Business + Marketing Strategy Template | Kokoro - Marketing that starts sales conversations

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cindy talking about business marketing strategy template

Transcript

Hey! Happy New Year! How are you doing? Good to see you. Today in our seven minutes of marketing, I want to get into a framework that you can use for your 2026.

1. Financial Goals

One thing you can think about… the first thing, is what your overall financial goals are. Financial goals might be obvious: growth, product launch, for example, or service launch. Maybe you’ve got something you’re gonna sunset that you’re not doing anymore. Maybe you’d like to get into a new market. Maybe you’d like to go to your existing customers or clients and offer them something new.

So that could be on the product launch piece of it as well. So those are all kind of things that you might think about around your goals. So that’d be the first thing to look at.

I love this framework. It’s very straightforward.

Anybody can do it. You can do it.

2. Strategic Initiatives

Secondly, what would the strategic initiatives be around those goals? So, for example, if your, financial goal one of the financial goals is to, offer existing services or products to a new market, A strategic initiative might be, let’s see.

We’re going to hone our message so that we absolutely identify the problem and solution for this new ideal customer. So maybe that’s like a whole strategy that you’re gonna put together, identifying that perfect message that hits your ideal customer and the pain points, what you’re solving for them. Maybe you decide you’re gonna do, this, initiative in the first two quarters of the year and focus in on particular trade shows in that specific vertical. So maybe you’re already working with this type of customer in this market or vertical, but now you’re gonna take that to a new customer or vertical. And so you wanna do, maybe a six month initiative around that.

Identify the shows, the publications, the places people hang out and go after them. So that could be sort of a strategic initiative like that. Right? So once you kinda know your goals and then think about that type of strategic and, you know, the strategy around it, then you can get into applying tactics and stuff like that. But I have a little stop along the way.

3. Customer Persona

The third thing to think about, I think, I love this part, is your customer persona or your avatar. So do you know your customer really, really well? Who you’re selling to? Why they should care what you do? And so maybe your customers are CTOs or production managers or engineers or health professionals, Jeep enthusiasts, you know, depending on what type of person you’re going after, and think about that perfect customer.

Because everything you do in terms of the tactics that are gonna match up with those strategies and those goals that we just talked about needs to fit that particular customer or client that you’re going after. So what is the sort of, main problem that you’re solving for your customers or clients? What are the top two or three challenges or fears that they have? What do they say? Exact words that they say.

Can you write down a quote or two that they say? Hey. Everybody always says this. I heard someone say this. That’s gold right there.

So the first thing was your financial goals. The second thing is your strategies, sort of your overarching strategy around that goal. And then thirdly, just really dialing in on your customer personas. Fourthly, this part’s fun and easy. You could think about a theme for each quarter.

4. Quarterly Themes

So now that you know your strategy, you know, is to get to this new market and solve this problem that somebody has, you can think of a theme for each quarter, and maybe it’s an angle for each quarter. You know, it works in this way to solve problem a, and that could be your quarter one theme. Your quarter two theme could be actual case studies and testimonials. Your quarter three theme could be some other thing like that. You know?

You can go throughout the year and pick an angle or a theme for each quarter. And then finally, after you’ve gotten through all those four things, the fifth and final piece of that is really laying in the tactics.

5. Marketing Tactics

So tactics can look like, you know, going to those trade shows, doing webinars, doing email, being on social media, doing a panel. And what’s great about that is now that you have these other pieces laid out, when you get invited to be on that panel, my quarter one theme is this. We already decided.

Now I know what I’m gonna talk about. Right? I’m gonna go to the show in April. Okay. My Q2 theme is this…

Now I know what we’re gonna talk about, and that lines up perfectly with the strategy we set forth for the year, which lines up perfectly with our financial goals for the for the year. And so once you’ve got this framework in place, which you can literally sit down with the yourself, with a couple coworkers, kinda go through it, you got that for the year, you are golden. Good to go. Those are the five steps. What do you think?

If you’d like my template, I’ve got it all, set up in a Google template. Just text me the word STRATEGY…
I need to put this automation in place. So give me a second if you’re watching this live, and I’ll if you’re watching the replay, I’ll have it done in a minute. Let’s see.

Oh, let’s I’ll just call it strategy. That’s that’s fine. Just text me the word STRATEGY to
+1 (530) 203-5703. Text the word STRATEGY, and then you’ll get an instant reply back asking your email, and your first name, and then you’ll get the link to the template. Use it for yourself!

Talk later. Bye!

What people are saying about Kokoro

People remember people who treat them well, and Cindy understands this. She makes every client feel special, no matter how large or small, and she helps her clients do the same for their prospects and customers. After all, a small customer today might just wind up being your next big customer!

Jessica Colyer

Even though I’d meet prospects at trade shows and have a great conversation, things would go cold after an email or two because I simply didn’t have time to follow up and nurture that relationship. If I didn’t hear back from them, I was onto the next thing. Since we started working with Kokoro, we’ve definitely become more engaged with our customers. Now we’ve got a lot going on, but I don’t have to physically do all the work. And our marketing work is turning into leads and sales. That’s the biggest impact for us.

Jill Sorgi

I am new to Cindy’s service on LinkedIn, it is refreshing to see immediate results from a marketing campaign. I have a fairly narrow target market and the results after 2 weeks have been amazing. Cindy and Fallon have been great to work with and really know how to get results. If you are using LinkedIn as a marketing platform, you need to see what they can do. Their follow-up and follow-through are the best. They deliver!

Jay Maynard

Team Kokoro actively feeds my obsession with results! They know their craft inside and out, and Cindy’s extensive knowledge of InfusionSoft and digital marketing is truly impressive. Her professionalism shines through in everything she does!

Carolyn Archambault

All of this is a whole lot of awesomeness! Thank you for taking the time to read, watch, and understand Vizrt’s key messaging in our content, and spice it up to the next level. The copy within each email is exactly what I was hoping to see, and only wish I had the time to write.

Melanie Crandall Freding

Cindy is the consummate marketing professional, sharing her knowledge through multiple channels and making it available to all. Adopting her recommendations has made a marked increase in meaningful connections with key people in our industry. Anyone in sales and marketing should tune in to her podcasts, including her Tuesday 7-minute presentation, 7 Marketing Basics. Additional marketing services are available through her company “Kokoro – Marketing that starts sales conversations.”

John Morgan

Emotion Systems is a small company, but marketing automation allows us to punch well above our class. Without significantly increasing our overhead, we’ve been able to turn a successful organization into a much more successful organization.

MC Patel

If you need expert knowledge and it is in Cindy’s wheelhouse, don’t hesitate to contact her. She listens first to understand the issue then explains, teaches, and actually shows you how it is done. Cindy has the ability to translate her expertise into easy-to-grasp, real world useable knowledge. She can make you look good!

Rich Hajdu

I have been working in Graphic Design & Marketing Communications for over 35 yrs. and I hate to admit it but I had not kept up with current trends, especially Social Media. I think Cindy Zuelsdorf and her company Kokoro Marketing offers its customers the latest insights into the most effective marketing tools & strategies for today’s world especially with regards to how the business marketplace has changed since the pandemic. Cindy’s experience in social media, webinars and automated marketing is second to none. She’s among the best you will find to boost your business. Make sure to read her new book, ” 7 Marketing Basics”. I have known her for over 5 years and she has always been a pleasure to work with and always eager to share her business knowledge. I would highly recommend Cindy for any marketing needs that your business might require.

Gary Whitten

Kokoro is very professional and organized running webinars. So we don’t need to worry about anything with the webinar set up. They organize it, direct it, and then run the webinar. And even after, they gave me all the scores and quantitative information about how many people were there, their names, and how to follow up, plus they follow up with eblasts, so it’s very sequential and continuous. It’s been a very tangible, visible reaction from customers and very positive.

Satoshi Kanemura

We have a great marketing team but found ourselves in need of some help recently. I reached out to Cindy and the Kokoro team and couldn’t be happier with the results. One of their strengths is that they are technology-focused, so they understand our products and how they are used. This means less time on our side, bringing them up to speed and, more importantly, much more meaningful marketing messaging.

They really hit the ball out of the park with a comprehensive marketing plan along with the content for the plan. All we had to do was execute. I look forward to a continued partnership helping us expand our reach and drive sales skyward!

John Henkel

I had the pleasure of working with Cindy and her team at Kokoro on the development of a couple of lead-generation marketing campaigns for us at NETGEAR. The process was smooth from the very beginning. With a few questions and some input from us, they quickly went to work and cranked out well-written and thoughtful campaigns that met our goals and objectives. Oh, and they’re good people too! I would highly recommend Kokoro as an extension of any marketing team.

Scott Seifen

The pre-NAB campaign we did with Kokoro worked on multiple levels in that it gave us visibility and exposure, highlighted what we’re about, and gave them that little bit of an appetizer, if you will, to come see us at the show and find out more and get the full course. A majority of people came to the booth saying they wanted to see more or know more about what I was highlighting in the campaign.

Joe LoGrasso

Cindy helped me launch my new consulting business last year. She has a keen sense of the market and was quickly able to connect with my customers, launch a web portal, and helped me become relevant in LinkedIn. She is also very agile and able to pivot a marketing plan when the need arises. She is a joy to work with.

Chris Homer

In a word, Cindy is “amazing.” She’s a marketing expert who understands complex technical concepts like an engineer and is able to explain them through her marketing. In the past I have struggled finding marketing professionals who understand the broadcast television markets and technology. Cindy gets it. She is able to explain and speak to customer pain and present solutions through marketing. She’s an expert at marketing automation (especially but not limited to InfusionSoft), email marketing, online lead generation, Facebook ads, social media marketing, LinkedIn marketing, graphic design, webinar marketing, white paper or ebook marketing, content marketing and so much more. She stays up to date with the latest marketing trends and automation tools. Cindy is a valued member of the VidOvation marketing team. She is a true pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her.

Jim Jachetta, MS EE

Cindy has a great knowledge and system for Marketing and Communications. She has been a fantastic inspiration, not only from her books and videos/conferencing in inspiring to help fine tune the communications messages. But just from her abundance of energy. She gets you focused and driven. An amazing asset to the Broadcast and Media industry. Well done, Cindy, and keep going! 🙂

Peter Bruce

I was on our stand at our biggest exhibition of the year and a colleague asked me, “Does the work that Kokoro do for you actually do anything, do you measure it?” I pointed to a demo happening right next to us and said, “That guy is here because of the email promotion we did. He replied to the email and set up the appointment. In fact, the 10 appointments we have this morning are a result of our work with Kokoro.”

Saifudin Mohd. Sani

Cindy is such an incredible marketer, but also one of the most amazing business owners skilled at sales and the sales process. Cindy knows how to maintain control of the conversation while really making her prospective clients comfortable to ensure they get their needs met. Cindy is great at helping prospective clients see areas of opportunity they may not see themselves that are in their business by asking great specific questions. If Iwas a business owner seeking a head of sales position, I would do everything i could to poach Cindy away from her own business because she is amazing in growing businesses!

Kristina Rueling

When it comes to sales and marketing, most professionals know one or the other well, or possess mediocre skills in both. At Kokoro Marketing, Cindy and her team have an unfair advantage of knowing and implementing both sales and marketing techniques and best practices with precision and drive. The excellence with which the team works ensures all partners are well serviced and receive special attention to their brand’s voice and goals. When you want to drive engagement, convert leads into clients, and ensure continued development of clients into brand evangelists, Kokoro is who I recommend. Their industry knowledge, passion for marketing and sales, and desire to help brands achieve the best results is like none other!

Shell Vera

The crew at Kokoro Marketing was great to work with. Cindy and her team helped us out by providing some of the content creation and writing for our video marketing campaigns that my team and I didn’t have time to do. They did the video editing, blog post, wrote several email marketing pieces, created the social media post templates for us to us, the video description, video transcript, and gave it to use in an easy to use format for us to then push it out in our marketing. Thank you!

Heidi Steffen

We’ve been working together for 1 year and have developed all kinds of simple, efficient, cost-effective marketing emails for DekTec. Cindy understands that the key to success is providing simple, meaningful information about products, technology and market to our customer base. She advises us on what works and what doesn’t, helps us develop the content and handles all the work to make it happen successfully. Results in terms of visibility and sales are obvious. Cindy and her team have the right approach to modern marketing in today’s over-communicated-with-no-real-substance world. I would recommend Kokoro and Cindy in a heartbeat.

Stephane Billat

Cindy is terrific to work with – professional, enthusiastic and highly motivated to thrill her clients. My favorite part about working with Cindy is she has a consistent passion for understanding customer problems and solutions from their point of view – and seeks to write and talk about them in the language they use. This a sign of a skilled marketer.