Communications is the spreading of an idea.
STOCK is the process for the spreading of an idea.
STOCK = Strategy, Tactics, Organization, Consistency, and Know-how.
This is a model I use for clients and my projects.
I hope this framework gives you the structure to drop a new idea into the marketspace in 2020.
Strategy
"Strategy is an idea that describes a journey to a position of advantage." -- Blair Enns
"Strategy is the answer to the question, ‘How are we going to become and remain unique?" -- Michael Porter
Your strategy should be easily summable into an idea.
From the idea, you should be able to infer some key steps which will propel the business.
The ultimate aim of strategy is a position of advantage in the marketspace.
Also, there is a difference between a business strategy and a brand strategy.
A business strategy is about making the organization unique.
A brand strategy is the same idea applied to a brand. There's a distinction between the two only when one business owns multiple brands.
Plus, a one-brand business does not need a "brand strategy.” It needs communication and/or marketing plan.
P&G and GM need brand strategies. You are probably not P&G or GM.
Tactics
What are the tools, tactics, platforms, events, and methods, etc. which we going to use to execute our strategy?
Tactics are tools - things you do to win customers, win in the marketspace.
Repeat, tactics are tools.
If you start using tools/tactics without a clear strategy who knows where you will end up.
Organization
What are the systems, what is the process, who is on the team?
Who is responsible for what?
Who is doing what when?
Answering these questions is all about employing solid organization.
Consistency
Can you form a habit with your customers?
Can you create an environment where they expect, demand, need your service?
Developing and executing a predictable editorial calendar that takes advantage of the calendar happenings, cultural activities/engagements, and natural inflection points are wonderful for communications and marketing.
Know-how
What expertise, knowledge, insights, humanity, behind the scenes, are you sharing and providing to your network, customers, and marketspace?
Adam Grant posted this on Twitter recently:
Creating knowledge without sharing it is elitism.
Sharing knowledge without creating it is marketing.
Creating knowledge to share it is thought leadership.
That is a pretty good explanation of thought leadership and know-how.
-Marc
Marc Ross’ STOCK model
