Category: Guide

How does a fractional CMO compare to interim CMOs and strategic consultants? You know you need marketing leadership: someone to move your go-to-market strategy forward, guide your team, and integrate activities. While the requirements of the role might be straightforward, the solution is often anything but. How do you define the ideal fit for your organization in a world of increasingly diverse and flexible marketing leadership options? Finding the right answer for your business begins with a clear understanding of various marketing engagement models, leadership responsibilities, and commitment levels. Table of Contents What to Consider When Searching for Marketing ExpertiseDifferences…

The task to hire the right marketing leader has become increasingly difficult. Growing businesses need experienced marketing direction, and they can’t afford to get this hire wrong. A bad hire in the marketing leadership role is not only painful from a talent turn-over and expense perspective, but it runs the risk of damaging the company’s overall brand reputation, culture, and revenue potential.  This reality begs some important questions, which we’ll address in this Guide to hiring a marketing leader: Why is it so hard to hire a marketing leader? How can you confidently bring strong marketing leadership to your table?…

It’s a story we hear all of the time: A business grew rapidly in its first years by focusing on sales and pursuing whichever opportunities came its way. Eventually, though, growth leveled off. The company needed to do something to jumpstart its sales and fuel its next-level growth. Executives recognized it was time to invest in marketing.  (more…)

A brand narrative is the story your brand tells the world. It serves as the foundation of your marketing and communications strategy. This story should concisely describe why you do what you do, how you do it, and what makes you stand out from the sea of sameness. Most importantly, the story must be framed with your target audience in mind: helping them to “see themselves” in the narrative. When you create a brand narrative, it’s important to remember that it’s a journey, not a destination. The lifecycle of a business includes a tremendous amount of change: from launch, through…

 “Vision without traction is merely hallucination.” ― Gino Wickman, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business What does it take to go from a hot dog cart to a $459 million dollar a year restaurant chain? It takes a clear vision, backed by systematic process, led by experience. (more…)