It’s not easy being green.

Or is it? The Pantone Color Institute has announced that Greenery is the official 2017 color of the year, number 15-0343 to be exact. And as a graphic designer, there is nothing I love more than a new source of inspiration.

In the world of marketing, color has a way of evoking feelings and attitudes toward companies and their brands that words can never quite achieve on their own. Color brings about meanings and connotations that cause the viewer to associate that brand with their unique personal experiences. Whether it’s the specific Pantone shade you have chosen for your company logo, the background hue of your website, or the paint on the walls of your store, color is powerful and can have an immense impact on the way customers perceive your company.

To complicate it even more, color works in harmony with shapes, graphics, and images to portray your brand or company. Color can increase brand recognition and symbolize meaning behind words. A fiery red portrays vibrancy and energy, while a cool blue conveys relaxation, loyalty, and tranquility. Even the names of colors matter. Research has shown that people prefer a mocha sweater over a brown one, and lemon colored plates over yellow ones. Even when they’re the exact same shade! There is actually a chemical reaction in the human brain that produces an emotional response to color. This reaction triggers various thoughts, memories, and associations. And when it comes to your brand, of course you want to make sure you are triggering the reactions you are looking for.

But what about this fresh new hue? What does green represent? It’s known for all kinds of things! A green traffic light means go. “Going green” means being environmentally conscious and recycling. “Feeling green” can mean you are sick, and “green with envy” symbolizes jealousy. Green also represents growth and rebirth. But what about this particular shade? Pantone describes Greenery as a refreshing and revitalizing shade, and symbolic of new beginnings. They say it is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate. What a rich and inspirational color!

Here’s a fun fact: did you know that there are more shades of green than any other color? Think of all the shades out there: lime green, avocado green, army green, emerald green, grass green, to name a few. There are so many green things to love:

• Green foods, like avocados, zucchini, broccoli, cucumbers, kiwis, limes, pickles, pears, and even green M&M’s (Legend has it that they are an aphrodisiac, or so we hear!)
• Lucky four-leaf clovers, and leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day
• Sparkling green emeralds
• Evergreen trees, fields of grass, and lush foliage outdoors
• Green animals, such as frogs, geckos, turtles, lizards, snakes (ok, maybe not snakes)
• Money, also called greenbacks
• Legendary characters like the Incredible Hulk, the Grinch, Peter Pan, Shrek, the Jolly Green Giant, and Kermit the Frog

A few of our other favorite green things, here on the Porch:

Feizy green pin-striped rug (Duprine Collection), green juice from The Gem, and green jewelry from Ellen Hoffman Designs. We love green so much on The Porch, we even rocked it for our most recent team photo.

So next time you’re thinking green, or feeling green, or seeing green, try to remember how much color matters, and what it can do for you and your company. It is always smart to consider whether it’s a good time to rebrand yourself. What color is going to be the source of inspiration for your brand this year?

The term “Pick Six” has long been associated with big success:

• In horse racing, Pick Six is a wager in which a bettor picks one horse in each of six races, leading to a big payout.
• In football, Pick Six refers to an interception (pick) being returned for a touchdown.
• In lottery terms, Pick Six refers to the big payout that occurs when six regular numbers are picked.
• In wrestling, Pick Six is a ranking system used by the Ring of Honor to determine championship contenders.

Big. Successes.

And so, in honor of our sixth year in business, we on the Porch formulated our own Pick Six … for business success, big success!

1. We’re picking Brand Architecture. It’s so important. When was the last time you really evaluated your brand? Is it due to be re-visited? We can help you look at it in a fresh way to ensure you are capitalizing on what makes you unique.
2. Number two on our list of picks: What have we been up to on the Porch? We had an extremely rewarding experience (and an absolute blast) at the PowerGen Trade Show in Orlando with our rocking client, TodoModo. Check out our blog about the experience!
3. Number three involves talking, and lots of it. What have we been talkin’ about? Maximizing your marketing! We spoke about that very thing at the Arlington Board of Realtors‘ Meeting January 27th.
4. What we are off our rocker about? The Super Bowl! The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots will face off in this colossal battle February 5th and we know what we will be serving at our soiree: The Barefoot Contessa’s Parmesan and Chipotle Popcorn, a chili bar (seriously genius idea – thank you Food & Wine Magazine) and Iron Skillet Peach Crisp. A Texas menu if we’ve ever heard one.
5. Highlights from the Porch Team bring us to our number five pick. Our rocking’ interns, Grace and Rachel, have been an impressive breath of fresh air around here – and we are enjoying watching them weigh their next steps, as their graduation dates are rapidly approaching!
6. And our final pick: The power of the referral in gaining new clients. We are continually amazed and humbled that our Porch family continues to grow through marketing and referrals. Thank you for all you do to keep our Porch rocking!

Please keep those many referrals coming. We are so grateful. Join us on the Porch via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our blog here.

Thanks, friends, for riding the sixes with us. Here’s to another wildly successful year!

The beginning of a new year is always a great time to have a brand review and create a fresh approach to achieving your business goals. Growth is always a goal for any business, but as your business grows and develops, you need to check and see if your brand reflects the business as it is today – not what it was last year or the year before.

Here are some tips for checking up on your brand for this year: 

• Does your brand reflect the personality and values of the company? If you don’t think it does, customers certainly won’t either. While the mission, vision and values of your company shouldn’t change often, shifts in your business or marketing strategy may affect the brand. A brand review gives you the opportunity to align it with your mission and vision so that you are connecting with the right people and growing your business year after year. Integrate your brand into everything you do – from answering the phones to your website design to your business cards – every customer touch point needs to be considered.
• Get feedback from external sources and be aware of how your company is perceived. People make decisions based on emotions so you need your brand to emotionally connect with your audience and feel assured that they know the who, what and why of your business.
• Review your brand standards and make sure every element translates across all delivery channels to ensure your brand is consistent.
• Define your key messages and make sure every member of the team knows what they are so they are aware of and can effectively communicate your brand attributes.

Completing an annual brand review will ensure that you are staying true to your brand, which will help ensure customers come back again and again.

Come see us on the Porch if you are in need of a brand review. We can ensure that your strategy and activities are aligned with your brand to maximize success!

Marketing mistakes happen. Heck, mistakes period happen. Seems the older I get the more I make them. I blame it on my kids age.

Many of the business owners and marketing leaders we have talked with so far this year have said Q1 2017 projections are even more positive than anticipated. Fan – freakin’ – tastic!!

Avoid these three marketing mistakes this quarter:

1. Chasing the new, shiny object(s). Wait. What was I blogging about … With all the artificial intelligence news, virtual reality hype, etc., don’t forget the foundation – the 2017 marketing plan with strategies, goals and tactics. Don’t get me wrong, keeping your eye on the latest and greatest is a must, but don’t let what brought you here and all that you planned to do fall by the wayside.
2. Lack of communication with your team. We get it. You are being pulled in a million directions, and it sometimes can be a challenge to make sure your team knows what is going on in all parts of your business. Your team can help and want to do so. If you can’t keep up with your regular team meetings, calls or emails, ask someone to step up in your stead. Your team and marketing partners will thank you and your business will also reap the benefits of continued internal communication.
3. Give everyone a say in marketing decisions. When it comes to marketing and branding, opinions are like … sorry, started to quote my friends Salt-N-Pepa. You don’t need to pass marketing ideas around to each and every business partner, team member, family member (spouses included) and friend. Trust your team. You know, the people you pay to own and create your marketing plan, initiatives and assets.

I will leave you with those thoughts. May your Q1 2017 continue to rock. Oh, and happy freakin’ birthday week to me (shameless birthday brat plug).

Chief Rocker Julie Porter can be followed on Twitter and Instagram and so can her company. Follow Front Porch Marketing on Twitter by clicking here, like us on Facebook by clicking here and follow our LInkedIn company page and Instagram fun.

As the ball drops and another year is rung in, we all create New Year’s Resolutions. These resolutions are typically something like staying fit and healthy, spending less and saving more, or learning something new.

However, as a senior in college, my New Years resolution is to secure a marketing career before graduation. Similar to many other students, I completed the application process for companies right as school began, and to my dismay, I have become all too familiar with the response: “We appreciate your desire to join our company, but at this time, we are not hiring yet for the spring.”

The Marketing major’s path to finding that first job is much different than those of Finance, Supply Chain, Accounting and even Management majors. What I have come to notice is that these other specialties seem to offer jobs early in the fall, while marketing companies have the tendency to wait until the spring. Being the girl that has always been highly organized and a big planner, this is something that I have struggled with.

Rather than letting this get me down, I plan on being positive in 2017 and using this to my advantage. As I watch many of my friends accept job offers they have received as early as August, I have to wonder if that would be best for a person like me. The uncertainty of where I will be in the future has motivated me to develop myself, my skills, and my portfolio, and has kept me from catching “senioritis”. The upper-division classes I am taking supply me with both hands-on experience and material that I can confidently discuss in upcoming job interviews.

Because I have been constantly focused on making myself a stronger job candidate, I have also had to grow my network. I have applied to dozens of marketing companies, both agency and corporate, consulted with career advisors, and attended many job fairs. This has not only helped get my foot in the door of many places, but has also led me closer to deciding exactly which career is right for me. I know that this ambitious flame inside of me would have dimmed and I would not have been able to consider the endless opportunities that are out there if I had jumped the gun and accepted a job in the Fall.

So to all my fellow Marketing majors out there, or any upcoming graduates on the job hunt, let’s shake up 2017! Look at this as the ultimate chance to grow yourself, develop your skills and learn about all of the different paths that there are. Good things happen to those who wait and remember that if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.

Happy New Year, Y’all!

It’s been a rockin’ year at Front Porch Marketing and for our blog, Off Our Rocker. 

Our team shares their musings, wisdom and counsel about branding, marketing, trends, pop culture, being a working mother and motherhood in general here.

We love to blog for clients, our team members, advocates and ourselves and have decided to countdown and share with you the five most-read blog posts for 2016.

We would love for you to look back and read them again or maybe read them for the first time.

So, we will leave you with these.

Happy almost New Year.

No. 5 Blog

Motivation: 5 Ways to Find It When You’ve Hit a Wall, by Ann Marie Bishop

No. 4

Do Your Actions Speak Louder than Likes?, by Darcey Newsum

No. 3

4 Lessons Learned By Losing, by Vanessa Hickman

No. 2

5 Rockin’ Things About Branding & Marketing Businesses, by Julie Porter

No. 1

Being a Working Mom: Five Things That Saved Me This Summer, by Jacqui Chappell

Trade show marketing rocks. I sometimes forget how much until we get in the throes of one with a client, which is happening for us at the pace of about four to five a year.

This is something I have been honored to do since I was right out college, and I have definitely learned a lesson or two along the way. Thankfully, however, we at Front Porch Marketing have a team of people who can do trade show marketing better than me.

And, a few things have changed over a few, okay, over the (cough cough) years. There’s now an app for this and a portable device for that, all of which enhance trade show marketing, sales initiatives, and the visitor experience, which is fab.

Typically, we have months to plan and execute on our clients’ trade show marketing fun … but recently we may have just pulled off a holiday marketing miracle on The Porch over the last seven days (hence the bags under my eyes). Story about the 2016 POWER-GEN International in Orlando, Florida, happening now, is for another bloggity-blog day.

Key Trade Show Marketing Takeaways

So, what can you learn from our Flashdance that has happened over the last week? Here are four things:

Market early and often. The earlier you can develop your strategy, plan and campaigns and start rockin’ and rollin’, the better. There are many other exhibitors, etc., vying for the attention of the speakers and attendees.

If you can’t market early, it can still happen. We have proved almost anything can happen with a rockin’ marketing partner alongside you, but getting there isn’t the prettiest and sure isn’t the cheapest.

Use multiple channels. Send emails. Advertise. Maximize the show’s online and traditional opportunities. Develop a micro-site, website banners and collateral materials. Write blogs. Develop press releases and put them on the wire. Send MORE emails.

Keep it light. Keep it bright. Especially during this time of year and on this of all years, keep it light and bright. Inside and out. We all want a break from seriousness. Holidays can be a stressful time, and moving at light speed may cause a few, tiny bumps along the way.

If you need to get your trade show marketing or any other branding or marketing on the go, holla! We are here and happy to get your strategies, plans and campaigns into high gear and pay attention to how your target responds.

Asta pastas! Going to check in with the folks in the Sunshine state on today’s POWER-GEN International happs.

That’s all she wrote.

If you have worked in retail for any amount of time, you know just how important the Friday and Monday after Thanksgiving – known as Black Friday and Cyber Monday – are to the retail cycle. If you are just starting out, here’s the scoop:

Black Friday kicks off the critical holiday season for retailers and is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. It is a crucial opportunity for all retail because approximately 30 percent of annual sales occur between Black Friday and Christmas. For some retailers, such as jewelers, it’s even higher — nearly 40 percent.

According to our very own Rock, Tara Engelland (who spent many years on the Galleria marketing team), “At Galleria Dallas, we were planning for the following year’s holiday before we finished the one we were in. We had some pretty big events that took place each year but we were always trying to think of new things to add that would enhance the shoppers’ experience.”

Today is Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping day of the year. Last year, Adobe estimated it would reach $3 billion in sales.

So how do you market for Cyber Monday?

All things online should be promoted online, so your online strategy needs to be strong. Pull out all your online media stops! From social, email to banners and web, all channels should be pointing to your Cyber deal. Just like Black Friday, marketing plans should be made far in advance, particularly if your business is e-commerce only.

We worked closely with our Front Porch Client, Ellen Hoffman Designs, on her Cyber Monday strategy. We are blasting her Cyber Monday deal – 20% off her distinct, one-of-kind jewelry – across all social media platforms. If you would like to take advantage of her
Cyber Monday promotion, visit ellenhoffmandesigns.com and use the promo code Cyber20.

Black Friday 2016 is in the books. According to CNN Money: “It was a strong weekend for retailers, but an even better weekend for consumers, who took advantage of some really incredible deals,” said National Retail Federation (NRF) President and CEO Matthew Shay in a news release. Their full report is here.

How Cyber Monday 2016 stacks up against projections is yet to be seen. What we do know is that if you are in the retail sector, you should be thinking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017. Are you? You should be. We can help.

Interested in learning more about Black Friday and Cyber Monday? These links give a nice broad base of information:

• Why Is Black Friday Called Black Friday?
• What Is the History of Black Friday?
• Where Are Black Friday Sales Deals?
• What Is Cyber Monday?

Happy shopping, happy marketing, happy retail!

Friends, it’s that time of year. The leaves are falling, there is a chill in the air and we are simultaneously looking back at our fifth year in business and looking forward to our next rockin’ year. But before we wrap up our year-long celebration of fives, we want to share these last five branding and marketing vibes from the Porch:

1. Gearing Up. Did you know that the Small Business Association suggests that as a general rule, small businesses with revenues of less than $5 million allocate 7-8 percent of their gross sales to marketing? And did you know that an international media strategy agency predicts that advertising spending will reach $179 billion in 2017? This is a 6.3% increase – the largest since 2010. Rock on with your marketing self.
2. Looking Forward. The new year is around the corner! We are fully engaged with our clients finalizing their 2017 marketing plans and budgets. We are ready for a banner 2017!
3. Rocking Our Talent. Our rocking team has it in spades! In 2017 we will continue to give our clients the very best we have to offer. Led by Julie’s second-to-none marketing vision and backed by Vanessa’s stellar branding and advertising expertise, Ann Marie’s excellence in public relations and communication, Tara’s extensive marketing and client management capabilities, Allison’s rocking graphic design capabilities, Jacqui’s blogging and wordsmith acumen and Darcey’s lead-the-charge management ensure that our clients are in excellent hands.
4. Gratitude. Don’t think we don’t know it – we have much to be grateful for. Rocking clients who are true partners, hard-working and creative team members, talented business associates, loyal friends, and loving, supportive families – we are thankful for each and every one of you! Special thanks to our PeopleResults client partner, Shelli Walker for the invitation to speak at the first ever Arlington Chamber of Commerce Women’s Alliance’s Business in a Box workshop. Gratitude!
5. Celebration. Five years. It’s a milestone. We celebrated this and more yesterday at our end-of-the-year team jam session.

Thank you, friends. Keep those many referrals coming. Join us on the Porch via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our blog here.

Get ready for more rockin’ branding and marketing vibes in 2017 party people in the house.

When does anything ever really go exactly as planned? Since the answer is almost never and so many variables are out of your control, it may be easy to think – why bother planning?

Unfortunately, even with diligent, proactive risk management, a crisis can happen at any time (as I’ve said in a previous blog). So, you need to prepare, anticipate and plan ahead – because it’s not a matter of if a crisis will occur, it’s a matter of when.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, one of the main components of your crisis management plan should be proactive, positive outreach NOW – before the crisis.

Enter PR. Proactive PR.

Even if you’re not looking to grow your company or you feel like PR is “tooting your own horn,” there are many benefits to proactive PR. Positive media and community exposure will help you tenfold down the road. The strongest crisis communication plans also proactively incorporate these PR components:

• Build the Image of Your Key Leaders – It is a major advantage for your company if people regard and respect your leaders as subject matter experts and good people. This is why it’s important for top management to appear occasionally in business media profiles and stories as well as at “good news events” such as philanthropic donations.

• Examine and Strengthen Key Relationships – with local and national media, government officials and the community that you serve. Strong existing relationships will be beneficial in getting the support you need in a crisis and re-building credibility following.

• Review Your Search and Social Media Status – Put the people and the processes in place to continually and proactively monitor your digital exposure – online news outlets, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. This is the first place you may learn about the crisis at hand, and it allows you to respond quickly to misinformation and accusations. (Of course, having a robust and positive existing presence on all of these channels is a must for so many reasons (and that’s why we do what we do on the Porch).

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

We agree, Mr. Franklin!!!