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!

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!

Friends, it may be time for a branding and marketing intervention: We love you. We value you. But sometimes, you need to recognize when it’s time to play in your own sandbox. 

We say it all the time on The Porch, “Branding and marketing are more an art than a science,” and our rockin’ Front Porch Marketing Team has spent more than a combined 80 years honing this art form to make a difference in our client’s businesses.

But we can only make a difference if our clients let us.

Our best clients are passionate, excited about their work, and open to new ideas that will enable them to leap ahead. We tell our prospective clients that we work best when we are partners, not vendors, and are treated like a member of their internal team. We believe in direct conversation and diving in the strategy debate while getting our hands dirty.

So … in the spirit of direct conversation (which is a foundation on which The Porch was built), here are a few recent examples of when you, Ms./Mr. business owner, leader or department head, should rock away from the branding and marketing table … rock far, far away friends:

1. You scribble your logo ideas down on paper and/or mock them up yourself on whatever design software du jour. Design software and a favorite font do not a creative director make. Our team of creative professionals work with our clients through a formalized branding process that crystallizes the brand’s vision and ensures that the brand puts itself out there in the best way possible.
2. You recommend a CMS platform for your website because that is the platform you use to manage your child’s sports team and its schedule. We develop and re-design websites constantly for our clients and their brands. We know what works and what doesn’t. Trust us to make these decisions that will accomplish your business needs and goals.
3. You are going to hire an intern or an admin to manage your social media. Both of those positions are vital to a company’s operations. But neither are qualified to take on something as important as social media. Why not go ahead and have your financial manager do it??? (See what I am trying to say here?)
4. You call a half day meeting with your business consultant, VP of sales and VP of marketing because your VP of sales doesn’t like a showroom sign created by the marketing department. Give the power to the people and let sales and marketing handle their feud that has lasted longer than the Hatfields battled the McCoys.

We believe collaboration is key. Bringing team members in from other departments for planning meetings and brainstorming sessions can add new perspective, create different ways of thinking and spark new ideas. Says Pharrell:

Remember, however, we branding and marketing peeps like to work “in a room without a roof.” So let’s work together! We are fully vested in getting your business the desired outcome. After all, if you aren’t successful, neither are we.

Rock on friends.

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.

I am at my happiest in the summertime. The days are long, the schedule is loose, the feeling is decidedly relaxed. I can always talk someone into a fun night of chips and salsa on a patio over a margarita. But my body had been feeling the effects of too many jaunts on the patio, a beach trip was around the corner, and a big tennis tournament was in my future.

It was time to clean up. Cleanse.

Enter The Gem. They are our client and friends, and I believe wholeheartedly in their mission; but more than all of that, I’d done their 3-day cleanse before and felt great, so I decided to do it again. I enlisted the partner-in-crime-mentality of my friend Wendy, who had just returned from vacation and was feeling as sluggish as I was. And off we were.

Day One

I wake up, and instead of grabbing my usual Diet Coke, drink … water. Lots and lots and lots of water. And then some more water. I head to the Gem to pick up my first day’s 6 pack. I open the door, and smell the juice. It is fragrant and fresh, and I am officially excited.

Grab my cleanse and chat with Mary Kathryn, who looks ridiculously lovely and is happy and friendly. Side note: is she ever NOT lovely, happy and friendly???

Drink my first Green Glow. Yum. How can a green beverage be so delicious? Second Green Glow on my way to tennis. I’m so healthy! Yay me!

First stumbling block: standing post-drill lunch with my tennis team. They are all ordering our usual tostadas, and my third juice, the Ruby Slipper, is at home in my fridge. Tactical error. Thank heavens Wendy is doing this with me – we order water. With lemon. Mmmm, lemon. We pretend it’s delicious and filling and escape without incident. I run home and drink my juice.

It’s afternoon and time for the Clarity Lemonade. Wowza! Spicier than I remember. I feel like I’m sweating on the inside. I can feel my metabolism revving up. More water.

Maybe it’s the heat of my son’s swim meet, maybe it’s the lack of caffeine, maybe it’s the lack of food, but I have a killer headache. I know I’m supposed to drink some more water but I just can’t. I do remember this first evening being the hardest, so I go home and drink my last Green Glow, and I feel slightly better.

Dinner time and I’m hungry. Thankfully my husband has agreed to handle food for the kids, so I lock myself in my bedroom with my Cashew Milk, which is actually very delicious. But I want whatever my kids are eating, which smells divine. Feeling weak, I text Wendy for reinforcement. “Don’t do it! Go to bed,” she says. Good advice.

Day Two

I wake up and I feel clear-headed and fantastic. The headache is totally gone, and the scale tells me I’m down three pounds. Excellent! Although weight loss isn’t my primary goal, it’s always nice to drop a few. My resolve is newly restored, and I’m off and running.

I drink my water (the hardest part for me, although I don’t exactly know why) and set out for The Gem. The impossibly chic and funny Leslie Needleman is there to give me my juice this morning. I’m dressed in tennis garb, and she eyes me suspiciously, “Are you playing tennis Jacqui?” I know I’m supposed to be kind to my body and take a break from strenuous activity while on this cleanse, so I blather on about something irrelevant and run out of the store.

Hmmm, should I not be playing tennis? I have a tournament to prepare for and so I push this thought aside and down my Green Glow on the way to my club. I don’t know if it’s the juice, my attitude, or the aligning of the stars, but I play great. “I feel like Wonder Woman!” I tell my tennis pro. I’ve officially crossed over into obnoxious-ville but I don’t even care. I smugly drink another juice.

Somehow my afternoon juices become mixed up, leaving me drinking my clarity lemonade at 6 PM, when I’m playing tennis for the second time today. Um … not my smartest move. I am hot and palpitating and feeling very much like I might throw up. No bueno. Now I know why I got the Needleman side eye.

I go home, drink my Cashew Milk, take a long hot shower and fall into bed.

Day Three

Morning is my favorite time on this cleanse. I wake up incredibly bright-eyed, my skin looks great, and I feel like I can do anything. The scale tells me I’m down another three pounds, which makes me want to walk around unclothed on all day because honestly I haven’t looked this good in ages.

At this point, I know the drill and everything feels easy. Water, juice, water, juice, water, juice. I don’t even miss the food and I am becoming nervous about having to reintroduce it tomorrow and undo all the good things I have done.

It’s evening and I meet an old friend for dinner at Shinsei, which is my favorite restaurant. I am in the home stretch so I have a piece or two of sashimi and drink lots of cucumber water. The food feels good in my stomach and I decide that I will be happy to eat again tomorrow.

Day Four

Ah, lovely morning. I’m down another pound (Just a pound? Was it the sashimi?). I’m craving some juice, so I head to The Gem. Although I’m done with the cleanse, I am going to continue to incorporate these juices into my daily routine. I feel too good not to.

I’ve gotten used to feeling like Wonder Woman.

I admit it. I’m a bit of a black and white person. Figure it out, do what’s best, and move forward. “Moving on!” is a familiar refrain in my world.

So when we, as a family, decided it was time to sell our house and find a new one, I clipped along and got it done. Old house sold. New house bought. Packing. Moving. Planning.

Moving. On.

But what I didn’t count on in all my efficient trouncing forward was the emotional toll it would take on everyone around me. My children cried. A lot. My sweet, easy-going husband was wound tight as a drum and stomped around for several weeks. Even my animals became not themselves.

What was wrong? Didn’t we all want this? Weren’t we all excited about the moving on?

If I’d taken my moving on hat off for five minutes to really think about things, I would have realized that efficiency cannot take the place of closure. Recognizing the emotions associated with change, regardless of how positive the change is, is an important part of moving on. Perhaps the most important part.

What is true in life is also true in business. You must properly handle the endings to fully succeed in your beginnings. Clients. Employees. Jobs.

Pay proper attention to the things you are letting go.

Be gracious in your goodbyes.

I love what Ellen Goodman said on the matter, “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage or a relationship is over — and let it go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out.”

Essential for moving on.

I love it when people ask me about our brand and how the name came to be. We enjoyed our branding process immensely; and we as a team love it when start-ups come to us with their business concept and ask us to help them name, brand and market it.

Just yesterday we were presenting logo options to a client who commented that they were impressed by our process for naming, preparing a creative brief and then developing logo concepts. The leadership team had no idea how much time, energy and thought went into the process and were curious whether we thought other start-ups went through a similar process.

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

But they should! Naming your brand is an important process and must be tackled in a diligent, thoughtful way. Choosing a strong name requires that it:

1. Stands out from the competition (unless it’s more important to fit in)
2. Communicates the business you’re in
3. Reinforces your brand promise
4. Communicates your company’s distinguishing characteristics
5. Has long term viability
6. Is easy to read
7. Is easy to pronounce
8. Is simple to spell
9. Is short and concise
10. Is memorable

Do the work on the front end to analyze your brand, your business, your competitors and your promise to ensure that your identity represents all that you want and need. You will save time, money and energy down the road if you start off right!

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.

First of all, if you don’t know what a typewriter is, this blog probably isn’t for you. 

It’s for us old geezers who distinctly remember the clickety-click of “secretaries” creating paper office correspondence.

In fact, typewriters were once indispensable tools for practically all businesses.

So what happened? Why aren’t they around anymore? The answer is easy, right?

Technology. We’ve now entered the digital world. Fast forward to laptops, tablets and smart phones that empower paperless communications anytime from virtually anywhere. Duh, you say. What does that have to do with me?

Let’s take a lesson from our typewriting past, and apply it to our future. What seems absolutely critical in today’s business environment that’s going to be obsolete tomorrow? You know the answer – you just don’t want to say it out loud:

Paper.

It’s happening, friends, more quickly than you might imagine. Offices across all industries are conducting more business and storing more documents online.

Real life example: I had a root canal (joy) done more than a year ago. The endodontist’s office was digital – I sat in the waiting room at a laptop station for new patients and “filled out my paperwork” digitally. Crazy, huh? Well, not really.

Back to my point.

Where are you in your paperless journey? Is it even on your radar? Are you ahead of the game, or will you be pulling up the rear, kicking and screaming? If you’re not convinced you need to take action now, then let me hit you with a few impressive facts:

Environmental Impact

• According to reduce.org, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year.
• Conservatree.com has calculated it takes one tree to create 8,333.3 pages of paper.
• Thus, even a small office of 10 people would cost the environment about 12 trees per year.

Now let’s multiply that by the millions of workers in the U.S. I think a whole forest just disappeared. And that doesn’t even account for the negative impact of energy and greenhouse gasses used in paper production or its transportation to retailers and businesses.

Office Efficiency

Well-filed digital documents are easier to find than paper documents, thus saving time, reducing frustration and improving productivity. According to papersave.com:

• The average document is copied 19 times in its life.
• The average time it takes to fax a document is eight minutes.
• Professionals spend 20-30% of their day filing, searching and retrieving information but only 5-15% of their time reading the document.
• It costs companies $20 in labor to file a document, $120 to find a misfiled document and $220 to reproduce a lost document.

Greater efficiency equates to a more streamlined business, which not only enhances profitability, but makes it easier to better satisfy customers.

Economics

• The costs of using paper in the office can run 13 to 31 times the cost of purchasing the paper, per reduce.org. That’s because for each sheet of paper used, a company also incurs costs for storage, copying, printing, distribution, postage, disposal and recycling.
• A survey reported by dentalproductsreport.com indicated that a fully digital dental office saves nearly $9,000 per year.
• On a bigger scale, Citigroup, determined that if each employee used double-sided copying to conserve just one sheet of paper each week, the firm would save $700,000 each year. KA-CHING!

Don’t let mounds of paperwork today get in the way of going paperless tomorrow. It can seem like a daunting task, but to move forward, to be competitive, to be a leader, you have to bite the bullet. It’s good for business, and it’s good for the environment. Just remember the ol’ Underwood typewriter, boxed up in the attic gathering dust …

Enough of my soapbox! Let’s talk about HOW you’re making the transition. Hit me up with your best ideas and let’s make this happen!

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!

Never underestimate the power of simplicity in business. Simplicity in design. Simplicity in communication. Simplicity in life. Less will always be more.

In the art and design world it is known as Minimalism, referring to anything that is stripped to its essentials. In the fashion world simplicity is dubbed the Ultimate Sophistication. Heck, there is an entire magazine with monthly tips for achieving Real Simple. It is full of tips and ideas to help the common gal, “simplify, streamline, and beautifully edit her life, armed with calm, confidence – and the power of the right lipstick.”

Apple is a shining example of simplicity. Steve Jobs’ love of simplicity is the foundation of Apple’s success in design, marketing and customer retention. Jobs developed a product that resonated with consumers because of its intuitive and simple interface.

Nowhere is simplicity more important than communication. Unfortunately, in our never-ending quest to make things bigger, better, stronger and faster, we occasionally overthink and complicate our message, which leaves your customer confused and disengaged. In order to really have your message heard, keep it simple.

A few tips for simple and effective communication:

• Keep your message clear and concise. Avoid the need for interpretation.
• Use short sentences.
• Have a strategy for delivery. Make sure your target audience is engaged.
• Offer a call to action. Inspiration breeds action. Make it easy.
• Communicate in a timely manner.

Communication is critical to building relationships. To capture your audience’s attention and build a relationship, craft a clear message and and then deliver via the correct outlet.

Keep it simple!