Twenty-five years ago, we didn’t have memory foam mattresses or Keurig coffee makers. We didn’t even have Google! Good marketing helps innovative businesses take off and change the world. It reaches the masses and teaches them about new products. Marketing pioneer and best-selling author Lonny Kocina especially enjoys helping businesses call attention to products during their introductory and growth lifecycles. So, he jumped at the opportunity to share his tips in this article for YoungUpstarts.com.
YoungUpstarts.com focuses on stories and thought leadership pieces that help businesses small or large, the entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, or those who simply want to become better at what they do. This pairs nicely with Kocina’s book, The CEO’s Guide to Marketing, which provides both an easy-to-understand overview of marketing and a six-step Strategically Aimed Marketing (SAM 6®) process applicable to any business in any industry.
In his YoungUpstarts article, Kocina briefly describes each step in his six-step marketing plan. He also directs readers to free basic tools for implementing SAM 6. This process works whether you run a small business and do your own marketing with very little money, or you are part of a major corporation with millions to spend. “Following steps in a logical progression, without going off on tangents, is one of the fastest ways to achieve your goals,” he writes.
The six steps of SAM 6 are:
- Gain competence in marketing concepts and principles. This ensures everyone is speaking the same language and has a working knowledge of marketing.
- Fill in code sheets. Code sheets are a means of gathering and documenting important information, to ensure that your messages are consistently focused for the best possible response.
- Select appropriate promotional mix channels. Choose from among publicity, advertising, website, social media and personal selling.
- Schedule your promotions on a calendar. This ensures that you’re delivering a constant and maximum flow of on-point promotional messages.
- Develop a control template for your creative team. A control template enables your writers, designers and other creative staff to create attention-getting content without losing site of the marketing necessities.
- Engage your creative team. Assemble the right people for the job, and then let these creative souls work their magic within the parameters you created.
An Amazon best-seller, “The CEO’s Guide to Marketing” also earned the Axiom Business Books Awards silver medal in the Advertising / Marketing / PR / Event Planning category. The Axiom Awards are the largest and most respected critical guidepost for influential books.
The best marketing guide is one that outlines a simple, straightforward process. Start by reading “The CEO’s Guide to Marketing” and registering for free access to the SAM 6 tools. SAM 6 training is also available. Of course, we also apply SAM 6 for each of our clients.
We’re happy to talk with you about either of these options. Call us at 952-697-5220 or complete this form.
