Seamless, sharp, and sophisticated. That is the vision that Front Porch Marketing has for you and your brand as we share why you should style your Instagram highlights.

With the right color scheme, design, and icons, you can drive more views and engagement with your Instagram bio at little to no cost.

If you are looking for a push to execute this vision and wow your audience the next time, they see your page, this is the blog for you!

The Vision

When you open up your company’s Instagram page, what is the first thing you see? Most likely, your eyes go to the colorful posts or maybe a bold profile picture with a strong branding icon, but acting as an overlooked middleman is a row of highlight icons. Currently, there may be as little as 0 or as many as 100 on your page – the sky is the limit.

Truly, the only limit that is regarded is that only up to 100 pictures can be posted within a story highlight, but highlights – much like a reel – should be seamless, sharp, and sophisticated and not fragmented, sloppy, and cluttered. Most importantly, they should be an extension of your brand’s story.  

The Highlight

Many take a lot of time and effort to create the perfect “story” to post on Instagram. Whether it includes colorful gifs, a unique poll, engaging videos, or a giveaway you are extending a vision to viewers about your brand and its values. What is disheartening about all that time and effort is that it dwindles in significance alongside the 24-hour frame that stories are set on. Plus it requires the utmost strategic thinking.

Now, with story highlight reels you are able to make the stories on your Instagram stay permanently on your profile for viewers to enjoy at any given moment. By adding this extra step to your Instagram branding strategy, you are able to strategically use a prime location on your bio and create an immediate place of engagement with users.

Step 1: Be Seamless

What is great about engagement is that you can cast the vision for what viewers see and find different ways to resonate with them. For example, aesthetics are incredibly favored amongst millennials and are a growing target market for many companies. Thus, considering aesthetics on all social media platforms allows you to connect with this audience and others like it.

To create a seamless experience for users, use highlights to promote content that can showcase your products or services, express your brand, drive traffic and market your business. If your profile has bold colors, seamlessly transition the same color palette to your story highlights while also extending a nod to your brand as a whole. If your posts have a color scheme, extend it to your highlight to establish immediate brand recognition or go with a splash of color to draw in your audience with a double look. No matter what you choose, think about your brand as a whole and embody that within your highlight story covers – the first picture that viewers see on a highlight reel.

Step 2: Be Sharp

When it comes to your story highlight covers, always use high-definition content and think “succinct” when it comes to titles. There is a 10–11 character count rule of thumb when it comes to highlight covers. The more characters you use, the higher the chance that your highlight title will end up with an ellipsis instead of the word you were trying to promote. Whether you use CTA words like “events,” “promotions,” “sales,” or “giveaways,” be consistent and above all, do not be misleading in any way.

Step 3: Be Sophisticated

Last but not least, when it comes to Instagram story highlights create a look of sophistication. By using sites like Canva, Unsplash, and/or Pinterest, there are 100’s of highlight cover designs that are pre-made and ready to go at a moments notice for you and your company. No matter if you choose icons, HD pictures, graphic designs or a color palette, always keep your brand at the forefront.

In Conclusion

First, to bring your Instagram to the next level, revamp the look of your Instagram’s aesthetics with a seamless, sharp, and sophisticated look. Second, when it comes to highlight covers think about what story you want your viewers to plug into. Third, see your platform through the viewers eyes to see which highlights you want them to engage with first.  In summary, bring the middleman to the forefront.

The Clean Up 

Spring cleaning comes in many forms but have you extended it to your social media? Although this sounds like an odd notion, tidying up your social media ensures that your online platforms are building up daily engagement and generating leads. 

When you don’t pay attention to your social pages, your platforms become dated – something that should always be a priority to avoid. 

By focusing on these five points in your social media, you can make sure to revamp your social presence, renew your look, and refocus your brand strategy.

The Logo

When it comes to spring cleaning, start out with the basics. Your logo! Are your colors dated? Should you go brighter? Bolder? Is your logo still considered modern? These are all questions you should ask yourself to make sure that your company is putting their best foot forward and aligning with today’s day and age. 

The Header 

The header is one of the first things that your viewers will see when they come to Facebook and LinkedIn! When you look at it, ask yourself if the picture is…

1. High quality? 
2. Modern or dated? 
3. Reflecting the season your company is in? 
4. Updated with the awards and certificates your company has gotten throughout the year? 
5. Used across all platforms? 

Once these questions are answered, your social media strategy is that much closer to being polished.

The Bio

The bio for your company may be short and sweet or long and informative but is it as updated as possible? Are there new hashtags you want to include that are easily found? Are there any typos you may have missed the first time you wrote it? 

No matter how fantastic your bio may be, the smallest writing error can cast doubt about your capabilities to be detail-oriented. This is a mistake you never want to have reflected in your platforms.

The Feed

When it comes to your feed you want to make sure that it is an extension of your latest brand strategy. If your brand is bold then extend that message through bold colors, sharp photos, and succinct captions. If your brand is playful then extend your brand through bright colors, whimsical photos, and emojis. 

Now that you know what you want your feed to look like, look at it from a grander scale.

Do the last posts reflect a past brand strategy? Do you want that to be the first thing that viewers note? Or do you have a new brand strategy that you want to promote and want that to be the focal point? 

Whatever the case, you will want the most current brand strategy to be noticeable at first glance. Take the time to see your company from the eyes of your viewers.

The Website

When your customers look for your website, are they able to find it easily? If not, you may need to revamp and renew the list of keywords that is used for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on each page.

By using the most up-to-date keywords, you’re able to make sure that your site is found in an easy manner. Decreasing the level of friction for customers to be able to locate your website and find the information they are looking for is important because it can be the difference of gaining or losing a lead. 

You’ll also want to make sure that all the tweaks that you make on your social media platforms are extended to your site. If you made the colors brighter on your logo, extend that color palette to your site. If you modernized your feed, make sure that your photos and messaging on your site reflect that change. For every action there will always be a reaction.

The Conclusion

No matter how big or small your spring cleaning is, always keep your brand at the forefront. Taking the time to be detail-oriented, using these focal points, and putting your brand first is sure to create a springtime glow for you and your company.

There comes a time in every company’s life when their logo might need a little freshening up. Maybe it looks dated. Or it no longer reflects your company. Maybe your logo looked great on your original product, but it no longer works for what you manufacture now.

Take a page from logo makeovers past and ask yourself, “What does your logo communicate now?”

Your Logo No Longer Works with Your Products

Imagine pairing Apple’s first iteration of their iconic apple-shaped logo, the rainbow-striped apple, with the first-generation iMac. The iMac debuted in 1998 and was a colorful departure from the standard boxy, beige and gray computers of the time. If Apple stuck with their rainbow-striped logo, the result would have been a product that looked more like a child’s toy than a high-tech computer.

Does your logo “play well” with your existing products? If not, it might be time to thank it for its service and toss out the elements of your logo that no longer work for you.

Your Logo Looks Dated – Burger King Edition

All design reflects its time and if your logo reflects the last century, then perhaps it’s time to give your logo a second look.

Let’s take a look at the recent Burger King rebrand. Their logo was designed in 1999 and it looks like it. Their old logo reminds me of ‘90s sports team logos – modern, lots of dynamic movement and some sharp edges. You know, everything you want in your food. 🤷‍♀️

Their new logo is simpler, puts the burger front and center and it looks friendlier. Plus, it looks great on a small screen. Brands must think about where their logo is going to live and if that logo doesn’t look good blown up on a billboard or shrunk down to the size of an app icon, then it might be time for a change.

Your Logo Looks Dated and it No Longer Works with Your Products – Instagram Edition

Remember when app icons used to be skeuomorphic? That is, they were designed to look like the thing they represent. i.e. The recycling bin icon on your desktop that looks like an actual recycling bin. Software designers used skeuomorphism as a shorthand way to get people acclimated to using computers and other digital devices. Picture what the old iPhone icons and interface used to look like – if you wanted to look at your contacts, you tapped on the icon that looked like an address book. When you opened your notes, the screen looked like a yellow notepad.  

But there are times when skeuomorphic design can go off the rails a little. What happens when users no longer use the things these icons are meant to represent? Exhibit A, the “Save” icon in Word – it looks like a disk that I used to tote around in high school.  How are users supposed to know to click on that icon to save their document? Answer: users just learn over time that’s what you need to click on, but I wouldn’t call that very user-friendly or intuitive.

Skeuomorphic design can also look messy and cluttered. Users could see more of their contacts if the interface did not look like a literal address book

There is a reason why app icons became more and more “flat” and minimalist over time – its easier to see them on a mobile device. Which brings me to Instagram.

In 2016, Instagram changed their logo from an icon that looked reminiscent of an old Polaroid camera to what it is today, a minimalist representation of a camera with a colorful gradient background. And the internet, of course, had some thoughts:

“The new Instagram logo looks like a rejected starburst flavor.”

@trecoast

Okay, so the new logo was not universally loved. But, in the end, things turned out alright for Instagram. One, because its Instagram, a photo-taking juggernaut of an app that managed to tap into humanity’s need to take selfies and shill vitamin gummies. And, because their new logo:

Made them stand out from the rest of the apps on your phone.

Have you ever noticed that a lot of app icons are blue? Don’t believe me? Take a look at this:

Gave them a unifying design language they could use across their app, creating a better user-experience.

Instead of making each function of the app a literal representation, i.e. a boomerang icon in the shape of a boomerang, they could now be designed to represent their use. Which is why the boomerang function in Instagram looks like an infinity symbol because it replays a short video over and over again. A good logo gives a company different ways to talk about itself visually.

A bad logo can limit a company’s design choices. For instance, if your company’s logo features a gradient, its going to be difficult to embroider that logo on a shirt. If you can’t reverse your logo i.e. it looks the same in black-on-white as it does in white-on-black, then that really limits your design options.

You might find that you can only put your logo on a light background. Which isn’t the end of the world. But if you want to put your logo on say, a photo of a manufacturing facility in motion, then that photo had better be light and bright or it will get lost in the darkness.

Plays well in all sorts of uses.

For example, if you want people to use your app, it would be best to create a simple logo that can be slapped onto a flier, a business card, a website etc, and still look good. Imagine if Instagram still used their old logo and how that little brown polaroid would look on a business card or the bottom of a flier. Which is easier to for the average person to identify, that camera or the “rejected starburst flavor?”

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Most companies do not fail or succeed based on their logo. Quality design is an investment, one that you might not have the resources for right now. But a logo can communicate more to your customers than a thousand commercials ever will.

What does your logo communicate to your current and potential customers? Is that the message you want to send? Or is it time for a refresh?

Today it is Lea Ann Allen’s turn to rock the porch with her Rocker Spotlight interview!

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

Marketing is not something you set and forget. It’s an on-going process. Brand-building is like planting a garden and then watering, weeding, fertilizing and trimming it constantly to help it grow.

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

Take a look at your brand’s competitors and peers. What are they doing? Now, how are you doing it different? Show that. Tell that story.

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

Who you work with is more important than everything else in your career.

What does good marketing look like?

Good marketing makes a brand look like a person you’d want to be friends with.

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

I am where I want to be.

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

I go to dinner every night in my home with my husband and I wouldn’t choose anyone else, anywhere else.

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

Resourceful. Analytical. Empathetic.

What is your favorite thing about FPM?

FPM values people. Really demonstratively values them.

Tell me about a major milestone in your life?

I worked 3 jobs simultaneously to put my son thru Columbia University with zero debt.

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

FPM team members respect each other’s individual lives, in everything they do.

How would you describe the culture at FPM?

Agile. Supportive. Enthusiastic.

How does FPM differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

FPM did not have to pivot their business model because of the pandemic, they’ve been a virtual team since their inception – making them ideal partners for understanding what the future world of work looks like now.

Fun fact?

I might have the largest yacht rock record collection in Dallas?

Thanks for tuning in to another week of Rocker Spotlight questions featuring Lea Ann Allen and her rocking time on the porch!

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!

In times of uncertainty, it can be easy to focus on the negatives. Economic downturn, job loss, and our loved ones getting sick are certainly reasons to be feeling distraught. While these feelings are normal, an important shift in our thinking is crucial to survive this fork-in-the-road and come back stronger than ever. There are positives of the pandemic that should be accounted for, and I am here to highlight these for you!

Positive #1: Experiencing and appreciating the little things

Now that we are all on house arrest, it gives us the opportunity to get outside more. Maybe you are getting to know your neighbors and even family members better. Yay for lawn happy hours! This positive of the pandemic has instilled in us a better sense of localism. It also helps us realize how interconnected we are and (hopefully) allows us to recover a sense of society.

Positive #2: We are more in touch with our networks!

A perfect example of this is my family’s weekly Zoom call. Before COVID, I wouldn’t hear from or see my family in Dallas for months at a time. This crisis has opened a new channel of communication for my family and allowed us to check up on each other frequently. We all have technology to thank for this!

Positive #3: Surprising effects on climate change

Another positive effect COVID-10 has had is fewer carbon emissions, potentially saving around 300 MILLION tons of carbon emissions per year. Not to mention all the other awesome benefits such as work/life balance and decreased traffic congestion! Air quality has improved in areas of lockdown, and carbon emissions are down in China. From February 3^rd to March 1^st they experienced a 25% decrease in emissions.

Positive #4: Our responses to future pandemics should improve

Our current situation has exposed shortcomings all around, including test kit accessibility and a faster global response. Taking what we have learned from this pandemic, there is all the more reason to be more prepared in the future.

Positive #5: It has encouraged altruism

Celebrities and athletes have made considerable donations to those taking a hit by the pandemic, and that is just naming a few. Some major health insurers have also promised to cover care and testing related to COVID-19. Our client Faith Family Academy has approached the the situation with immediacy, and teachers have made generous food donations for their students, as well as other restaurants such as Cane’s!

Overall, we don’t want to dismiss your normal and expected feelings of despair during difficult times. However, we also need to shed light on the positive opportunity the pandemic has presented us. Let’s turn a new leaf and embrace these positives today!

We once again find ourselves, think agility, at a new threshold as our state and country reemerge from quarantine and businesses are making decisions on their next step. The initial rush of the digital pivot is fading … the next opportunity is stamina and easing back into the new normal, whatever that may be.

However, before we start running that ball, let’s just pause and celebrate the WINS over the past five weeks.

With collaboration of the students, parents, administration and teachers, Faith Family Academy was able to continue to serve their student body food, technology and knowledge. They did not miss a beat. Faith Family Academy, you rock!

To Mister Sweeper, who continues to hire when so many are looking for employment AND keeping streets, parking lots and garages clean, an especially important job right now! Mister Sweeper, you rock!

Agility Rules!

To Corps Team Dallas, who continue to support clients in their hiring, pipeline and talent continuity plans, plus the virtual edition of “What We Love about Dallas,” was a go-to guide for entertainment this month! Corp Team Dallas, you rock!

Despite Big Al’s business being significantly hindered during shelter in place every week they have continue to give big with 100+ meal donations to first responders and the underserved community partners, like Family Gateway, Ronald McDonald House, Genesis Women’s Shelter and UTSW first responders. Big Al’s, you rock!

Essential workers that found a new way to safely do business, you rock!

Entrepreneurs who continue to forge ahead despite many unknowns with business and marketing plans, you rock!

Non-profits that are using creative means to serve their clients, you rock!

Therefore, Stay-at-home parents that are navigating new schedules and systems, you rock!

To the kids (especially seniors) that are mourning traditions missed, but are finding creative alternatives, you rock! 

Above all, all accomplishments, are worth cheering. Find reasons to celebrate and promote good news and good deeds. Recognize all the daily, tiny actions and choices that are keeping our community moving. If we did not catch you in this wrap up, know that we think you rock!

Most marketing people I know worship at the altar of Seth Godin. He’s a larger than life marketing guru — a best-selling author several times over, an accomplished entrepreneur, an in-demand speaker and teacher, and a revolutionary thinker.

In Seth’s own words:

My favorite thing about Seth Godin, though, is his blog. It’s always an eye-opening, thought-provoking, perspective-shifting few words that arrive in my inbox every day. For the past 11 years. It’s a streak.

“Streaks are their own reward.

Streaks create internal pressure that keeps streaks going.

Streaks require commitment at first, but then the commitment turns into a practice, and the practice into a habit.

Habits are much easier to maintain than commitments.”

Frequently his blogs are just a couple of paragraphs, sometimes they’re longer and more involved. Sometimes they’re deep, and sometimes they are lighter fare. It doesn’t matter. He gets his ideas out there and he does it regularly. And people love him for it.

We preach this philosophy to our clients all the time. The important thing is to blog. Regularly. Dependably. Habitually.

It doesn’t need to be overthought. We hear it all the time – How will I find the time? What will I write? Are my ideas worthy of a blog? Do people really want to read it?

The answer is yes. Your customers (and your potential customers) want to hear from you. They want to get to know you and what you have to offer. They want to make an emotional connection with you. Blogging does that.

So just do it. Take a page from Seth Godin’s play book – start a streak and allow it to become a habit. You’ve got this.

Last week Greg Asher wrote a great blog on the importance of proofreading. Errors in punctuation and grammar make me twitch, so I completely related. But it got me thinking … what good is proofreading if the writing itself is bad?

Here on the Porch, I am frequently called upon to write, edit, and polish pieces of all sorts. I really love it — writing is my thing. It’s my clarity, my therapy, and my joy. Feeling the way that I do, I am always surprised by the large number of people I encounter that don’t like to write, are terrified to write, or are just not good at it.

Writing is important now more than ever. We communicate digitally through email, text, and social media constantly. And oftentimes what you have written will be what forms a first impression of you. Strong writing skills are critical.

The good news is, you can become a stronger writer. Writing is like a muscle – it needs exercise! The best way to become a better writer is … to write.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• You can do it! Don’t overthink it – just get started. You don’t even have to start at the beginning. Get your thoughts on the page and you will quickly find your direction.

• Know who you’re talking to. Your audience will drive your tone and style. You wouldn’t write formally to a friend and you wouldn’t communicate too personally with a client.

• Use your own words. Your writing should sound conversational and it should sound like you. Be authentic.

• Be clear and concise. Avoid buzzwords or filler – they are completely unnecessary. Make your point and make it clear with a strong, active voice. Don’t be passive – be impactful.

• Before you press send, read it out loud. Make sure there are commas where you naturally pause. If a sentence is too long and rambling, figure out a way to shorten it. Not sure about something? Look it up. The Associated Press Stylebook is my compass.

Writing is not something to fear. When done well, it can showcase you in the best possible way. So fall in love with writing! (or you can always call us to do it for you!)

Change – in time or circumstance – often sparks reflection. The match may also be our own – or another’s – experiences, a song heard, or a quote shared. Equally true is the reverse – reflection often sparks change. Growth is ignited by both. As 2018 nears its end on the Porch, we are reflecting upon this year and gleaning insights to lead us into next. We hope our reflections will serve as a guiding light to your own.

As Chief Rocker, 2018 has been a year of growth for me professionally. In the spring, I graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program – one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have done for my career and business thus far. As wife and mom, it has also been a year of transition and growth for my family. My husband has grown his team at work and is settling into a new leadership role.

“I believe that days go slow and years go fast.” Luke Bryan

Nowhere is this more apparent than in parenting. My daughter transitioned brilliantly into a new school and turned five, which seems like a landmark year. This fall my son entered what is widely rumored to be the most difficult year of education at his high school. He has shown tremendous grit and commitment to achieving success with his grades, his varsity football team and his competitive shooting team.

It has also been a year of anticipating and preparing for big changes ahead. With college on the horizon – and a mom’s need to collect as many experiences with him as possible – I once again increased my volunteer commitments at his school. As a parent, change is bittersweet. The growth you model, encourage and watch proudly take shape in your children is the same growth making you wish desperately time would slow down.

For my other love – Front Porch Marketing –– our passion and dedication to the development and growth of our clients’ brands continues.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs

Rock Star Vanessa Hickman:

As 2018 comes to a close, I am joyful that I have the opportunity to do what I love … sharing stories and helping organizations create and share their story. For me, the most meaningful project of 2018 was partnering with Practice Ministries to tell their story and raise funds in order to expand their ministries. Two of my loves collided: my faith and my work. To have found something I love and which allows me to contribute to the prosperity of my family makes me grateful, humbled and blessed.

“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” James Cash Penney

The Porch saw some changes in 2018, too. We added two Rockers. For one of them, a personal and professional collision of another sort occurred when her homecoming this year also grew our roster of amazing clients.

Lil’ Rock Maria Gregorio:

I moved back to Texas after a brief time in Kansas and I have somehow managed to reconnect and work with some old friends: Julie and Girl Scouts. It reminds me of an old Girl Scout song “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold … ” While I did enjoy my time in Kansas – I did indeed make new friends and learned a lot – it’s nice to be home again.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” John C. Maxwell

Back Porch Rocker Jacqui Trujillo:

2018 will be remembered as a year of tremendous change for me. Fear and discomfort can accompany change of any sort, but in the end, what I discovered is that sometimes the change you fear the most is the change that saves you … and turns you into exactly who you were meant to be.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” Brene Brown

Finding our joy and practicing gratitude each day – regardless of circumstance – have also provided opportunities for reflection and been a catalyst for change in 2018.

The Rock Tara Engelland:

This year I have tried to take time at the end of each day to make a list of the things I am grateful for, both big and small. It’s amazing what practicing gratitude can do for your overall sense of happiness and contentment – especially on bad days. Sometimes, I even find the everyday things that I consider to be such chores are the things I am most grateful for. It really helps put things into perspective.

We are immensely grateful to our clients for the changes and growth we have experienced through the opportunities to work with each of you.

Classic Rocker Greg Asher:

2018 brought about the opportunity to work with great clients and a wide array of companies. From new products and services to new growth opportunities and new customer segments, they inspire me daily with their passion and commitment, and have me looking forward to a dynamic 2019.

“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

As you reflect upon 2018, contemplate what roads you (and your brand) should start or continue to travel and where you should change directions. Focus your energy on making those changes so the reflection you see in the rearview mirror is a year full of growth, for yourself and for your brand’s bottom line.

From all of us on the Porch, may your holidays be merry and your 2019 shine bright.