They say if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. In “the city that never sleeps,” there’s no time for marketing that doesn’t drive traction.
Jim Simari runs Harlem Property Management in New York. He knows the Big Apple hustle better than anyone. But when it came to his marketing, he was “ad hoc” throwing tactics at the wall to see what stuck.
Those of us in the EOS® world LOOOOOVE process. We live by the Accountability Chart. We document, we simplify, and we execute. But too many businesses struggle to bring EOS principles and structure into their marketing. Marketing is a “black box” where money goes in…but it’s anyone’s guess whether you’ll get results or not.
Jim had the assets (a strong Google presence), but he wasn’t getting traction. But hiring an agency that wastes his precious time? Fuhgeddaboudit!
This is where 8 SIGNAL stepped in. Jim needed outsourced marketing with a Fractional CMO (FCMO) to bridge the gap between “expensive full-time executive” and “junior doer.”
Don’t have time to read this post? Watch the video here!
We helped Harlem Property Management bring EOS clarity to their marketing. Jim hates fluff, and so do we…so here are four no-nonsense ways you can also turn your marketing from being a source of anxiety into a disciplined business function.
1. The Accountability Chart: Who’s Driving the Bus? (GWC)
The first issue isn’t usually the “plan.” It all starts with your Accountability Chart. I see TONS of companies with a bunch of “doers” (vendors, juniors, agencies) but no one owning the Marketing Seat.
Jim realized he didn’t need more “creatives” wasting time on pretty pictures. He needed an outsourced marketing leader who could Get it, Want it, and had the Capacity to do it (GWC).
A Fractional CMO fills that seat at a leadership level without the full-time overhead. Unlike an agency, we aren’t just there to post on Facebook. We lead in your Marketing Level 10 Meetings and own the numbers. If your “Marketing” seat is being “shared” by an overwhelmed Integrator, it’s not being managed. Period.
2. No Blueprint, No Building
You wouldn’t build a skyscraper without a blueprint. In the same way, you can’t build your marketing without a solid strategy.
Before Jim spent another dime on ads, we had to align his marketing with his vision. Here at 8 SIGNAL, we build your Marketing Blueprint within the first thirty days. This defines your target market (your Ideal Client Profile) and your Three Uniques (what makes you different).
If your marketing message doesn’t mirror your V/TO, you’re just creating noise. And nobody in New York has time for more noise.
3. The Scorecard: Feelings Don’t Pay the Rent
When I (as a Fractional CMO) audit a business, I immediately begin looking for half-built bridges. I’m talking about turning existing assets into ROI. Jim was sitting on a goldmine of a Google presence, but he wasn’t capitalizing on it. The numbers were flying under the radar.
We brought order to the chaos by establishing a Marketing Scorecard. A true marketing leader should be able to tell you what a lead costs and where the bottleneck is. If they can’t, you don’t have a marketing plan. You have a hobby.
4. L10 Meetings: High-Level Strategy, Zero Fluff
Jim guards his calendar like a hawk. He told me he nearly had a “mini-stroke” when he saw a 90-minute meeting on the schedule.
I get it. Time is money. And I agree.
But he quickly realized that marketing meetings with an Fractional CMO aren’t about brainstorming or chatting about the weather. Marketing L10s are solving issues (IDS) and keeping Rocks on track. And we can have those kinds of meetings because we’re outsourced marketing leaders that fill the Marketing Seat in your Accountability Chart. When the team knows the plan is being managed by an expert, the anxiety drops, and the work gets done.
The Bottom Line
Marketing shouldn’t be a guessing game. It should be a machine.
Jim stopped floundering because he stopped treating marketing as an “extra” and started treating it as a core business process.
So what about you? On your Accountability Chart, is the Marketing Seat filled by someone who can truly bridge the gap between your vision and the technical execution?
If you’re feeling that itch that something is misaligned, it might be time to talk with a Fractional CMO.
