are to you. Do it! It feels great.

5. Don’t Forget – You Need Time for Yourself. Togetherness is wonderful and celebrations are fun; but taking time for yourself ensures that you will remain centered and better able to create a peaceful holiday.

This season, remember what’s important, and ENJOY. Happy holidays, everyone!

We tend to go through life amid a continual buzz that productivity brings – endless email, phone calls and deadlines. And although this productivity fuels our life, it is also important to drown out the distractions, and focus on the importance of listening.

To most of us, listening seems like common sense. Don’t we all listen? The answer is no. In fact, I myself have spent the last 20 years hearing people, rather than really listening. Only recently have I truly understood the difference.

My limited years of life experience may have rendered this realization obvious or trivial to others, but for my generation of millenials, this art is lost. As a generation of young people dependent on constant communication, we search for instant gratification and quick conversations to fill our days. I have found that recently as I focus on this idea, I have learned more about my friends and family, and even more about myself.

Stepping back and sincerely listening to what others are saying allows you to understand their point of view, interpret the problem better, and solve the problem more efficiently. Listening and having empathy towards others is something that is highly overlooked in the business world, and when implemented can really give you and your business an edge in a competitive market. In the marketing world, where client relationships make or break a deal, listening to your clients’ wants and needs is necessary to get the job done correctly.

So remember to take a step back, especially during this hectic holiday season, and listen to the people closest to you. Listen to your clients to better understand their goals and how they want to achieve them. Listen to your family and friends to understand their emotions and help problem solve. But most importantly, listen to yourself. Dedicate time daily to thinking about your happiness, goals and aspirations and listen to what your mind and body are telling you.

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway