If you’ve made it this far in the Growth 101 Bootcamp, you’ve probably already built a solid foundation. Now comes the fun part: throwing gasoline on the fire. 

And by that, we mean marketing.

Done right, marketing should amplify everything you’ve built: driving the right leads to your pipeline, supporting your brand, and accelerating growth. Done wrong, it can waste money and burn through cash while you’re playing a guessing game.

Before you start marketing, you need to know who will own it and who will build and execute strategies. One of the most common marketing traps is hiring the wrong marketing leader or not delegating—then everyone thinks they have a say in the final output (it’s absolute chaos). 

Finding the right Marketing person for your Business

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Don’t hire a brand expert when you need a growth marketer

• Don’t bring in a B2C social influencer to run your B2B account-based campaigns

• Don’t outsource strategy to a junior freelancer

Instead, consider:

• Hiring a CMO or marketing lead who aligns with your industry and your goals

• Bringing in a fractional CMO if you're not ready for a full-time hire

• Partnering with a proven agency that knows your space and has the case studies to prove it (ask for references and check them)

If you're in a niche, find people who specialize in your industry. If you’re growth-stage, find people who understand your struggle. Big brand marketing doesn’t always translate to middle-market ROI.

Know your audience and meet them where they are

For marketing to work, you need to find where your audience is and constantly test to see how effective your messaging is.

You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to prioritize channels where your customers already are. Billboards, trade shows, and TikTok all have their place in marketing, but what works for someone else’s company may not work for yours.

To figure out what works, make educated guesses, and constantly test to see what you could do better. 

• A/B test your email subject lines

• Try variations of your landing page CTA

• Experiment with channels like LinkedIn vs. Google Ads vs. cold emailing

• Run messaging tests to see what resonates and what falls flat

I will admit that I once co-drafted and sent an email with a typo in the subject line with one of the companies I worked with. That was the highest open rate of the quarter. We got a great response rate, too (and nobody even mentioned the typo).

Don’t assume you know what will hit. Let the data tell you.

Marketing is essentially just math. There will be data.

You should be able to track:

• Cost per lead

• Cost per acquisition

• Lead-to-close conversion rate

• Return on ad spend (ROAS)

• Total marketing-driven revenue

If you’re not getting clear reports on these things, press pause. Every dollar spent should come with an expectation. If it’s not meeting that expectation, something needs to change.

And be patient, marketing often takes time. But there’s a big difference between slow and sloppy.

So if you’re considering hiring a marketing lead, team, or agency, try asking your peers in a similar industry who they’ve used successfully. Or shop around and look at case studies (aligned with your field and growth stage). Ask potential partners tough questions about their strategy, process, and reporting.

If they’re vague or clearly not a fit, move on. Soft skills aren't always impactful for your bottom line. Your marketing partner should feel like a growth partner.

Right now, take a hard look at your current marketing efforts. Are they pushing fuel into your growth engine or just spinning their wheels? 

This is not a rhetorical question. If you want expert counsel on what’s working and what could be improved for your business, an advisor could help provide clarity.

👉Book a call with a Growth Advisor