In honor of Valentine’s Day today, we wanted to share some of the things that we absolutely LOVE about marketing. We cover many aspects of marketing in our day-to-day business with clients. We use tried-and-true marketing strategies and tactics that are the bedrock of a solid marketing plan. And there are also trends that we love, so we take advantage of those for our clients as well.
These Marketing Things Are Both Tried-and-True and Also On-Trend
Incorporating these marketing things (strategies, tactics, platforms, approaches) in your business of marketing for a client, is a win-win. First, your clients see results. Then, you look smart. And finally, you’re both successful at growing the business.
Email Marketing
Clients are reaping results from email marketing campaigns. So having the right content and creative are critical. Companies can build a relationship with their customers when email marketing is executed with the reader in mind. Be informative and helpful vs. direct selling, and see an impact on business.
Strategic Paid Traditional and Digital Media Campaigns
Linking these two strategies (traditional and digital) is more effective. First and foremost, invest to meet the target where they are. Approach them in the right mediums. Earn more quality customers by thoughtfully targeting your messaging to impact sales more effectively.
Marketing Leaders Asking the Right Questions
We love this marketing thing: smart leaders. Our clients are smart marketing leaders who are thoughtful in their approach. To start with, we see them asking the right questions. But then we’re asking them the right questions too. This collaboration pays off for both businesses. They want a plan over time, not a one-off initiative. Thus, they are in it to win it for the long haul, and so are we.
Re-evaluate the sales funnel
The sales team might be engaged in selling one-on-one. But it might not be utilizing technology, processes and other tools to continue to engage and grow the engagement. Successful customer engagement and retention includes tactics at every point in the sales funnel. And utilizing powerful tools to scale and automate in conjunction with smart, thoughtful strategies make sense.
Think deeper in 2023. Really focus your attention on your customers. Ultimately, create a marketing ecosystem that keeps them informed. Give them insider information. And make their lives easier. This approach is a sure way to see your business grow this coming year. And we would love that for you!
Attend marketing conferences to learn, grow and connect with other leaders.
Attending a branding or marketing conference can not only expand your knowledge, it can expand your network. It can also broaden your opportunities and your outlook! To begin with, when you go to a conference, you’re hanging out with people who do a job like yours. These are people who face the same leadership challenges that you do. You have similar interests, as far as work goes, so you can all learn from each other. At a marketing conference, you can share experiences and gain best practice knowledge from others who do your job.
Improving your knowledge is another reason to attend branding and marketing conferences. For instance, you might learn new cutting edge information about your profession. Or you can learn how to enhance the work you are already doing. The impact on your upskilled performance is worth the price of admission.
Gain valuable insight into your industry, profession, or specific job.
First of all, attending conferences gives you the opportunity to meet people who do what you do now. And secondly, you’ll get a chance to network with people who do what you’ll do next. Meeting people you admire in person gives you the chance to ask questions, have a chat with them, and get to know them and how they think. The best leaders surround themselves with other experts.
Marketing conferences to attend as a senior professional:
Senior Leadership
CES: CES is the most influential tech event in the world — the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.
This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.
World Business Forum: Organized and curated by WOBI each year in cities across the Americas, Europe and Asia, World Business Forum is a two-day event that brings together thousands of restless minds united by their passion for business.
Learn from and be inspired by some of the world’s most renowned figures from business and beyond. It’s a blend of content comprised of CEOs, entrepreneurs, innovators, thinkers, artists and sportspeople.
The conference focuses on the issues most relevant to today’s businesspeople, stimulating new thinking and inspiring action.
It provides a unique networking environment to connect with like-minded professionals.
CMO/Senior Level
B2B Forum by MarketingProfs: The B2B Forum is a great space for B2B executives to meet and share advice on the best digital marketing tactics and technology.
While at the conference, you will get the chance to network. And you can connect with other driven marketing and business professionals. The sessions cover authenticity, logic, empathy, and building trust with your potential and existing clients. Overall, the program gives insights into your marketing style and what could be missing.
B2B Marketing Exchange: This is a core event for B2B marketing, covering the current issues in B2B, including Demand Generation, Messaging Frameworks, AI and Audience Centricity. Is there yoga in the morning? You bet.
Meet amazing B2B marketers and stay in touch with everything B2B.
BrandSmart: BrandSmart 2023 will be structured as 10+ TED Talk-style presentations. They’ll feature leaders from all over the world. They will be talking about the cornerstones of brand resilience. They’ll discuss the most recent trends and innovations, and give out the BrandSmart Awards. This conference lets professionals network in a uniquely styled format. Featured speakers include executives from Edelman, American Dental Association and SiriusXM & Pandora.
Strategic Marketing 2023: A Reuters Event, Strategic Marketing 2023 brings together leaders from the world’s most recognizable brands to define the future of marketing. This is the global platform to inspire and empower marketing leaders. Map the digital DNA of your consumer, foster brand loyalty and community, and unlock innovation.
Hyper-digitalization is driving an overload of online content. So marketers must stay ahead of industry trends and champion creativity as we look towards 2023.
Join CMOs, trailblazers and experts at SM23 for the most crucial learning and networking opportunity of the year.
Take a step toward growth and learning this year at a marketing conference.
Make a commitment in 2023 to grow as a senior professional by attending one of these valuable conferences. Start finding your peer group. Then learn best practices. Maybe discover a new vendor. There are many benefits to including attending a senior level conference in your growth plan this year.
I enjoy seeing where the commonality lies each year between each of the Rockers as we all offer our reflections on our individual lives. This year, slow and steady was the name of the game. We need the steady years in life – years without major personal and/or professional events or milestones. They are the rebuilding years. They allow us to identify areas we’d like to see change, to set goals upon a solid foundation, and to take a breather for those years that catch us by surprise.
We hope you had the 2022 you wished for, and that our reflections foster a connection to your own.
Alison Moreno – Rock Collector
I feel 2022 was finally “back to normal” following the height of Covid in 2020-2021. My son began learning how to drive, my daughter began the decision process for which high school to go to, my husband moved up in his company, and we added a new dog to the family. My family was making advances and I kept things steady. Professionally, I felt comfortably steady, but not did not experience any growth. Some years are meant for a “steady pace wins the race” mentality and this was one of those years. With the freedom from being my kids’ chauffeur, I am excited to set and focus on my own professional and personal goals moving into 2023.
Vanessa Hickman – Rock Star
Recently, someone mentioned a “covid blessing”. A covid blessing could be a lot of things. For me, it became a positive outcome from the unusual and unprecedented circumstances everyone weathered during the previous two years. The 2020-2021 timeframe created a lot of change for my family. My now teenage boys started at a new school. We attended a new church. Also, we found new ways of working. And, we are grateful for the people those changes have brought to our lives, but I am also thankful for 2022 which allowed us to focus on restoring something old to make it new for our family.
At the end of 2021, we acquired a lake property. So the beginning of 2022 was spent renovating that property. We rebuilt from the ground up, floor to ceiling. We even raised the roof (which still brings me much joy to say)! I draw similarity between the lake house renovation and the year. Reflections on 2022? It was a year of setting new foundations, rebuilding, reinforcing, redesigning, and raising the roof!
Natalie Rosga – Rock Enthusiast
Thinking about 2022, I’ve tried to make a conscious effort every day to remember to slow down! One step at a time, one task at a time, one breath at a time. It’s ok if not every task is checked off the list at the end of the day. It’s more important to call it a night and wake up feeling happy and rested and ready to tackle the new day.
This year has also been about carving out time for myself. As a mom, taking care of yourself typically falls to the bottom of the list. I’m learning that making time for myself is ok. Whether it’s a run on the treadmill, a pedicure, drinks with girlfriends, or a night out with my husband…it’s important to focus on myself.
Slow and steady wins the race! Let’s also not forget that the house is happier when mom is happy!
Lea Ann Allen – Swiss Army Rock
2022 has been a year where I definitely felt the notion of “the older you get the more you become yourself” take hold. I was more able to focus on important things and simply drop everything that I didn’t need in my life any longer: the naysayers, the time sucks, the unnecessary complications. I felt able to experience some of the joy of my early career in the work that I do, and constantly surprised myself when I found more patience, more stamina or more appreciation that I thought I had in me.
Last spring, my family replaced all the siding on our house which made it stronger and more able to withstand whatever the Texas weather plans to throw at us. At the same time, I honed self-care, exercise, and nutrition to make myself stronger and more able to withstand whatever life plans to throw at me next. Reflections on 2022 make me look forward to 2023 as a better version of my 2022 self!
Christine Finnegan – Media Rocker
In 2022, I practiced gratitude more than any other time in my life. It truly allowed me to view life through a positive lens. My thought process became increasingly optimistic and focused on solutions rather than problems. In the new year I am going to continue on this track by noticing simple pleasures and acknowledging everything that I have and having an awareness on a continuous basis of how I have been given.
Julie Porter – Chief Rocker
Speaking of gratitude; in our 11th year, I continued to be humbled by the amazing, talented, genuine folks I get to work with, those who entrust us with their branding and marketing, as well as the leaders who refer us to their contacts. Thank you to each of you.
This year my son, while also venturing into leadership roles in college, was able to intern on the Porch, where he too, received the gift of working with the Front Porch Marketing team, clients, and advocates.
I had the pleasure of once-again managing amazing volunteers, assisting with event coordination, and working with an amazing committee so the Jesuit Women’s Auxiliary Christmas Bazaar can steadily grow bigger and better each year. I have had the honor of regularly spending time with my daughter in her quest to volunteer helping animals. Our experience at Dallas Animal Services (DAS) has enriched our lives and relationship.
I am also grateful for the opportunity to take on a physical building project this year. The beach is my happy place. It is a consistent vacation choice for my family because it allows me to rest and reset. In January we purchased a beach condo. We envisioned saving money on trips to the coast and creating a revenue generating rental experience. As these endeavors often do, the condo process has not gone as quickly, as smoothly, or as cost-effectively as I hoped. However, I cannot help but be grateful for reflections on the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met along the way. I have also been able to view first-hand the awe-inspiring tenacity and resilience from the people of Florida as they rebuild following a catastrophic hurricane season.
On a Steady Path: Reflections On Gratitude
Some seasons are awash with major developments, milestones, or life-altering events. Some are meant to keep us on a steady path. I have learned there is a lesson in all of them and to find gratitude in each.
We hope that you had a relaxing 2022 holiday season with family, friends, and we wish you steady growth in 2023.
Reminder: its almost Gratitude Week — or as most people call it, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year. Why? Because there is much to be grateful for and so many blessings to celebrate. So here’s your gratitude reminder!
Gratitude for Those Around Us
On the Porch, we are thankful for our team, supportive families and friends, clients and advocates. We are always looking for ways to show our gratitude to our village. In doing so, we often have opportunities to create new, authentic connections as well.
Five Ways You Can Share Your Gratitude to Clients and Customers:
Share experiences. Host an event or invite them to attend events with the team. The time spent together is invaluable in building relationships and expressing gratitude toward one another.
Share socially. Acknowledge loyalty on your company’s social networks. Follow, like and comment on others’ posts.
Share financially. Donating to a cause they care about signals your attentiveness to what is important to them.
Share milestones. Commemorate birthdays, business founding dates, anniversaries together. Celebrating success is motivating and boosts confidence. We can all afford to celebrate more in life!
Share simply. Thank them at each touchpoint and in every interaction. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Gratitude is a gift you can share any time of the year!
A Big Thanks from The Front Porch
Your clients and customers play huge roles in your success and should be reminded of your gratitude at every opportunity. So from all of us on the Porch, thank you to our own clients, customers, and readers of this blog. We appreciate you and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Are you ready to tackle your company’s marketing must-have plans for next year? You’re in luck! We’ve simplified that list for you, to get you started. Your business success can be mapped out ahead of time with these five guideposts put in place to execute against.
Having a plan means you know what to do to build your business according to seasons, holidays, business cycles, trends and more. And, if you need help formulating any of these must-haves — or executing them, please ask us!
The Marketing Must-Haves:
1. Marketing Plan
What are your 2023 business and marketing goals? Define them now. Make a marketing plan. Then add in audiences, competition, SWOT, strategies and tactics. Know who you are and what you’re doing. Know what makes your company unique, and what your brand’s biggest benefit is.
2. Content Calendar
This important calendar includes social media and blogging as marketing initiatives. Know what you’re going to talk about every month and every week using this calendar. Take advantage of social media trends. Every content strategy needs a roadmap with dates, and this calendar is super helpful for engaging your consumer on a regular basis.
3. Marketing Timeline
Calendarize key events pertinent to your business, down to the day. Know what events to capitalize on for business success. Plan out when you will carry out campaigns for advertising, digital or print, as well as event pushes, PR and media relations, holiday and event marketing and more.
4. Marketing operations — including people, technology and analytics
Do you have the right team in place? Do you have enough team to get the job done next year? What tech and analytics tools do you need to execute and then evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies against your goals?
5. Marketing Budget
Once the four above have been defined, put numbers to each of them. Create a marketing budget that maximizes your impact. Plan for this budget quarterly, and then, manage to it monthly. Staying on track will pay off.
No matter the size of your business, start on your marketing must-haves now.
Take the guesswork out of what to do next week, next month, or just next with these five marketing must-haves for planning your next business year! We’ve seen our clients grow year over year when we help them set these must-have marketing goals in place. Then, we work together diligently all year to execute against them for business growth and success. It can work for you too.
If there’s anything we learned from the pandemic it’s that going digital is the ultimate way to survive as a business. No one expected an event like this to disrupt the world as fast as it did, but we adapted. Lots of corporations switched to being remote or hybrid; and Zoom became a household name. With the world going digital many of us started to realize the importance of marketing ourselves online and there’s no better place than LinkedIn. Membership has climbed to reach over 780 million since the pandemic hit. So there’s no better time than now to upgrade your LinkedIn!
Personal branding is a topic we’re all familiar with. We all know it’s important, but many of us don’t give it the attention it really deserves. Most of the time were just too busy to give it any real time or thought. We think “I know there’s more I could be doing to improve my LinkedIn.” However, in this day and age its crucial to have your personal brand looking clean and professional. Here are a couple of tips and tricks to improve your LinkedIn profile.
Upgrade Your Profile Picture
Your picture is the first thing people see when they click on your LinkedIn profile. It’s important that you get this right. First make sure the picture is a recent photo of you, then make sure your face takes up about 60% of the frame. No long distance shots, and smile with your eyes!
Choose a Background Photo
Choose a background photo that represents either what you do, or your interest in visually interesting way. If you don’t have your own photos to work with, I recommend using a free hd stock image site called Unsplash. Also try to stick with a photo that fits within 1584 (w) x 396 (h) pixels for the best quality.
Linkedin has amazing networking opportunities and has made it very easy to expand your network. One helpful tip is to link your profile with your email address book. LinkedIn will then suggest people you should connect with. Once you start connecting with people you may even notice that you have connections working at companies that you are currently applying for. I strongly suggest if you are in college that you connect with those who go to your school in your major. You never know when that connection may come in handy.
Take Skill Assessments
These are free tests that LinkedIn has created to help you stand out amongst the crowd. According to Linkedin candidates who have certified skills are 30% more likely to get hired. I recommend to getting certified in the Microsoft Excel assessment. It’s a universal skillset that will always help you standout. Obviously the more certified skills you have the better.
Publish Your Own Content
The best way to get noticed on LinkedIn is to publish engaging, long content. You should start pumping these out to start conversations. Make sure it’s interesting. A good tip is to look at the trending articles on LinkedIn News on the right hand side of your account. Look at the trending topics on the platform and share your thoughts or experiences on the topic. If you can don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a little emojis. It may sound stupid but it actually increases reader engagement. Just don’t over do it. Also try to steer away from politics on LinkedIn. This is a platform for professional networking, it’s not Facebook or Twitter.
A Brighter Future Awaits
Upgrading your LinkedIn doesn’t have to be done all in one day. Try to take it in small chunks. These steps may seem trivial at first, but I promise if you knock these out when you have your lunch break, or when find yourself with extra fee time you won’t regret it. Allow LinkedIn to work for you by taking the first step!
Marketing leaders, what are you doing to nurture relationships with your customers?
Consistency and connection nurture relationships. Sure, loyalty and points programs are tactics that bring brands and customers closer together.
But genuine allegiance is an outcome.
A recent conversation with a marketing leader provided inspiration. This marketing leader has had some challenges. But realized the value of marketing.
The company had cut the marketing budget. All the momentum that person built was put to a halt. And then the company brought in a consultant. First, he asked her what was happening on the marketing front. To which she replied, “Nothing.’ And, obviously he was shocked.
How to foster genuine relationships.
Business leaders do these four things:
Conviction – Know the brand. Marketing leaders walk the talk. And they demonstrate it every touchpoint. Then, clients and their customers can see it and feel it.
Consistency – Do you have a message map for your client? Share the value proposition of the brands you work on, on every platform, consistently.
Communication – Know your audience. Then recognize: how do they want to communicate? It isn’t about you. It is about what works for them. Marketing leaders will recognize this and pivot messaging to solve clients’ problems in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the client.
Connection – If there is consistency communicating the message, then the connection will happen. But as a marketing leader, how do you deepen the ties with your client and their customers?
Weekly meetings with clients
Weekly catch-up calls on both status of projects, and how pain points with consumers are being addressed
Notes on special days to recognize achievements
Boundaries set on both sides, so that both marketing and client are set up to succeed
Marketing leadership: Take inspiration. Deepen connections. Accelerate growth.
We love to partner with smart leaders who value marketing. And, if we can help, let’s talk about mutual partnership to grow top line sales.
Recent readings over Spring and Easter Breaks provided four great reminders for me as a business leader. And I hope they do the same for y’all too.
For those of you who do not know, one half of my heart – my son – attends Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, right outside Orlando.
We stayed at one of my favorite beaches over Easter, New Smyrna Beach, which is a hour drive from my “son~shine.” And, where I purchased a beach condo, aka short-term rental investment property, earlier this year. It is affectionately deemed the “money pit.” But that is a blog for another day. I digress.
Reminder One: Be a GD Cheetah
A beach read was Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. She shares a visit to the zoo and the Cheetah Run. The cheetah, Tabitha, is tamed. She performs on queue.
A little girl asked, “Doesn’t she miss the wild?”
Zookeeper comes back with a BS answer.
Doyle writes that Tabitha would sigh and say, “I should be grateful. I have a good enough life here. It is crazy to long for what does not even exist.”
“I’d say: Tabitha. You are not crazy. You are a GD cheetah.”
That had such a profound effect on me. I later cried as I read the excerpt aloud to my daughter. Without the GD, of course. And I asked her to promise me to always be herself. To be a cheetah.
Reminder Two: Finding Leverage
Not as an emotional experience for me, but profound none the less. Reading the latest issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.
Time is our inventory.
An article by Adam Bornstein explores business growth by not necessarily adding more people. Rather, exploring this. “Smart growth is not about spending more time, nor is it about maxing out your time. It is about finding leverage.”
Reminder Three: Damn the Sycophants
I cannot remember what the article was about. It was the word. The word I had to look up.
I was reminded, although sometimes painful, I treasure those around me who are not this.
Surround yourself with talented people. Those who are smarter than you. Formidable team members push back. They may not think like you. But they make the organization better. These folks fill in for your short falls.
Reminder Four: Being Too Efficient
In a past life, I was ultra-organized. I am a Franklin Covey Planner Training Course graduate for heaven’s sake. Organized all the things in my office and life.
Then, I started Front Porch Marketing. And, had my second child at an “advanced maternal age.”
Words quoted from Edward Tenner in another Entrepreneur Magazine article spoke to me. In summary, big business always has the advantage. However, entrepreneurs combine technology with connection to people. Something big companies cannot do.
Jason Feifer, author of the article, cited Blockbuster and Netflix as an example. Early in my career collaborating with folks at Blockbuster and Viacom shaped me into who I am today. And I am eternally grateful for those experiences. I saw how they tried to evolve. As well as saw what was attempted and did not happen. These learnings were invaluable.
So I hope these four reminders for business that I learned this spring will resonate with you too!
AHAs and WHOAs. When the way the world of work is done shifts, like it did Q1 of 2022, you can expect a little bit of both. Our annual team kick off meeting this year was an AHA for us! Unfortunately, not everyone could make it. But it was the first time for us to meet two team members in person. They had joined us in 2021, but we had not all met in person yet. Such a great AHA moment!
We were also so excited to be onsite with our client last week. Their manufacturing facility inspires. Yes, we creative individuals love being in this environment because we can have lots of AHA moments together. Then, some of us go into a cave for a few hours after to recharge, taking all that inspiration with us to create. That meeting was the first time we met our client of several months in person vs via a screen. We hugged, natch.
WHOA, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.
In a catch-up lunch, Friday, a longtime advocate of ours was very anxious. And he admitted, he’s a bit angry. He starts international business travel again full throttle this week. He liked his pandemic routine. WHOA. We all kind of got used that didn’t we?
Another client of ours brought us on board recently. Their team is overstretched all the way around. Trade shows and conference are back now in person, and that adds a lot of extra marketing work to their plate. What’s extra hard for them right now is the fact that some of their clients are demanding online events as well. So, WHOA, they are now doing double the work.
We’ve been virtually ready for this for years.
Between all the client AHAs and WHOAs, it’s easy for us to just keep rollin’. Eleven years ago this month, we were founded on a virtual model. So, not much changed for us workstyle wise over the past two years. The rest of the world finally realized what a great model remote work is, and caught up to us!
Now the “Hybrid” work is emerging. Hybrid offices practice some time in the office and some time remote. According to U.S. News & World Report, the younger generations love the hybrid idea. But, they also love the connection of the face-to-face model. The older generation, who were the yuppies of the ‘80s, working 70 hours a week, now prefer not to be in the office all the time. And everyone seems to still be moving forward, getting things done. So remote and hybrid models are making more sense to a lot of workers.
Different work styles can work together.
Whatever style you or your team members or clients chose, be kind and carry on. You CAN work together! Remember professionals of all industries and levels are going through AHAs and WHOAs of their own as 2022 progresses. It may take some people time to settle in to their optimum work style, and make it work for their family, their team, and their company.
Most business leaders know successful marketers when they meet them. These marketers are focused on the same things they are. Building enterprise and customer or client value.
Marketers must mobilize all the people inside and outside the organization. They are focused on return. Do less, more consistently and effectively.
Therefore, hate to tell you, just because your bestie is on Instagram, doesn’t mean she is a marketer. Newsflash. Sorry to disappoint.
Moreover, our team is filled with seasoned marketers. We have fabulous, cream of the crop interns. They keep up with multiple clients, projects, deadlines, industries and trends. These folks are skilled enough to have conversations with CEOs. Front Porch Marketing is not a teaching hospital. For instance, we are triage surgeons on most days.
Technology and consumer attitudes have and will continue to change drastically. Marketing professionals must stay flexible. Know a bit of everything that is going on in the company. Some days are filled with customer service and distribution. Meanwhile, other are sales management and internal communication.
However, despite the varying roles, these qualities are at these professionals’ core. Super powers they have in common.
The Super Powers of Successful Marketers
Adaptable. In other words, with all technology changing at light speed, know how to evolve with it.
Analytical. Marketing is data driven. Some don’t know what to do with all the data being generated. Therefore, if you can sort through it, and find the relevant. You will be indispensable part of any organization.
Collaboration. Must be an extraordinary team player. Seek input. Solve issues. Foster cooperation. Similarly, often the CMO is the company’s glue. The entire team rallies around the company’s vision because of this person. Illustrate how collaboration creates more value.
Excellent communicators. Words have power. The right words break down barriers and rally the troops. Inside and outside the organization.
Creative. Marketers value innovation. Take risks to facilitate it. They vigorously seek solutions. Explore new approaches. In conclusion, continuously.
Inquisitive. The best marketers are a cross between a detective and a scientist. Therefore, they ask the questions.
Strategic. Start with why. Strategy is the key to successful businesses. Obsessed is a strategic thinker. Constant eye on the market. Diligently studying consumer behavior. In addition, watch the competitors’ every move.
In conclusion, marketing is a marathon not a sprint. Have the right people on your team. Boulders move up the hill with smart people pushing them. Above all, right now, everyone could use a few less boulders. Therefore, pick the marketers that demonstrate super powers.
