Recently added to the Front Porch team, New Rocker Allison shares Porch insights on good marketing, life lessons, and an inside view on The Porch.

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

Marketing is solely focused on gaining new customers. This is a common misconception because it omits the importance of retaining current customers and misconstrues customers as only a number instead of a respected client. Although getting new customers is important, it is just as important to make sure that current customers are being equally prompted by the benefits of the product/service.

What advice would you give to someone struggling with creating a brand identity?

Believe in your brand and find a way to guide your customers to see the brand through your eyes. Whether it’s a product or a service, show customers how your idea can change their life for the better.

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

Your uniqueness is not your weakness. Be proud of what you can bring to the table and always be willing to learn from your mistakes and others.

What does good marketing look like?

Good marketing requires creativity, persistence, and patience. Therefore, by taking the time to set a solid foundation and identify your core values as a company and as a team, you will reap the rewards of gaining loyal customers and positively impacting the world with your product/service.

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

I would be in Greece, traveling from coast to coast, with ABBA naturally playing in the background.

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

Gregarious, Amiable, and Confident.

What is your favorite thing about FPM?

Working alongside a team of encouraging women who are always ready to take on a challenge.

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

We all believe in delivering the highest quality of our services and in the fruitfulness of investing in relationships with our clients and our teammates.

Your goals for FPM?

1. Pass on productive nuggets of wisdom to viewers who read my blogs.

2. Help a client’s goals become a reality.

3. Expand my professional network.

How would you describe the culture at FPM?

FPM is truly like a family. For example, no matter where I am working from or what I’m working on, I know I can always count on this team to have my back and help me achieve my goals.

How does FPM differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

The FPM team is committed to be a helping hand to all who ask. Most importantly, no matter the product or service being sold, FPM will make sure that you are well equipped with the knowledge and assistance you need. Above all, we are here to make your goals a tangible reality.

Fun fact?

I have been to the middle of the world!

Thank you for tuning in as this New Rocker shares her Porch insights!

“One of the greatest rock songs ever written is ‘Stairway to Heaven’ [by Led Zeppelin]. ‘Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.’ So, whatever’s wrong, whatever’s not working out, whatever you’re not happy with – in yourself or a situation – take the initiative and fix it.” – Shaun Breidbart, comedian and executive director, The Ivy League of Comedy

As you choreograph your brand’s 2019 marketing plans, press pause if the same old song and dance is on repeat – particularly in the following four areas. A remix (and the addition of instrumental help) may be your brand’s ticket to achieving rock star status.

1. “Let it Go.” Turn Over Control of Social Media.

Time is money. Social media marketing isn’t just about increasing sales. It is storytelling. It is about consistent connection with your target audience. For social media to truly boost your brand, dedicated time to engage with your audience regularly – in real time – is crucial. You can’t press pause for vacations, trade shows or weekends.

Mistakes are costly. Social media management is customer service. In the absence of a solid social media strategy – and someone experienced to execute it – mistakes are likely. Poor customer service leads consumers to give brands the freeze-out.

The person/company managing your brand’s social media is its agent, tour manager and promoter all rolled into one. Outsourcing those managerial duties gains you an experienced professional who knows the ins and outs of social media.  This frees you up to focus on other areas of your performance.

2. “What are You Waiting For?” Take the marketing plan off the back burner.

Leaders must understand the importance of brand marketing. As we’ve said before, we love partnering with business leaders on single release initiatives. But to avoid being a one-hit wonder, a brand needs a solid marketing plan to complement their strategic plan.

If the creation or implementation of a marketing plan is left “Standing Outside the Fire” you will have no plan. If you have no plan, you will have no direction. Without direction you won’t have consistency – leaving your brand running “Against the Wind” to build consumer trust.

3. “Breakaway.” Transform garage band marketing to unique, memorable content.

Having a website is great, but customers believe “What You Get Is What You See.” Are you getting the veto vote because your marketing is lacking? How do you look when going up against competition? Are potential clients trying unsuccessfully to validate you?

Bands wanting to become famous must promote themselves to make the right connections to boost their profile. Likewise, your marketing must make meaningful connections to your brand. You can bang those drums “All Night Long” but that alone won’t help you advance. You must have someone in your corner to successfully influence the interest of others.

4. “Shake It Off.” Say Goodbye to Gmail.

Excellent email communication is now a required piece of good customer service. Here are 3 reasons you should say goodbye to Gmail:

• Your email address and content represent ‘how you look’ in the online world. Having a business email address with your company’s domain name is judged as professional. Business emails sent through Gmail raise doubts about your credibility.
• An email account contains confidential business information. Using Gmail does not afford you the luxury of controlling whether employees utilize that information appropriately.
• Gmail does not allow you to integrate your brand’s logo and colors to your email messages to make them more consistent and memorable. This renders it ineffective as a marketing tool.

You are “The Leader of the Band.” No one knows your brand better than you. It is ultimately up to you to determine your vision and whether your current track is helping that vision materialize. We are here to help you rock!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about business leadership.  What makes a good leader today?

As luck would have it, I recently watched The Founder, starring the underrated actor Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the “founder” of McDonalds.  Turns out, stealing the McDonalds brothers’ intellectual property and last name aside, Ray Kroc had some pretty good ideas about leadership that ultimately led to the success of the company and can still be applied today.

Side note: yes, I know McDonalds is not doing great right now and other restaurant chains are, ahem, eating their lunch. But, at the time, Ray Kroch was able to capitalize on a few key ideas to great success.

A Good Leader Takes a Step Back

The McDonald brothers, the original founders of McDonald’s, spent years perfecting their “Speedee Service System,” the assembly-line style fast food kitchen we all know today. They cut down on costs by eliminating wait staff and paired down their menu to the top-selling items – burgers, sodas, shakes, and fries.

Their first foray into franchising was a disaster. It was difficult for the brothers to control quality standards because 1) they were in California and franchisees were far away in a different city or state and 2) they hardly ever ventured outside of their original location.

So, you can imagine their consternation when Ray Kroc, who they trusted to create and supervise their second attempt at franchising, started suggesting new menu items, sponsorship opportunities, and that the brothers should expand the franchise even more. Who was this yahoo to tell them how to tinker with their creation?

It is a difficult thing to go from working in your business to working on your business, to giving up some control and letting others take on the day-to-day details and hands-on work. It’s a risk – what if a staff person comes back with less-than-stellar work? You have spent all this time growing your business and now you’re just supposed to what, give up the reins?

In a word, yes. In three more words, a little bit. What the movie makes painfully clear is that the McDonalds brothers were never going to grow their business to the fast food behemoth it is today by themselves. They needed right leadership, and the right people, to grow and they needed to let those people take the lead.

Finding the Right People Is Worth It

Initially, Ray sold McDonald’s franchises to a few friends from his country club. This was not a great success. They changed menu items without consulting him first. Burgers were overcooked. Locations were messy. And what was worse, they did not care. Their livelihood did not depend on these restaurants and so they let standards slide.

Ray then decides to fish for the right franchisees in different waters. He found them in VFW halls, American Legions, Shriners Clubs, churches, and synagogues. He sold franchises to regular, working-class people who were willing to work hard and had some skin in the game.

The lesson in all of this: finding the right people is tough. But, hiring the wrong people can be a costly mistake. Is it time to expand your talent search?

Leaders Work on Growing Their People

Let’s be clear: Ray Kroc was not a nice guy. But, he knew good talent and ideas when he saw them.

Ray didn’t immediately squash new ideas from his staff, he tested them out first. He took chances on people who might otherwise be overlooked, because he liked their work ethic. His original Director of Operations, Fred Turner, started out on the line of one his restaurants. Ray initially took interest in him because he literally liked the way Fred flipped burgers.

Ultimately, good leaders grow people. And by growing their people, they grow their business.

A Strong Brand is Worth a Lot ($2.7 million in fact)

Ray Kroc understood the value of a strong brand. He knew that even more than burgers and fries, McDonalds was selling the chance to spend time with your family, a sense of community, a slice of Americana. He also knew he could copy the Speedee Service System all the wanted, but no one was going to go to a restaurant named after him. Kroc’s doesn’t quite have the same ring as McDonald’s.

This is the point in the movie where things take a dramatic turn and we see Ray basically bullying the McDonald brothers into selling their very name to Ray for $2.7 million.

While I don’t advocate bullying, I do suggest looking at your brand and identifying what makes you stand out from the pack. In a world of increasingly commodified goods and services, what is special about your company?

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Its an old saying, but its true: what got you here won’t get you there. The things that make a business owner successful at first –a great product or service, hard work, attention-to-detail – are not enough by themselves to take a business to the next level.

To level up, business leaders must step back from the day-to-day, find and grow the right people, and cultivate their brand.  What steps are you taking to get to the next level of your business?

It’s the time of year for another Mother’s Day story, this one about a business forgetting their core brand promise and letting me down as a customer and new mother. I missed a mother’s moment when a business failed to deliver on their customer experience promise.

In the early days of managing new parenthood and a corporate career, it was all about completing the day’s responsibilities while making precious time for holding, feeding, and rocking a new baby. Each moment seemed critically important, and a focus on executing one was key to optimizing the next.

I learned that promises delivered are critical for optimizing each moment.

During those years, one of my favorite brands was a luxury car company and dealer known for superior customer service. I appreciated the dealer’s great reputation, professionalism, and attention to detail. Then, on a busy day, a customer experience led me to realize they were beginning to focus on things that had little to do with their core brand promise of superior customer service.

After missing the normal morning time with my son to drop off my car for repairs, I was looking forward to the evening, having returned from days of business travel and ready to get back to maximizing the next moment. When I arrived to pick up my car after work, I noticed a new waiting area for customers with beautiful furnishings, food and drink, and merchandise displays. Fancy!

The waiting process was longer, as the staff spent time offering food, chit-chat, and everything but my car. During the delay, a shift ended as it was late in the day, and no one was available to bring the car. I waited while noticing employees cleaning windows, sweeping, and offering cookies. They had the fancy extras but were late with the delivery and failed to meet their brand promise of great customer service. An hour later, I got stuck in traffic and missed the evening with my son.

Forget fancy! Get me home in time for moments and I am a customer for life.

In our quest to have the best image, be the best known, and achieve the highest ratings, are we forgetting the most critical deliverables? Please don’t let yourself get so sidetracked and focused on a new shiny, sparkly-self as you may end up losing customers. Find your brand promise, stick to it, pinky swear it!

Years ago I left that dealership. My current dealer has some nice perks, but they are obsessed with getting customers in their cars and on the road. They have stayed focused on their brand promise around the driving experience, versus too much focus on a beautiful waiting room space.

I value businesses that help me deliver on my purpose of being a mom, volunteer, and porch rocker. Although my moments are now spent driving to practices and tournaments vs. holding and feeding, and I am rockin’ the front porch vs. a baby and corporate career – every. single. moment. still. counts.

Happy Mother’s Day! It doesn’t have to be fancy for you to enjoy the moment.

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!

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.

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?

In the latest installment of my never-ending quest for more energy and mental acuity, I recently turned to our friends and clients at The GEM. Nature and age have a way of guiding those ready to hear the call for a healthier lifestyle.

While inspiring, I didn’t feel ready for a juice cleanse. But I was delighted when The GEM offered the chance to experience a gentle route to health and well-being in their newly launched  “A Day in the Life of a Gem” series. A Day in the Life is a four-part series led by Chief GEMologists: Leslie Needleman, Mary Kathryn Bass, and Maury Neirling.

And let me tell you, It’s been an eye opener.

I have learned that in addition to juice and cleaner eating, there are other elements to this whole GEM lifestyle thing. And guess what? It makes a huge difference.

I love to cook (full disclosure: In my opinion there is nothing that wine or a stick of butter can’t fix!). And while I have always been cognizant of the importance of eating healthy, what I thought was good nutritional value at our dinner table couldn’t live up to the nutritional standard I learned about at The Gem.

My biggest concern going into this was the food itself — because for me, food means comfort and an expression of love for my family. And I asked myself, will this satisfy my taste buds or ruin my cooking mojo? And if so, is it worth it? So, I set about this with a tiny bit of skepticism. And I am happy to say, it was unfounded. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Each session starts with a delicious sampling of Gem fare. The savory lentil soup in a quinoa salad, topped with a dollop of smooth, fresh jalapeno pesto scaled my taste buds like an episode of The Chew. And the nutritionally dense, but creamy and flavorful Tahitian Pearl smoothie was beyond delicious. I have been impressed with just how good it all tastes, all while following the 80/20 rule: eighty percent plant based foods.

After a light bite, we move on. We learned about the importance of water – the right kind of water. Filtered water. Thirty two ounces first thing in the morning to flush the system and then consistently throughout the day. It’s surprisingly easy.

A lot of the other things covered I was already doing. Excercising every day? Check. Stretching every day? Getting there. Supplements? Yes, but they have helped me make some healthy tweaks. Buy organic? Mostly. But it was interesting to learn how important it is to buy grass-fed meats. And, to find out how little we need dairy. Your mother’s food pyramid has changed.

Some things have proven to be a little more difficult. Under duress, I gave up my artificial sweetener. That hurt. And, I’m still wrestling with swapping wine for calm tea.

What’s especially nice is that the series is broken down into sessions focusing on a specific part of the day. We started with morning, and the late session covered mid-day. Having a week to practice everything between sessions is very useful and allows time to incorporate changes into your routine.

We walk away with three focus items each week.  And the Gem team is always available to answer questions.  You get the feeling that they genuinely want everyone to experience the vitality that comes with making a few changes. It’s not just about juicing, it’s a lifestyle and it’s hard not to walk away motivated. I’m looking forward to next week’s session on Pantry Cleanout and Kitchen Essentials.

The Gem Mantra is “Diamonds on your Inside”. I may not be shining bright like a diamond yet, but I do feel more energetic and focused. There is a reason this brand is so successful!

 

 

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!

Chances are your business is using content marketing as part of your overall marketing plan. The objective of content marketing is to deliver valuable information that will engage your audience. Consumers are tuning out the more intrusive marketing tactics. What they really want is great, customer-focused information that helps them make a decision or solve a problem. That’s what content marketing delivers.

I actually like The Content Marketing Institute’s definition of content marketing the best: “Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

So when it comes to content marketing, as a marketing professional, your job is to create and share valuable, free content to attract and convert prospective buyers into customers and engage existing customers so they are repeat buyers. The content you create and share should be closely related to what you sell without selling.

The purpose is to build relationships, awareness, branding and overall establish your company as an expert in your industry. You want to educate people and gain their trust so they do business with you.

There are many types of content that form a content marketing strategy including:

• Blogging
• Guest blog posts
• Social media posts and sharing
• Email marketing
• Infographics
• PowerPoint presentations
• Podcasts
• Standard videos
• Micro-videos (i.e. Vine)
• Public Speaking
• Webinars
• Articles

It’s up to you to know what is the best way for your brand to reach those potential and current customers. Just remember the power of great content marketing can make a person stop, read, think and behave differently. The return on investment for content marketing can be huge if executed correctly. And, it really doesn’t take a significant investment!