Communicating with your target audience is always important. Using the right tone to do so is paramount, particularly in the current climate.

There are several examples we can use from the last few months. Similarly, some have already popped in your head.

Here are three tips to avoid the wrong tone in communications:

• Stay connected. Social media and email communications play a crucial role in our interactions with clients, consumers and co-workers. Engage with each of them consistently across platforms.

• Build relationships. Don’t focus only on sales. Work to build relationships by sharing content meaningful to your audience, not simply advertising your products and services.

• Strike the right chord. It is important to acknowledge, in a genuine manner, the challenges facing the world. Changing your email greeting or signature is one simple solution. However, don’t simply throw an email together full of overused phrases such as “in these uncertain times” or “our new normal.” Use rhetoric and language relevant to your audience, but do not pander.

Clients have asked us if they should communicate about certain issues. We are always happy to provide our feedback. If you have worked with us before, you know we have opinions. We are not afraid to share them either.

But, above all, we want what is best for our clients personally and professionally and what is best for their businesses or organizations.

If you are going to participate in a conversation about sensitive issues, here are three additional tips:

• Choose wisely. If you are going to engage regarding sensitive subjects, make sure you add value to the conversation.

• Explain your position clearly and succinctly.

• Commit to specific actions. Share those commitments with your audience and be accountable to them.

How you communicate is as important as what you communicate. The tone is equally as important. Do not be tone-deaf.

In conclusion, no matter the topic, always be genuine. As a result, say what you mean and mean what you say.

Next up in the Rocker Spotlight series is Front Porch Spring Intern Sarah Kiburz! A recent grad from the University of Arkansas, Sarah gives us the scoop on her internship and all things marketing.

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

That it is pushy and unwanted. People think marketing is all about selling something, which is partly true, but it is more so about meeting people’s needs.

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

Be confident and assertive! It is okay to highlight your accomplishments in order to get noticed. Hard work goes a long way, but you can’t expect people to note every good thing you do. Speak up and be your own advocate!

What does good marketing look like?

Good marketing meets the customer where they are. It connects on a deeper level, is expertly timed, and highlights the purpose behind the business.

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

Either on a beach in Maui or watching a Broadway musical in NYC.

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

Loving, thoughtful, driven.

What is your favorite thing about FPM?

As Front Porch’s Spring Intern, I am able to work diligently on projects with minimal supervision. It is a great feeling when your boss trusts you and your work!

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

The team at FPM has aligned values in that they truly believe in the clients they work with. They establish deep relationships and are therefore able to create meaningful, high-quality work that resonates with customers.

Your goals for FPM?

I hope Julie and the team can continue to grow the business by adding clients and potentially expanding the team to take on a whole host of new clients. They are some of the busiest people I know, and they love a challenge!

How would you describe the culture at FPM?

I would describe the culture as incredibly inclusive. The team is a tight-knit group that likes to have fun, but everyone gets down to business whenever necessary. It is a fast-paced work environment where there is always something that needs to be done.

How does FPM differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

FPM has an incredibly experienced team that acts as a powerhouse when it comes to meeting clients needs. They differentiate themselves with a casual and humorous approach to marketing but are no strangers to hard work.

Fun fact?

I am musically inclined! I danced(mostly ballet) for 12 years and played the violin for 6 years, which I have been wanting to pick back up. 😊

Next up in the Rocker Spotlight series is Front Porch Rock Star Vanessa Hickman, where she shares her experience on the porch and things she has learned throughout her career.

Biggest Misconception about Marketing

The biggest misconception about marketing today is that there is one solution to advance brands in their marketing goals.

Advice You Would Give To Someone Struggling With Brand Identity

Seek  third-party experts to facilitate the process!

Lessons Learned

As a marketing maven and Front Porch Rock Star, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is “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”- Steve Jobs.

What is Good Marketing?

Above all, good marketing is intentional, consistent and precise.

Dinner With 1 Person Living Or Dead

If I could go to dinner with one person living or dead I would choose Jesus.

Describe Yourself in 3 Words

I describe myself as loyal, inclusive and loving.

Favorite Thing About FPM

My favorite thing about FPM is delivering results for a variety of clients. Above all, I would describe the culture at FPM as collaborative, caring and dedicated. Furthermore, FPM differentiates itself with its sound strategy, excellent execution and tenured team members.

Fun Fact

My fun fact is I graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts when I was 20 years old.

The Rocker Spotlight Series interviews each rocker on the porch. To begin, Chief Rocker Julie Porter shares marketing insights. Let’s dive in and learn more about this incredible business leader.

Favorite Thing About Front Porch

My favorite thing about FPM is being my own boss and doing what I love for clients I love while taking care of my loves.

Misconceptions and Lessons Learned

The biggest misconception about marketing today is that it is cheap and fast. Furthermore, there are three key points: good, fast and cheap. Your marketing can be any two of these but never all three.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is don’t be the biggest barrier to your own success- get out of your way and get stuff done. However, if you can’t get something done, delegate it to the smart people around you.

What is Good Marketing?

Good marketing is elevating the customer experience, building personalized connections, adapting to technology evolution, attracting customers using inbound and outbound marketing, and more.

Culture On the Porch

Our culture is one of straight talk, true partnership and aligned values. Therefore, the team at FPM all regards their families as their highest priority, and we are servant leaders who believe in service to ourselves, team, families, clients, and the communities in which we live and work.

Julie’s Characteristics

I would describes myself as quirky, competitive, and anxious. If I could be anywhere in the world it would be in my living room playing a game with my family since Andrew leaves for college this fall.

Fun Fact about Julie

I got to work with Renee Russo inside the NYSE to celebrate a client’s IPO. I’ve also worked with the Flying Elvi, the skydiving team from the movie “Honeymoon in Vegas,” all over the country to celebrate a promotion for an international sunglass manufacturer.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed Julie Porter sharing her marketing insights!

Over the last four weeks, strategic business leaders and owners have come to us to go back to their branding and marketing foundations. They are focused first on their team’s safety and well-being. Most talk of the “return to normal” and taking it “day by day.”

They use this time to re-evaluate and plan. The COVID-19 crisis is causing business leaders to be strong and agile. One of our favorite client quotes over the last several weeks is, “With drive, passion and desperation, we will RISE!”

David McCormick, the C.E.O. of the hedge fund Bridgewater, was a Treasury Under Secretary during the 2008 crisis. At that time, he said, “America must step up to retain its economic might.” This rings true today.

Step up we must.

Another business leader told us recently, they feel like everything is, “Ready. Aim. Fire.”

This does not have to be.

Focus on your foundation first.

3 Strategic Branding & Marketing Fundamentals

• Define or re-evaluate brand architecture. Think of this as the foundation of your brand. It has four pillars: brand vision, brand personality, positioning and affiliation. Our branding process is collaborative. It builds conviction. The process is built upon perceptions and goals held internally by key stakeholders. Using all points of view, we ensure brands are both differentiating and emotionally relevant.
• Build or revisit your marketing plan. Every business should have one. Marketing drives new business development. Without those sales, you do not have the resources required for your business’s long-term stability and success. Therefore, as important as these plans are, most business owners and leaders do not devote enough time and resources to them. We tell our clients use a rifle vs. shotgun approach. Your services and/or products are not for everyone. The plan focuses on key targets who are most likely buyers. Think fewer, deeper. As a result, more meaningful strategic initiatives on a consistent basis develop connections and broaden awareness.
• Re-evaluate or enhance your website. Is your website true to your brand? Its personality? Is the navigation user friendly? For instance, lucrative website loads fast and is mobile friendly. In other words, make your site work hard for your brand. Don’t get the veto vote because it doesn’t.

Successful business owners and leaders take the time to develop their brand architecture. Then, they develop marketing strategies and plan to build a company with a purpose. Above all, remember, “With drive, passion and desperation we will RISE!”

In light of recent circumstances, we on the Porch felt it would be useful to dive into crisis management.

The Bare Bones:

 Clear, open communication to employees is crucial. Analyze the problem and get to fixing it! Strategy is a key component of any crisis management plan.

What you might include in your crisis comm plan:

The communication aspect of the crisis communication plan should include (for each scenario) progressive communications, their audiences, and communication channels. For example, it is better to tweet out a holding statement to buy some time while figuring out what the situation is and later updating with more detailed information as you know more. Having all of this documented is helpful because it will reduce the chances people get flustered, thus helping them take action.

Other Tactical Things You Can Implement:

Crisis simulation is one strategy that can be helpful because employees will be able to recognize when their emotions ramp up during an actual crisis and can therefore reign them back in.  Leadership is also important because people are looking to leaders for support. According to Fast Company, a company that succeeds in a crisis has “Leaders who can show that change is being made or something’s being fixed, that a product is being recalled or replaced, who take action that restores the confidence of the consumer, or the investor, or the employees.”

A study from Business and Society Review mentions the TTR Test, which stands for Transparency, Two-Way symmetrical communication, and Right Time.  Every crisis communications plan should cover the TTR Test!

Transparency is key for businesses in crisis management because it allows information to be made available and easily understandable. Two-way symmetrical communication is pivotal because it is a business’s duty to foster communication. Right Time is all about delivering prompt, credible responses.

Words of advice from another Fast Company article include:

1. Companies must stand on principle, not on politics
2. Think about your employees
3. Prepare to get ahead of the curve

An article from Cassling encourages a crisis communication plan to be as concise as possible. It also encourages the use of a crisis management team who collects information, creates key messages, and handles media. Internal procedures should always be accounted for, such as deciding how employees will receive messages. Employee training is also necessary if a crisis were to occur. Cassling also encourages companies to utilize social media, even suggesting a ghost website that can be made live in the event of a crisis.

Key takeaways:

Be knowledgeable and communicate, communicate, communicate! There is nothing you can do when a crisis hits, so keep calm and stick to your plan. And remember: the most important thing is to not get emotional!

Teamwork is essential in so many aspects of our lives today. How many team hats are you wearing right now?

My kids’ closet shelves are scattered with different hats, jerseys and socks, for instance. I love all our different teams, whether its academic, spiritual, work, sport. We even call our family a team.

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

Big agency life perk is the opportunity to join brands and marketing teams spanning different sizes, categories and geography. Joining new teams to reach goals is one of our favorite things. We are energized and inspired regularly by the talented, dedicated teams we partner with to achieve defined objectives.

Did you know that our Chief Rocker blares Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney every day in her car during football season? The lyrics resonate with her for many reasons and because of the quotes by some of the greats at the end. Above all, her favorite quote is from Joe Namath: Life is a team game. It is the big game.

Effective teamwork is simultaneously simple and challenging.

We’ve rounded up nine factors that we link to team success. The folks that live and nurture these factors seem to achieve their targets effectively and consistently.

Nine factors of successful teams:

1. Clear and Defined Goals
2. Clear and Assigned Roles
3. Be and Stayed Organized
4. Respectful Interactions
5. Constantly Communicate
6. Equal Contributions
7. Support Each Other
8. Produce Quality Outputs
9. Have FUN!

My family invests a lot of time in sports, we are a football, basketball, soccer and baseball loving crew. Therefore, team sports organically have all these components – how convenient for parenting two preteen boys! Do your teams hit all the notes?

Teamwork rocks!

As a marketer AND a business owner, I want to start the year off right and lay a strong marketing foundation for the year.

For example, we completed our 2020 business plan. We crafted our marketing plan, budget, blog schedule and content calendar.

What other components should we deploy for our 2020 marketing foundation?

For some reason, I guide marketing strategy for our clients even in my sleep. Chief Rocker, therefore, should walk her talk when marketing her own business. I am determined to do just this consistently, authentically and with purpose in 2020. Cheers to the New Year!

Four Marketing Foundation Fundamentals

1. Define and know your brand. A prospective client asked us recently if they needed new photography. As a result, our answer was we didn’t know. We didn’t know their brand. Communication coming from its content and leadership lacked clarity. Consequently, no connections were being made. The brand wasn’t defined. Define your brand and rock it.
2. Team conviction. “Be the brand, Danny.” Can’t help but quote Caddyshack here. For instance, everyone within your team believes your brand’s importance. Your company stands for a specific and important promise. Therefore, the brand and your marketing must be championed internally.
3. Consistency. Thirdly, deliver on your brand promise at every touch point. Inconsistency dilutes customer/client faith in the competency of the organization.
4. Discipline. Fourthly, stick to the plan. Meet your marketing calendar deadlines. Likewise, follow your content and blog calendars to a tee.

In conclusion, may these marketing foundation fundamentals rock your brand and top line. Use them for the New Year. Make your brand come alive for everyone it touches.

Around this time each year on the Porch, we take time for reflections. Reflections on the year – significant events and experiences, lessons learned, and what changes we hope for the next year.

The concept of time was a popular theme among the Rockers’ reflections this year. Perhaps this is because not only is another year ending, but another decade, as well. Perhaps it is because time holds such value in our lives. It is a constant reminder to embrace the here and now with an eye toward the future.

2019 Reflections from the Porch

For me, 2019 has been all about soaking up the memories made while marking milestones in my children’s lives. My son is a senior in high school. My daughter is in kindergarten. So, the passing of time, in our family, is marked by their “last firsts.” It is time that seems to pass so quickly you blink, and it is over. Yet, a tragic loss of someone dear to my family in May has made me realize how painstakingly slow time can pass when grief is involved.

There have been some fabulous surprises, as well. My son’s football team made it to the state semi-final game, a first in his school’s history, which ended his football career on a high note. Go Rangers! Our fabulous client, Faith Family Academy, took it even further and brought home their first State Championship Title in Boys Basketball.

Whether in the happiest of moments or the saddest, this year has provided so much opportunity. Opportunity to be grateful for the time spent with family, friends, co-workers and clients. It has taught me to be present in each moment, to give and receive grace, and to spend my time doing things that make me a better person, wife, mother and business leader.

For lil’ rock, Maria Gregorio, the time is now. “I tend to get caught up in ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. I do this so much that I forget that these days are ‘the good old days.’ In the movie Kung Fu Panda, Master Oogway says, ‘You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.’ So, here’s to moving into 2020 more mindful to live in the present.”

Soak in the Power of Relationships and Reinvention

Part of living in the present is spending time with people and things that fulfill you. Rock Star, Vanessa Hickman: “I am thankful for relationships and community. Love is one of the most profound emotions known to human beings. I spent 2019 soaking in the love of the people around me and doing life with my family.”

Classic Rocker Greg Asher took this advice to heart. He is still reflecting on his reflection for the year.

Often, being present in the moment allows you to see a future need or desire more clearly. This year, we added All-Around Rocker, Lori Rahlfs, to the Porch: “Lately, I find myself thinking about the power of reinvention. The blessings and challenges that come with each stage and phase of life. Each, personally or professionally, calls for us to re-imagine or reinvent the life we are living. Then, we can satisfy new or future needs.”

The Rock, Tara Engelland: “I came across this quote earlier this year, and it has stuck with me. ‘Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.’ It’s important to remember when working with clients to grow or start their business. It is a reminder that you must take risks to get to where you want to be personally and professionally.”

Our Goals for 2020

As you look to 2020, set realistic and thoughtful goals to define or reinvent any part of your life that needs a change. Seek to find something that allows you to really focus. Are you considering re-entering the job market? Try these tips from Corps Team Dallas. Has it been a while since you’ve enjoyed an evening out with a friend or loved one? Go see a Ballet Frontier performance.

Whether your 2020 goals are to live in the moment, or to re-imagine, or (re)define your mission or your brand, there’s no time like the present. Like the beautiful jewelry from our treasured client Ellen Hoffman Designs, time is intricate and precious. May you spend it wisely and wrapped up in moments with those you love. We wish you a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year (and New Decade!), Friends!

Practicing gratitude as a business leader can be challenging at times. Sometimes it is hard for business leaders to know what to be grateful for because of the many hats we wear, and the myriad of opportunities thrown our way each day. The big stuff often overshadows the tiny pieces of our everyday lives for which we should be grateful.

However, science has shown that regularly practicing gratitude makes you happier. Doing so makes you a better leader, which makes your team happier.

Want to be thankful at a time when it seems impossible?

Consider these things to find an attitude of gratitude:

1. Focus on the here and now. Ask yourself what you are grateful for this very minute. Perhaps it is that you made it safely to work or appreciating your computer didn’t choose this instant to crash.
2. Actively listen to a team member. Take time to truly listen to people when they talk to you, even though your mind is going a million different directions.
3. Each time you talk to a team member, thank them for something. It doesn’t have to be a big something. Acknowledge a nicety they did for a teammate or client. Say a simple thanks for sharing their thoughts with you. Let them know when they brighten your day.
4. Remember your “why.” Consider how the work you do benefits the people for whom you do it. Be thankful you have the opportunity to lead.
   

As a leader, go beyond. Go beyond yourself. Focus on showing thanks to others. Take it beyond Thanksgiving. Focus on practicing gratitude beyond this season of Thanksgiving.. Strive to live a life of gratitude, not just a season.

Julie Porter, Chief Rocker, is grateful for her precious family and their health, Texas high school football and the fabulous Front Porch Marketing team, clients and advocates. She tries to focus on showing gratitude to others daily as often as possible.