This summer, we’re once again welcoming high school interns from Ursuline: joining us first this summer is Sarah Muck. Sarah is a rising senior at Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She is interested in pursuing a business degree in college, potentially with a marketing focus. We love that! We also love paying it forward every summer by sharing the wonderful world of marketing with the next generation. As we usually do, we asked Sarah a few questions so our readers could get to know her a little better.
What doe you think the biggest misconception about marketing is today?
I think a common misconception about marketing is that a brand’s reputation relies mainly on a marketer’s direct efforts. Instead, positive brand perception is built through intentional relationships between the brand and its consumers.
What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that it’s never too early to network. Building meaningful connections can be as simple as initiating a conversation in the hallway or inviting someone to sit with you at lunch.
If you could describe Sarah Muck in three words what would they be?
I would say balanced, goal-oriented and creative.
What do you think a good brand strategy should look like?
Good brand strategy starts with understanding your consumers. Every brand has their own unique voice and the key to effectively communicating that voice is for the marketer to see their brand through their consumers’ eyes.
Tell us about a major milestone so far in your life!
When I was a freshman at Ursuline, I got my first job at a local juice bar. Working a real-world job was one of the first “adult” experiences I had, and I’ve loved working there for the past three years.
What is a fun fact about you?
I have the best two older sisters!
We hope Sarah learns a little more about a possible future profession in our industry at Front Porch Marketing. We’re certainly enjoying working with her this summer!
This summer, we are welcoming Alexa Sims, our newest intern rocker, to our growing team. As with all our new team members we love to find out more! So we asked her a few questions to get to know her better. She’s a student at Baylor University in Waco majoring in economics and communications. Alexa is passionate about creating engaging content and building authentic connections with audiences. Way to go, Alexa!
What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?
I think a big misconception in marketing is that it is simply getting your product out there. In reality, marketing is about forming personal connections with customers and letting them see how your product would benefit them more than other available options.
What advice would Alexa Sims give to her younger self?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if you don’t enjoy it, you learn something new about yourself!
What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?
College has taught me the importance of the community you build and connections you form with those around you. Seemingly unimportant conversations can pave the way for lessons learned and opportunities given.
What does good brand strategy look like?
Good brand strategy looks like personality, showing people who you are as a brand and the things that set you apart. It allows people to connect with and trust you as people behind a brand.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?
On the lake with my 3 younger siblings!
If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?
I would love to be able to talk with C.S. Lewis! I grew up reading Narnia and some of his other works and I feel like I could rally learn a lot from a conversation with him.
If you could describe Alexa Sims in three words what would they be?
I would describe myself as compassionate, dependable, and creative.
Tell us about a major milestone in your life?
One of my most recent milestones was going overseas for the first time! I went to Italy for a week through Baylor and I had so much fun learning more about the history and culture and more about myself.
From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?
What differentiates Front Porch Marketing is the relationships, both among those who work here and with our clients. There is an atmosphere of kindness, friendliness and helpfulness that cannot be found anywhere else.
You might have a love/hate relationship with summer when you’re in marketing. Either you’re working six months ahead and now is your busy season ramping up for the holidays. Or, your clients are on vacation, you’re on vacation, your kids are at home with you and it feels like nothing is getting done. Time to manage everyone’s expectations.
If you’re in the latter camp, then you’re probably looking for ways to do less but still be effective while everyone is most definitely not on a regular schedule. At Front Porch Marketing, most of us are this person. So we’ve gotten really good at being efficient AND effective in the summer. So we’ve rounded up all our summertime tips from the past few years for you, and hopefully this will help.
Summer-fying Your Brand
Maybe you want to change things up slightly for the summer? Make your brand colors lighter and brighter, or brand voice more laid-back? Try this article for tips on making your brand have more summer feels.
And hey, you’ve done A LOT of work, visually and verbally, on your brand this year. So we’re thinking “What can you re-use, re-work and re-up for the summer?” One way to do more with less in summer marketing, is to rework the assets you already have into something fresh, instead of starting from scratch. Who has time for that!
Reaching Your Audience in the Summer
It’s not just you and your clients that are in a summer frame of mind, your customers are too! Whether that’s a B2B customer or a consumer, it helps to put yourself in their shoes when planning your marketing in the vacay months. There’s definitely a psychology to summer shopping so keep that in mind.
If you’re in PR, your audience is the media and believe it or not, this is a hot time to pitch your PR stories. And you’ve probably got more time to do it, and less competition. Fine tune your strategy in the summer time to get the most response from your efforts.
And for service-based businesses, we’ve got a whole cheat sheet of summer strategy tips to keep right on growing your business right through this season and into fall. You can never go wrong focusing on your customers’ needs and answering their summertime questions.
Keep it Steady, Rockin’ the Summer Season
Ready for a successful summer of marketing? Slow down, get done what you have to, and if you need help with any of it, let us know!
Need to polish up your social media? Want to get started on LinkedIn to help reach customers for your small business? We’ve got you covered! Front Porch Marketing handles social for several B2B businesses to help them build their brand. We help then reach new and old customers and grow their bottom line.
Often, this marketing endeavor is a lot to figure out, so here is a cheat sheet of some of our tips and tricks. Get started using a marketing channel that is cost-effective, targeted and can help make a difference.
Social Media Beginnings
How to Create an Audit: Start by taking stock of your current digital situation. Then set up your next steps. This article walks you through an audit.
Social for Small Business: First, we advise you to start small and use this article to help you assess the assets you already have. Repurpose them and figure out a game plan to optimize with less.
Where and What to Post
The Best Platforms for Your Business: Focus on your goals, your audience and what you are willing to create. Read this article to pick the right platform.
Spring Cleaning Your Social Media: Much like an audit, a good spring cleaning helps you focus your business intentions on social media.
Extras to Build Your Brand
How Social Media PR Works: Combining the efforts of digital and PR is a dynamic duo. Take advantage of this marketing partnership with tips from this article.
Overall, social reaches your audience whether your business is direct to consumer, a service or B2B. So if you’ve always wanted your small business to have more presence, strong messaging, clear goals and connection with customers, consider social media as a great channel choice. With the articles we share every week, gathered here, we hope that you’ll be able to take some of this insight into building your company’s voice in the digital world. And of course, if you need more guidance or help getting it done, let us know!
This month, we are welcoming Peyton Gray, our newest intern rocker, to the team. So as we always do, we asked her a few questions to get to know her better! She’s a student at The University of Texas in Austin majoring in journalism. Peyton is passionate about thoughtful communication, creative collaboration and building meaningful connections through media and storytelling. We love that!
What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?
I think a common myth is that good products will sell themselves and success will happen immediately, which I believe overlooks human behavior and crowded markets. Marketing is even more important today than it ever has been because brands must work to intentionally capture their audience and build trust.
What advice would Peyton Gray give to her younger self?
If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her that everything works out, even if it doesn’t happen exactly how you planned it!
What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?
College has taught me how important it is to build a strong community. Finding people you can relax, study, work and have fun with creates a space where you not only survive but begin to thrive.
What does good brand strategy look like?
A good brand strategy begins with a steady and strong brand identity. Using this as an anchor, a brand can establish a clear presence and cohesive image.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?
I would be in Paris, France! I visited the summer after my senior year of high school with my mom and was lucky enough to return for the Paris Olympics the following year — I am already planning my trip back after I graduate and CAN’T WAIT!
If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?
I would have dinner with Princess Diana. Aside from the fact that I think she is absolutely the most elegant woman of all time, I really admire her strong character and love for those around her.
If you could describe Peyton Gray in three words what would they be?
I would describe myself as optimistic, determined and creative.
Tell us about a major milestone in your life?
One major milestone in my life was leading the recruitment of a pledge class of 95 members into my sorority at UT. I learned so much about leadership, relationship building, analytics and teamwork all while making 95 freshmen comfortable and confident in a new place!
From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?
What drew me into Front Porch Marketing, and what I believe sets the company apart, is how personable and intentional each member of the team is. Even in my interview I could tell how much each member was valued and supported, making me eager to join and get started. Front Porch is collaborative, intentional and genuinely people-oriented.
This week, we’re welcoming Sydney McKinney to our team as our newest rocker! She is our new guru of problem-solving and detail, and who doesn’t love that! Sydney says she is thrilled to join the Front Porch team and looks forward to helping make everyone’s life a little easier every day.
Sydney sat down with us on the Porch for a chat:
1. What is the biggest misconception about about the work you do?
The biggest misconception is that all I do is color code and look at a calendar.
3. What advice would you give to younger Sydney McKinney?
Don’t worry so much and trust in the Lord.
4. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your career?
When asked to do something outside of your comfort zone in a job, always say yes. You never know what opportunities might come out of it.
5. What does good work team look like?
A team that communicates well and can rely on each other.
6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
Sydney, Australia. I have always wanted to visit the location matching my name!
7. If you could go to dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?
I would have dinner with my grandma. She passed away when I was too young to have taken advantage of conversations with her so I would love to be able to chat with her now as an adult!
8. If you could describe Sydney McKinney in three words, what would they be?
Motivated. Planner. Friend.
9. Tell us about a major milestone in your life.
Becoming a mom in the last year has been a huge milestone and I am loving every second of it. My daughter is a true joy and an “easy” baby, so I have been so blessed in that regard as I navigate the new season of motherhood.
10. What is a fun fact about you?
I have been to all 50 states!
What’s coming up for Sydney McKinney on The Porch?
Well, we sure hope that Sydney gets to see Sydney sooner than later! We’re super excited to have her expertise on our team, as our client roster continues to grow and we take on more and more challenging assignments. Welcome Sydney!
The brands we love most rarely win us over all at once. Instead, they unfold over time. They reveal thoughtful details, unexpected moments, and small surprises that make the experience feel personal. Like finding an Easter egg hidden in plain sight, these moments create a sense of discovery. And more importantly, they give customers a reason to keep coming back.
In marketing, those “Easter eggs” aren’t accidental. They’re intentional touchpoints designed to surprise, delight, and deepen connection.
What Is a Brand “Easter Egg”?
A brand Easter egg is any unexpected detail, feature or moment that adds value beyond the obvious. It’s something a customer discovers rather than something you loudly promote.
It might be:
A clever line of copy hidden on packaging
A personalized follow-up email that feels human, not automated
A thoughtful freebie included in an order
A subtle visual detail that rewards repeat viewers
An inside joke or reference your audience recognizes
These moments don’t need to be big. In fact, the smaller and more organic they feel, the more impactful they can be.
Why Easter Egg Moments Matter
Easter eggs work because they tap into emotion. They create a feeling of being “in on something”. It’s a quiet connection between brand and customer.
When done well, they:
Encourage repeat engagement (“What else have I missed?”)
Build emotional affinity, not just awareness
Make the brand feel more human and thoughtful
Turn passive customers into active fans
In a crowded marketplace, that kind of connection is what sets brands apart.
Where to Hide the Magic
The best part? Opportunities for these moments exist everywhere in your marketing.
In Your Messaging
Look beyond the headline. The body copy, subject lines, and even disclaimers are all chances to add personality and warmth. A well-placed, unexpected line can turn standard communication into something memorable.
In Your Customer Experience
From onboarding to follow-up, think about where you can exceed expectations. A simple thank-you note, a check-in that isn’t sales-driven, or a resource shared “just because” can leave a lasting impression.
In Your Design
Visual Easter eggs like subtle illustrations, hidden icons or layered details reward customers who take a closer look. These touches show care and craftsmanship, even if not everyone notices them right away.
In Your Process
Sometimes the “Easter egg” is how you work. Being unusually organized, communicative or thoughtful as a partner or provider can feel like a surprise in itself, especially in industries where that’s not the norm.
Practical Ways to Add Easter Eggs to Your Brand
If you want to start building these moments into your marketing, keep it simple and intentional:
Think beyond the main message. Where are the overlooked spaces you can enhance?
Reward loyalty. Give repeat customers something new to discover over time.
Stay true to your voice. Surprises should feel natural, not forced.
Focus on the audience. What would they find delightful or useful?
Be consistent. One great moment is nice, but many small ones build a reputation.
The Long Game of Delight
Brand loyalty isn’t built through one campaign or one interaction. It’s built through a series of small, meaningful moments that accumulate over time.
When customers feel like there’s always something new to discover they don’t just engage. They stick around. So as you think about your next campaign, email or piece of content, ask yourself: Where can we hide a little Easter egg? Because sometimes, the smallest details are what people remember and what they come back for again and again.
The best marketing doesn’t feel transactional, it’s really love. It feels intentional. Considered. Human. At its core, great creative work is rooted in love. Love for the craft, caring about the message and most importantly, caring for the people on the other side of it. When brands lead with that mindset, the work resonates more deeply and the message lasts longer.
In an industry built on deadlines, deliverables, and data, it’s easy to forget that love still plays a critical role in effective marketing, design, and strategy. Since it’s close to Valentine’s Day, we thought we would remind you.
Love the Craft to Do the Work Well
There’s a difference between producing content and crafting it. Loving it. The latter takes time, curiosity and pride in the details.
Loving the work means:
Choosing words carefully instead of settling for filler
Designing with intention, not just jumping on trends or settling for trite
Thinking through strategy instead of jumping straight to execution
When teams genuinely enjoy what they do, it shows up in the final product. The work feels thoughtful instead of rushed, confident instead of generic. Audiences may not know why it feels better but they can definitely feel the difference. It’s love.
Showing Love For Your Audience Means Making It About Them
One of the biggest shifts brands have to make is moving from “What do we want to say?” to “What does our audience need to hear?”
Loving your audience means:
Respecting their time with clear, concise messaging focused on them
Understanding their challenges before offering solutions
Speaking in a voice that feels approachable, not know-it-all
When messaging is built around empathy and love for the audience, it stops feeling like marketing and starts feeling like service. The most effective brands don’t talk at people, they listen first and then respond. They’re helpful. They’re kind. They’re loving.
A Strong Brand Voice Is an Act of Love and Care
A brand’s voice is often the first relationship it builds with its audience. When that voice is inconsistent, overly polished or impersonal, trust quickly erodes.
Brands that love and care invest in:
Defining a voice that reflects their values
Writing copy that sounds human and relatable
Staying consistent across channels and touchpoints
A thoughtful brand voice signals reliability. It tells the audience, “We know who we are and we respect you enough to show up clearly every time. Because we love you.”
Strategy With Heart Is Strategy That Works
Data and insights are essential of course, but remember that they’re not the whole story. The strongest strategies balance logic with intuition and empathy. Look at your audience, your research, your approach through the eyes of love.
A strategy with heart means:
Looking beyond metrics to understand behavior (not just demographics, but psychographics)
Asking why people respond, not just how
Creating work that feels relevant, not opportunistic
When strategy is grounded in a genuine understanding of human needs and motivations, creative work becomes more meaningful and more effective. It’s a demonstration of not just your love of your product or service, but your care for the people you are helping with your product or service.
Doing Work You Believe In Changes Everything
When teams care about the work, the audience feels it. At Front Porch Marketing, we always say we are doing what we love, with people we love, while we take care of our loves. That’s our thing. We help clients who really care about their audience, and their audience loyalty grows. When marketing is rooted in connection rather than noise, it earns people’s attention instead of demanding it.
At the end of the day, the most impactful marketing isn’t built on cleverness alone, it’s built on intention, empathy and a real respect for the people it’s meant to reach. It’s built on love. Because when creative work comes from a place of caring, it doesn’t just perform better, it means more. And isn’t that why we do what we do?
In a world of crowded inboxes and constant notifications, effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the form of email and text messaging isn’t about sending more, it’s about sending smarter. Whether you’re communicating through email or text (SMS), the goal is the same: deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time.
CRM channels like email and text are powerful because they’re personal. These messages land directly in someone’s inbox or phone, making relevance, timing and clarity absolutely critical. Start with some best practices to help your email and text campaigns connect, engage and convert.
Start With Segmentation For Stronger Email and Text Messaging
Before you write a single word, define who your message is for in each particular instance. Generic messaging leads to generic results. But specific messaging for a specific set of people generates tailored results that the receiver will find to be helpful and motivating. Segmentation can be based on:
Past purchases or behaviors
Engagement history
Location or timing
Lifecycle stage (new lead, active customer, lapsed customer)
Write Like a Human in Email and Text Messaging
People don’t want to read corporate language in their inbox or texts. CRM messages should sound conversational, clear, and approachable. Even in B2B environments, friendly and direct almost always outperforms formal and vague. For both email and text messaging try to:
Use short sentences and simple words
Avoid jargon and buzzwords that you might use in your marketing department
Write how your brand would actually speak to a person, as if they were a person
Make the Value Clear and Get to the Point Fast
You only have a few seconds to earn attention, especially on mobile. Always ask yourself: What’s in it for the reader and make sure they can tell immediately.
For Email Messaging:
Subject lines should quickly communicate benefit or relevance (remember your character count here is 60, including spaces)
The first sentence should reinforce why this matters to the reader
For Text Messaging:
Lead with the purpose of the message
Avoid burying the point under greetings or filler
Remember you have a maximum of 160 characters, including a link and the best practices phrase “Text STOP to end” at the end of the SMS
Keep Calls to Action (CTAs) in Email and Text Messaging Simple and Specific
Every CRM message should guide the reader toward one clear next step. Avoid stacking multiple asks or multiple CTAs into a single message. Focus in your messaging increases a reader’s follow-through.
Best practices for strong CTAs:
Are action-oriented (“Book your spot,” “Download the guide,” “View your offer”)
Match the intent of the message
Feel easy to complete
Optimize for Mobile (Because That’s Where It’s Read)
Most CRM messages are read on phones, even emails are mobile first these days. If it’s not easy to read on a small screen, it’s unlikely to be read at all.
Best practices:
Use short paragraphs and plenty of white space
Avoid long blocks of text
Make buttons large and easy to tap
Keep SMS messages concise and skimmable
Test, Learn and Refine Your CRM Messaging
The most effective CRM programs evolve over time. Even small improvements in open rates or click-through rates can lead to significant gains. Consider regularly testing:
Subject lines
Send times
Message length
CTA wording
Personalization
When it Comes to Email and Text Messaging, Be Helpful First, Promotional Second
At its best, CRM messaging feels like good service to loyal customers, not advertising. When emails and texts deliver value, solve problems or save time, they build trust that lasts beyond a single click. Strong email and text messaging isn’t about filling calendars or hitting send quotas. It’s about building relationships one relevant, well-timed, precisely-crafted message at a time.
It’s the last post of the year, y’all, time for a round-up of the best marketing tips from our blog. It’s about to be 2026 in a few days, and we’ve accomplished a lot! To move forward to the future of your marketing success, we thought it would be helpful to go back and share some knowledge from the past. Hopefully, this will help you start thinking about what you want your business to be in 2026.
Start the Year With a Marketing Plan
First of all, you don’t know where to start planning for the year ahead? Start with an official marketing plan. Put a document like this together to help guide you through the year. Here are some marketing tip posts:
Next, does your branding stand for the company the way you want it to? Can you strengthen your brand? Will 2026 be the year for a re-branding to more align your business goals? Here are some branding posts to help you evaluate your situation.
To continue this thought, part of your brand is your voice. The words you use, the story you tell. Are you maximizing that voice in every point of contact? Here are some marketing tips on topics to think about when you are evaluating your content:
Finally, need marketing tips on how to do email or newsletter marketing? Social media posting? We’ve got you covered. Get started by checking out these post for information, or advancing your digital marketing prowess this year:
Overall, we might have covered just about every every marketing topic that a small business could use to grow their brand. Because, we’ve been creating content on our blog for over a decade! Find a nugget or two in there to help you get started. If you want to subscribe to the blog and get a tip post every week next year, just subscribe here. If you have questions, be sure to holler.
