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Sam Hicks - Marketing

Name: Sam Hicks - Marketing
Address: PO BOX 128, Bonnie Doon, VIC, 3720, AU
Telephone: +61427723227
Price range: $

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Sam Hicks - Marketing

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~ Marketing is what I do ~
Love what you do and its never a job! Marketing is one of my passions: getting the message out to clients both existing and new.

The main message is planning, consistency in your message, and learning to understand your customers and their needs by using data both BIG and Small. A simple one-page plan such as Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Integrated or Digital Marketing, Communications, and or Social Media is an essential part of any business. Need assistance with any form of marketing reach out [email protected]

11/10/2026

One candidate.

That’s how many have reached out so far following my open invitation to those standing in Victoria’s November election.

Can you guess which party they’re from?

I invited a conversation about what small businesses actually need: manageable costs and compliance, timely payments, accessible advice and a meaningful voice for regional operators.

Not a request for an endorsement. An opportunity to listen and explain what they would do.

To the candidate who responded — thank you. I appreciate you taking the time.

Now, I know a social media post won’t reach everyone. Silence here doesn’t automatically mean indifference. So consider this the invitation, again.

Candidates from every political persuasion are welcome to contact me.

As a small business adviser and business owner, I want to hear your practical commitments. What will you change? When? And how will owners know it’s making a difference?

Small businesses are regularly described as the backbone of our economy.

I’d like to see that recognition matched by a willingness to have the conversation.

The door is still open.

Message me here or get in touch via samhicks.com.au.

04/10/2026

To those standing in Victoria’s November election: I’d like to have a conversation.

As a small business adviser and regional business owner, I want to hear how your policies will help small businesses build sustainable livelihoods.

A busy business isn’t necessarily a profitable one. Growing turnover doesn’t guarantee the owner gets paid. And an increase in overall business numbers doesn’t tell us why other owners are closing their doors.

We need to understand what helps businesses survive beyond the start-up stage — and what support could prevent avoidable closures.

The stakes extend beyond individual owners. Small businesses employ local people, train young workers, buy from other businesses and support the community organisations we all rely on.

My invitation is open to candidates across the political spectrum.

Let’s discuss:

• Costs and administrative demands within the state’s control.
• Getting small businesses paid on time.
• Accessible advice and mentoring before a crisis.
• Practical support for established businesses and sole traders.
• A meaningful voice for regional businesses.

I’m interested in specific commitments, delivery dates and how we will measure whether they make a difference.

If you’re asking to represent us, please make time to hear us.

Candidates: message me here or get in touch via samhicks.com.au.

Fellow business owners and advisers: what question would you put on the table?

01/10/2026

You wouldn’t walk into a café and say “anything, for anyone, whatever you reckon.”

but plenty of small businesses market themselves exactly like that. ☕️👀

“we offer great service.”
“we have something for everyone.”
“contact us for all your needs.”

that’s the marketing equivalent of ordering “a beverage”.

it’s international coffee day, so here’s a little afternoon wake-up call for your marketing:

☕ know who you’re making it for.
the tradie grabbing a takeaway and the friends settling in for a long catch-up might buy the same coffee. they’re choosing you for different reasons.

☕ give people something specific to choose.
“great service” is expected. “your usual, ready before you ask” paints a picture.

☕ make the next step easy.
book the session. browse the range. pop in before school pickup. don’t leave people guessing what to do next.

try this with your next post:
who is it for, why should they care, and what should they do?

you don’t need to sell coffee to borrow the lesson.

and yes, i nearly let international coffee day slip past without a post. apparently drinking it doesn’t automatically put it in your content calendar. 🤦‍♀️😂

what’s your coffee order—and could you describe what your business offers just as clearly?

14/09/2026

AI doesn’t need another job. Give it one of yours.

One of the biggest mistakes I see with AI is starting with the technology instead of the business problem.

Instead of asking:

“What can ChatGPT do for me?”

Try asking:

“What do I keep doing over and over again?”

Write down three jobs you repeat every week.

Look for the one that takes up time, follows roughly the same process each time and doesn’t need your judgement at every step.

Maybe it’s following up enquiries, preparing reports, organising meeting notes, repurposing content or getting your newsletter started.

That’s where I’d begin.

You don’t need AI to run your business for you.

Let it help with the repetitive process while you keep the experience, judgement and final decision.

Automate the process. Not your judgement.

What’s one repetitive job you’d happily get off your desk?

25/08/2026

One of the easiest traps in digital marketing is judging everything by likes.

A post gets lots of engagement, so we assume it worked.

Another gets only a handful of likes, so we assume it didn't.

But what was the business objective?

If a post was designed to generate enquiries and three people contacted you, that's worth knowing.

If an email drove people to book.
If a Google Business Profile update generated a phone call.
If a LinkedIn post put you in front of the right organisation.

Those outcomes may be far more useful than 100 likes.

Before you create your next piece of marketing, decide what success should actually look like.

Then measure that.

What are you actually trying to achieve with your marketing this month?

18/08/2026

Someone has found your business online.

Great. But what happens next?

We spend a lot of time talking about reach, followers, engagement and getting more eyes on our businesses.

But getting someone's attention is only the beginning.

If a potential customer lands on your Instagram or Facebook profile today, can they quickly work out:

What do you actually do?

Is it for them?

Where can they find out more?

And most importantly what should they do next? Sometimes the problem isn't that we need more followers.

It's that the people who have already found us don't know where to go next.

A confusing bio.
A website that's difficult to navigate.
A booking link buried three clicks deep.
No phone number.
No clear call to action.

Marketing shouldn't stop at getting someone's attention.
It needs to help them take the next step.

Try it yourself today: find your business online as though you've never seen it before.

Is the next step obvious?

17/08/2026

Like, Share, Belong | Free Online Social Media Workshop

Tomorrow night, Tuesday 18 August 2026 · 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Online: link sent to registered participants tomorrow afternoon

This is Session 1 of Mitchell Shire Council's two-part online series, covering the beginner foundations of social media for community groups and local businesses.

Session 2 (More Advanced) follows on Tuesday 25 August — same time, same format.

Both sessions are completely free.

Here's what people said after the Kilmore session:

"Amazingly well conducted. The presenter was very knowledgeable and helpful and provided really good insights into social media marketing."

"All the information was fantastic and very relevant. Sam made the content relevant to both types - business and community."

"Very informative, great pace and excellent content."

Book now...

https://mitchell-events.bookable.net.au/ #!/event-detail/ev_5f4a906ad7ce4b20b9384487d285dd93

14/08/2026

A common mistake I see with social media is starting in Canva before deciding what the post is actually meant to achieve.

“I need to post something today” is not really a marketing strategy.

Before you create your next post, ask yourself three questions:

Who exactly am I talking to?
What do I want them to know or do after seeing this?
How does this post support an actual business objective?

And sometimes, once you answer those questions, the right marketing action might not be another social post at all.

It could be an email.
A website update.
A Google Business Profile post.
A phone call.
Following up a lead.
Or simply improving the information you already have online.

Good marketing is not about being busy.

It is about being useful, relevant and intentional.

Before your next post, try the three questions.

Which of the three questions do you think small businesses skip most often?

13/08/2026

Same prompt. Two AI tools. Two VERY different results.

And this is exactly why I keep telling small business owners that prompting AI isn't a magic formula.

I gave ChatGPT and Canva the SAME prompt.

I asked for:

Australian rural typography.
Red gum.
Mountain ash.
Old fence palings.
Fencing wire.
Eucalyptus.
Gum nuts.
Native botanicals.
Weathered, imperfect materials.
Regional Victorian character.

ChatGPT gave me something that looks like it was built from an old fence line somewhere in North East Victoria.

Canva gave me something that looks like it belongs in a rather fabulous botanical art exhibition.

Neither is necessarily wrong.

They're interpreting exactly the same instructions through different AI models.

And THAT is the useful bit.

We can spend ages trying to write the "perfect prompt", but a prompt isn't a guaranteed recipe.

Different AI tools have different models, training, strengths and ways of interpreting language.

So if the first result isn't what you pictured:

Don't immediately throw away your prompt.

Try it in another AI tool.

Then refine it.

Tell the AI what worked.
Tell it what didn't.
Add more context.
Remove ambiguity.
Keep iterating.

Sometimes the best way to understand AI isn't another tutorial.

It's giving two AI tools exactly the same job and seeing what happens.

Swipe to see what ChatGPT and Canva did with exactly the same prompt.

Which one understood "regional Australian" better?

ChatGPT or Canva?

06/08/2026

I love how brands leverage off up and coming films.

Address

PO BOX 128
Bonnie Doon, VIC
3720

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 3pm
Tuesday	9am - 3pm
Thursday	9am - 3pm
Friday	9am - 3pm

Telephone

+61427723227

Website

http://www.samhicks.com.au/

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