Preparing for 2021
A simple marketing
user-guide and checklist
for building business
and revenue.
PRESENTED BY

A well planned marketing strategy prepared to accelerate leads
and improve customer relationships will ensure
a positive outcome during uncertainty.
Are you prepared for tomorrow’s opportunities — now?

Original content
Too much competition
Marketing efficiencies
Understanding customers
Lack of awareness
ROI
Lead generation
Marketing tools and budgets
Differentiation and originality
Building a recognizable brand
Addressing the challenges

For business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs,
here is a simple and concise checklist of the
most important areas to address.
Successful marketing strategies
5 core elements:

A well-defined
brand story and
positioning strategy
1.

Powerful messaging
that resonates with customers and
motivates engagement and response.
2.

A branded content strategy
customized to each customer segment.
3.

A thoughtful website strategy
to leverage technology, create a
memorable experience that supports
the company and its marketing efforts.
4.

Implementation planning
adaptable for the predictable
and unpredictable future.
5.

1.
Brand Story and Positioning

Why do you exist?
How original, powerful and memorable is your story?
Does it resonate emotionally and is clear and engaging?
Does it describe the outcomes of what you do?
How different is it from the competition?
Does it connect on a human level?
Why should your audience care?
Are you connecting your brand story to the emotional
needs/aspirations of your audience?
1.
Brand Story
Re-examine your
brand story
Define your story

Google:
To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
(Ease of use)
Samsung:
To devote its talent and technology to creating superior products and services that contribute to a better global society.
(Improving mankind)
Walmart:
The simple idea of selling more for less
(Value)
Rolex:
Wearing a Rolex watch enables entry into a world of unlimited possibilities.
(Possibilities)
Shopify:
Make commerce better for everyone, so businesses can focus on what they do best: building and selling products.
(Enabling better business)
1.
Brand Story Examples

1.
Positioning
Needs - Challenges - Opportunities
Define the pain points your brand will overcome
Understand the media channels they spend the most time in
Reveal the emotional dispositions and purchasing behavior
Define your audience

1.
Positioning
The competition: what do they say they do that is the same or different than your brand?
Do you understand what is vital and compelling to core audiences?
What is the essential insight about your brand that no one other company can say?
What is the best way to plant your brand/idea in to your audiences?
Define/refine your
position in the marketplace

Are they within reach - are they realistic?
What is the direct path to achieving engagement?
Does the audience know they have a need for your brand?
Does your audience know where to find you?
Are you relevant and will they care?
What is it about your brand that motivates response?
1.
Positioning, Goals and Opportunities
Define the goals and
reveal opportunities

1. Define the outcomes of your brand, what makes you different.
2. Highlight the customer, not your brand.
3. Lead with a story, not features and benefits.
4. Make your message human, not boastful.
5. Define the brand attributes associated with messaging.
6. Align messaging to customer needs.
7. Show compassion, empathy.
8. Personalize - one message does not fit all.
9. Align messaging with all marketing, digital.
10. Make messaging support the brand experience.
2.
Messaging
10 Golden rules
of messaging

Video
Social
Paid Social
Articles
Insi
Offers
Events
Blogs
P
Email
Direct
Branded content
that engages
3.
Branded Content
What type of content and how will it be delivered?
(Video, blogs, white papers, paid social, social media, editorial, advertising, events)
What are the themes and directions?
Applied to marketing and sales channels and tactics
What visuals and content depict your brand and outcomes?
(Charts, photos, articles, posts, videos?)
What communicates the “brand experience”?
How does it relate to each targeted audience/industry?
Does it support and align with the business goals?
Are you including a CTA?
How will the content be distributed?
Marketing, sales, ads, digital, social, direct, PR

4.
Developing A More Thoughful Website

A brand’s website is one of the most important assets to a company.
It is utilized in a multitude of ways to leverage technology to support the company and its marketing efforts.
4.
Website/Digital Experience
1.
Always-On
Exposure
2.
Convenience
3.
Creating
Credibility
4.
Leads
& Sales
5.
Marketing
Hub
Audience behavior
Customer journey
Determine content
Scalable platform
Customer journey
Compelling stories
Elegant design
Relevant content
Measuring & Analytics
Attributions
Targeting & Response
Inbound/Outbound Campaigns
Customer journey
Determine content
LeadGen & Retention
Customized Content
Re-marketing

The Strategy: 1. What type of website does our brand require? How is it aligned
with the brand story and positioning? (video, reports, metrics, etc.)
- Methodology: build, measure and learn
- Criteria for learning and discovery
- Criteria for measuring success
- Initiating and boosting engagement and ROI
2. Determine 3rd party integration and data collection
- How will this support the digital ecosystem
- How will it drive engagement and motivate action
3. Identify the tools
- Identify tools for efficiencies
- Most effective tools for marketing and sales
4. Utilizing user data
- Driving more business
- Defining usable data
- Improving search and rankings
- Capturing larger audiences
4.
Website Analysis

5.
Implementation
Story & Positioning
1. Review and update brand story
2. Ensure positioning is differentiated and
supports your brand story
3. Update messaging, support story,
positioning, emotions and needs
4. Develop branded content - visuals,
themes, insights, stories
5. Review and update your website to support
story and messaging and brand experience
6. Define metrics/data to connect content
to each audience segment
7. Define implementation plan to monitor and
measure customers needs and market changes
Messaging
Branded Content
Website/Digital
Experience
Implementation
Planning

A.
Update your brand story
B.
Define your audience
C.
Determine your position in the marketplace
D.
Set goals, reveal opportunities
E.
Develop powerful messaging
F.
Create engaging branded content
G.
Define the website experience
H.
Implementation

Glenn Sagon
Partner/CEO Sagon-Phior
Rourke Oakland
CEO, EverForward
Jenna Pearson
Partner/Director Digital Production, SunnyByte
Josh Coffman
Partner/Chief Engineer, SunnyByte
Josh is an entrepreneurial technologist with over a decade of
experience in advanced web-based software, e-commerce and
cross-platform mobile app development. He focuses on leveraging
technology to meet business goals and well versed in numerous
aspects of both web technology and online business, including full
website and web/mobile app development, API integrations, SaaS,
server administration and management, revenue models, online
marketing, SEO/SEM, PPC campaigns, display advertising, lead
generation, ecommerce, analytics, and more.
Jenna has over a decade of project management expertise,
working in both client and agency environments. As Director
of Production, she manages a team of project managers,
developers, and QA specialists to ensure all projects are
properly resourced and that all come in on-time and on-budget.
Jenna is highly involved in software development initiatives,
from API integrations across platforms to major website and app
development initiatives across varying content management
systems and platforms.
Glenn is a marketing and branding expert who has helped national and
international brands connect more effectively to their audiences through
Emotional Marketing. As a marketer, he has created and shaped brand
development that taps into the power of feelings, persuasion and
influence. Emotion Marketing is the centerpiece for his approach to
developing creative strategies. From CPG to technology, and from
banking to healthcare, Glenn has infused the power of emotion into
brand development strategies.
Rourke launched Ever Forward LLC in 2016 with the goal
of providing multiple industries the access a wide variety of
business solutions in the marketing, branding, and advertising
verticals. After working for more than three decades in
marketing and digital media, Rourke brings the best of class
talent for building businesses, brands and relationships.