Objective Investment Banking & Valuation: Client Story

Investment banking and valuation firm Objective hires Authentic to infuse its marketing program with strategic rigor and create a thoughtful roadmap.

“Having our fractional CMO step in to provide strategic guidance, leadership, and a clear roadmap was transformative for us. Witnessing the leads start to trickle in was our ‘aha’ moment, proving the strategy’s effectiveness. It’s incredibly exciting!”

Mandy Woods, COO, Objective 

Objective at a glance

The challenge

Objective, an investment banking and valuation firm, saw the need to make significant investments, but its efforts thus far felt random. The company, which runs on the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, deeply values having clear strategic direction and a thoughtful roadmap. But it knew it was lacking this strategic rigor in its marketing department.

Objective had a highly talented marketing manager, but it needed to supplement her strong efforts with an experienced senior leader who could help and guide the strategy, optimize the marketing spend, and build a solid marketing foundation from which the firm could scale.

Mandy Woods, COO at Objective, learned about the concept of a fractional CMO when attending the LIFT Integrator Community™, a peer group facilitated by Authentic that brings “second-in-command” leaders together. Intrigued by the ability to access executive marketing talent on a part-time, flexible basis, Mandy explored this as an option for Objective. She interviewed Authentic and a couple of other fractional CMO firms.

The solution

“I liked Authentic because they also ran on the EOS system, just like us. Their way of doing things was similar to our way of doing things. The reason why I ultimately chose Authentic was that they understood not only EOS but also our brand. I felt that they had the best idea of what we needed and wanted,” said Woods.

After hiring Authentic, Objective’s dedicated fractional CMO made significant progress, helping the firm to:

• Develop and implement a brand strategy that accounted for Objective’s two distinct practice groups while aligning them under a unified brand narrative.
• Craft a strategic marketing plan outlining clear objectives and KPIs and a detailed roadmap of marketing activities intended to help Objective grow.
• Create a customized, robust metrics scorecard to track progress against its marketing objectives and KPIs.
• Automate email nurture workflows to engage prospects at different stages of the buyer’s journey with content tailored to the needs of each stage.
• Elevate its digital presence with a redesigned website optimized for SEO and intended to improve the user experience.
• Revitalize its social media platforms to engage with Objective’s audiences more effectively.
• Overhaul its marketing collateral to ensure consistency and relevancy across all digital channels. 

“Our fractional CMO came in and helped develop a cohesive strategic marketing plan for us. Previously, we struggled with random acts of marketing, but she brought the direction, clarity, and structure we urgently needed.” —Mandy Woods, COO, Objective

The results

With the strategic guidance of its Authentic Fractional CMO™, Objective has:

• Established a strong, cohesive brand that resonates and communicates each practice group’s value proposition effectively.
• Increased engagement by automating its email nurture workflows and delivering relevant content at the right time.
• Improved the relationship between the sales and marketing teams, aligning the teams’ objectives and facilitating a smoother transition of leads from marketing to sales.
• Streamlined the digital customer experience by making the company’s digital presence across its website and social media more intuitive, informative, and engaging.
• Created a forward-looking marketing strategy and plan that considers strengths, challenges, and emerging opportunities.
• Helped its junior marketers grow in their careers by receiving mentorship from an experienced, strategic marketer. 
• Hired a full-time marketing leader who will carry forward the marketing framework and plan developed by Authentic.

“[Our fractional CMO] came in and helped to set up the strategic framework and marketing plan. We now continue to move forward following that same framework and plan after hiring a full-time VP of Marketing. The VP of Marketing was extremely complimentary of our [fractional CMO’s] work and the strategy and framework she put together.” —Mandy Woods, COO, Objective