A few weeks back, our very own Rock Star, Vanessa Hickman, wrote a blog about how Photos Bring Your Brand to Life. She invoked the oft-used expression, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” And she’s right. So right. Images make us feel something. Want something. Want to be something.

We emotionally connect.

Powerful, relevant visual assets are hugely important in any marketing plan. Whatever the medium – photographs, videos, or infographics – compelling imagery makes people connect more, remember more, and engage more. Powerful images can stay with you for a lifetime.

It made me think, what imagery have I found most compelling throughout my life? What has moved me, stayed with me?

And so, drumroll please….here are my Top 5 Imagery Moments:

Farrah Fawcett’s Iconic Poster. It was the 70’s. I was just beginning to become aware of beauty and what that meant, and this Farrah Fawcett poster exemplified it for me. That hair. That smile. I wanted to look just like her. This poster was my first memory of being influenced by an image and all that it suggested.

Janet Jackson’s Pleasure Principle Video. It was the 80’s and this early video of Janet Jackson dancing alone in a warehouse struck such a chord with me, I watched it over and over and over again. She was strong and talented and beyond cool. Storytelling imagery in the form of video was taking over the world.

The 90’s Supermodels. You knew them so well you need only use their first names – Naomi. Linda. Tatjana. Christy. Cindy. They were impossibly beautiful, they ran in a pack, and they epitomized glamour in the 90’s. Everything they endorsed benefitted from the association. It was print media gone mad.

Carrie Bradshaw. I don’t know many women who don’t identify with the Sex & the City ladies, and for me, Carrie Bradshaw was my spirit animal. The styling was pure genius and every outfit told a story. The designers and brands that she wore on the show got tremendous exposure, and the world of product placement in film and television was exploding.

Misty Copeland’s Under Armour Commercial. A new decade and a new sensibility. Strength. Tenacity. Belief. And a seriously genius commercial with a tagline: “I will what I want.” I made my daughter watch it, I loved it so much. Watch it here. I defy you not to become inspired by this new breed of spokesman that is now becoming a brand ambassador.

It’s a whole new world of brand imagery.

So tell us, what imagery has spoken to you and why?

After you have done the heavy lifting and spent the necessary time and effort putting together your brand identity, don’t fall short when it comes to your message and execution. Make sure your content is relevant and captivating and then proceed to shout it from the mountaintops.

This is the time to fearlessly spread your message.

And we mean fearlessly.

It is not the time to vacillate. Go big or go home! You have a story to tell. Getting your brand message out is critical. You must believe that in your particular niche, you are the voice of authority.

This fearless quality is what can be the turning point to success – or not. Even if it takes some time to penetrate your consumer base, this confidence and conviction is what keeps you moving forward. The delivery and construction of your message may be refined over time, but it needs to be confident and consistent. Because as our Chief Rocker always espouses; marketing is an art, not a science.

It’s hard and it’s scary when you put yourself out there. But, people will respond to your conviction and confidence. It’s inspiring. Tell your story.

I admit it, I’m a little obsessed with the Academy Awards. I’m maniacal about seeing as many of the nominated movies and performances as I possibly can, I read all the nominee’s profiles in glossy magazines, I watch them charm talk show hosts on television, and by the end of it I fall a little in love with the people I hope will win.

It wasn’t until I started working here on the Porch that I realized just how big a role marketing played  in these hallowed awards. Film is big business, and winning an Oscar translates into big dollars for the winner. It’s no wonder, then, that Oscar campaigns are born from basic marketing tenets:

You Must Have A Marketing Plan.  For Oscar nominees, a marketing plan involves promotion of  their film, their performance, and themselves in a way that appeals to voters and the moviegoing public. It’s a specific, multi-platform approach designed to build support and influence voters.

You Must Commit to the Investment. I was shocked to read that big studio Oscar-winning films will have had $10 million dollars spent on their campaigns. Studios know that an investment in marketing pays dividends, so they hire PR and marketing firms to guide them every step of the way.

You Must Know Your Brand. Much like a business, an Oscar marketing plan is built on the nominee’s image (their brand, if you will), and in all promotion, the message must stay true to that brand. As an example, this year’s best actor winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, who is normally reclusive and whose reputation is more party boy than serious adult, went on talk shows to portray himself as accessible and even had a well documented meeting with the Pope. Brand, brand, brand.

You Must Utilize Your Resources Wisely. Historically, print ads in trade magazines like Variety and Hollywood Reporter have been costly but successful in the Oscar world; but with readership in traditional  publications shrinking, a reallocation of resources is taking place. Social media is a must (yes – #LeoForOscar was a thing). Attending relevant events such as film festivals, making the rounds on high profile talk shows, and being accessible for major media profiles all have their place.

These Oscar campaigns show the value of strong marketing! Marketing is essential for your business. Having a plan. Investing in the plan. Knowing your brand. Being true to your brand. And knowing how to reach your customers.

The power of good marketing is far-reaching! Hollywood knows it. Do you know it? 

We all recently celebrated Thanksgiving, spending the day focusing on what we’re grateful for. But it shouldn’t end there. Gratitude is not a moment, not a day, not a week, but a way of life.

There are obvious things to feel grateful about – food, shelter, family, friends. But don’t stop there. Be mindful. What does being grateful really mean? Where did the feeling come from?

According to The Gratitude Experiment, focusing on gratefulness and expressing gratitude raises our level of well-being and happiness. In an experiment, a test group was divided into three, with one group directed to journal gratitude, one group directed to journal the things that irritated them most during the day and one group was allowed to choose their focus. Not surprisingly, the group focusing on gratitude had a much greater sense of well-being. Statistics show that cultivating an attitude of gratitude increases overall happiness by 5%.

Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at University of California, Davis is leading a research team to quantify the causes of gratitude and its effect on health and well-being. They feel strongly that it begins with children. If we can raise grateful children, we are way ahead as a society.

Our friends at The Gem also focus on gratitude as part of their recommended daily regimen. It has a place of honor in the daily GEM journal distributed during their “Day in the Life” series. In fact, it is part of the mentality surrounding their brand. As an element of integrative nutrition and holistic living, gratitude is near and dear to the heart.

There is always something vying for our attention. The holidays bring commitments and distractions, professional to-do lists are ever-growing, our culture of connectivity brings with it no shortage of dismal world news, anxiety over the economy and political positioning, and the responsibilities of our home lives loom large. But take a moment at the end of each day and reflect on at least a couple of things to be grateful for. Some days it will pour out. Some days, you’ll be lucky to be thankful for the roof over your head. With practice, it becomes easier.

As a member of the rockin’ team on the Porch, we are actively and mindfully grateful for our wonderful clients and the chance to have an impact on their business and grow with them.

What are you grateful for?

You’ve gotta have a plan. And when starting a new business, everyone knows that you need a strong business plan. But for some reason, many times business owners forget about a marketing plan, which is just as critical to the success of a business.

A marketing plan focuses on how you are going to get the customers you need to survive. It’s your plan of action – what you are going to be selling, who is going to buy it and how you are going to reach those potential customers and convert them to sales.

Here’s how to create a marketing plan that works:

Who are you? Define your company, the products or services you offer, and what sets you apart from the competition. Positioning your product requires a complete understanding of the market segment you are entering. You must know what your competitors are offering and what makes your product or service unique or a better value.

Include an overview of your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses will be factors within the company while opportunities and threats are external factors.

Who is your target audience? Describe your prospective customer – this can be done in terms of demographics or by lifestyle. If you’re marketing B2B you may define your target audience by the type of business, size of the business, job title or any other factors that make them potential customers. It is important to know exactly who your target customer is in order to plan your marketing strategy.

What do you want to achieve? Write down a list of measurable goals.

Develop strategies and tactics. These are the guts of your plan! Focus on reaching prospective customers at all stages of your sales cycle, whether they are cold or warm prospects. Outline your primary marketing strategies, then include a variety of tactics you’ll use to reach prospects at any point in your sales cycle. This should be a combination of several tactics that can include social media, traditional print advertising, online advertising, blogs, customer events, loyalty programs and email marketing. It’s important to know which media your customers and potential customers will go to for information on the type of product or service you sell.

Remember, a great marketing strategy needs to be realistic and implemented consistently over time. Building brand awareness takes time and patience. If you need a guiding hand, we on the Porch can steer you in the right direction!

As our Chief Rocker continually espouses, marketing is not a science, it is an art. There is no one size fits all. It is a continual effort to fine tune your strategy including your message and its delivery.

Like an actor playing to an audience, there is a relationship – the transfer of energy and interaction from stage to audience is palpable. If an actor correctly reads the audience’s cues, the energy feeds on itself. The same holds true of marketing a product or service.

As an entrepreneur or small business, you’ve done your demographic research for your target market – your audience. Don’t fail to use it. This is your chance to tell the story of your brand and your value to potential customers and to let them know what makes your product stand apart.

Content and delivery are both important. And as new apps and technologies are continually evolving, it’s important to remain relevant. There is an element of trial and error. Pay attention to shifts. If it’s not working anymore – move on! Remember to know and address your audience.

Melissa McCarthy’s blunt and physical brand of comedy is a sharp contrast to Helen Mirren’s more serious and dramatic performance. While both are wildly talented and entertaining, they each have different “brands” and vastly different audience appeal. Bridesmaids plays to a very different audience than Queen Elizabeth. Both are great. But, there is an audience for each.

Know your audience. Remember, you are telling the story of your brand. Focus on the artistry of conveying your brand’s voice and message.

Plans are comforting. Satisfying to-do lists, orderly outlines, and pro-and-con comparisons are all tools that tame our anxiety and give us the feeling of being in control. As business people, we thrive on living this structure. assembling and assigning structure to a process.

Whether we are a part of a service-oriented business or one that is product-based, smart business people assemble structure to a process and put systems and procedures in place to maximize productivity.

Yet the natural order of things is chaotic.

So you’re a start up and are successfully launched. All systems are go. Products are distributed. You’ve diligently put systems in place and created a system of organization and productivity. Things are humming along smoothly.

Congratulations … but don’t get too comfortable.

Because inevitably, unforeseen circumstances and uncontrollable events will threaten to derail your hard-earned success. So how do you handle the chaos?

1. Stay focused

2. Stay true to your core concept

3. Stay true to your brand vision

4. Be agile

5. Be adaptable

6. Get back on track

As Deepak Chopra said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Chaos is inevitable. Use it. Learn from it. And recognize that in the midst of the chaos lies opportunity.

After the long, cold winter, the arrival of spring is a welcome influx of new growth and new beginnings. Spring flowers, Easter and Passover celebrations and the kickoff of baseball season brings us happiness and warmth. We embrace this change.

Change is good.

In business and in life, the one thing we can be certain of is that change is around the corner.

Change is necessary. And change is rarely smooth.

Change can often be tumultuous – just google spring weather and take a look at the storms created by the replacement of cold air with warmth. But then think about the spectacular aftermath … after the spring storms depart, we are left with a rewarding burst of color.

Anything worth doing well comes at a price. Successful disruptors are revered, and for good reason. To have the vision for necessary change and the courage to enact the plan is not for the faint of heart. Patti Johnson notes in her book, Make Waves, “Even though each change is different, there are common patterns, habits and strategies that fuel those who start grassroots changes”

In order to grow, evolve and meet today’s rapid pace of change. It is vital that you and your organization are ready to meet the needs of the process of change and the new environment created:

• Have a vision.
• Have a strategy (identify the end goal and plan how to get there).
• Make sure the vision and plan are clearly communicated.
• Be prepared. You need the right team of like-mind folks.

Remember change is good, necessary and it is rarely smooth. As you begin to implement changes, be watchful of results and ready to adapt. Communicate those changes along the way. You will find the results well worth the pain and effort of getting there.

I’m obsessed with customer service. Have been for some time. Retail brands can be wiped from my consumer consumption in a swipe if things go sideways.True for you too, right? If you don’t feel valued or respected, why should you spend your money there?!?

Customer service has never been easier or harder. Gone are the days:

• Where the employee servicing the customer are the only touch point.
• As an owner, major stakeholder, CEO you never hear about bad experiences.
• 9-5 customer service. A social world means 24-7 visibility. Customers want quick resolution at anytime of the day.

One negative experience can end the relationship.
I had a favorite clothing store, a national brand and I loved them. They were the best. They kept a book on me. I could call ahead. They would have a room waiting with items in my size and preferences.

Until one day … the manager texted me that my loyalty reward was going to expire on Monday. I went to redeem and OOPS it expired on Sunday. The manager wasn’t there, the employees could do nothing for me (even though I shared the text). I decided I would return when someone followed up. It has been 14 months.

Excellent service creates loyalty.
This year, I ordered my Christmas cards. I waited patiently, for them to arrive but after an appropriate length of time and still no cards I called to inquire. They shipped to a previous property and had been delivered and signed for. I FORGOT to change the shipping address in my profile. How did they respond? “We will express print and ship tomorrow overnight.” I asked how much this wonderful solution would be?? It was FREE because they appreciated my business. Just. Wow.

Three benefits of having a customer service strategy. Customer service:

• Differentiates. Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim & Renee Maubogne tells us we need to differentiate to set us apart from a sea of sameness. Recommended read!
• Creates loyal customers.
• Creates happy employees.

Can you service your way to sales? Absolutely.

Can you service your way out of sales? Absolutely.

Do you have a customer service strategy? If not get on it. Your team, customers and P&L will thank you.

Everyone recognizes the importance of social media marketing in this day and age. There are obvious benefits of using social media – it’s low cost high return, it’s easy to use and every consumer is active on one or more social media networks.

But as important as it is to have a social media presence, the biggest part of effectively using social media is having a strong social following that will help you build your brand and your social network week after week.

Here are some suggestions for building your social following:

1. Share frequently and be consistent. Let your followers hear your voice. The worst thing you can do is let too much time pass between shares.
2. Provide content that is informative, engaging and valuable. People want to feel like it’s worth their while to follow you. If you provide information that is useful rather than product-focused, you are more likely to attract more followers. You will also become recognized as an authority or expert and that’s a great way to increase your shares. The goal should be quality over quantity.
3. Make sure it’s not only all about business. Sharing inspirational quotes or photos or even throwing in a little humor will make your shares feel less commercial and add personality to your brand. It will also most likely get you more shares, RTs, etc.
4. Be responsive and interact with fans and followers. Monitor your accounts and respond to questions or complaints immediately. You should also engage your fans and followers by asking questions or participating in discussions. Polls are another way to get followers to interact.
5. Don’t spread yourself thin on too many social media sites. There are many social media outlets, but it’s crucial to focus on the sites that work best for your business. Not every business needs to be active on every social platform. If you are in more of a visual industry, an image-based site like Instagram or Pinterest may be the best fit. A business-to-business situation requires a presence on LinkedIn.
6. Talk about your social media presence everywhere. Include your presence on your website, your email signature, on your blog, on your business cards and other collateral materials, print advertising, signage, etc. Everywhere you talk about your business you should talk about your social media! You should also add share buttons to as much of your content as possible.
7. Offer incentives to new fans and followers. Whether it’s a giveaway or the first look at something, people love to feel like an “insider” and love to get a deal of some sort. Consider offering exclusive promotions and offers available only to your social media followers.
8. Connect with people in your industry. Those people will value your brand. Follow them and engage in conversations. Retweet their content. Follow back anyone who follows you. Look to see who your followers are following and follow some of them.
9. Make sure your profiles are complete with a clear description of your business and a link to your website. Make it easy for your current and prospective audience to find you.

Building your social media following will take time, but if you stay committed, consistent and make an effort to optimize your social media presence you will see the results!