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The Marketing Operating System: Why Strategy Alone Isn’t Enough Anymore

The Marketing Operating System: Why Strategy Alone Isn’t Enough Anymore written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

How to Move From Random Acts of Marketing to a Scalable, Predictable Growth System

Introduction: Strategy Isn’t the Problem

For years, we’ve said it: Marketing is a system.

Most business owners nod in agreement. But very few actually treat it like one.

Instead, what we often find is this: campaigns are built in isolation, tools get added reactively, teams stay busy — but results stay unpredictable.

The problem isn’t strategy. It’s the lack of a system to run that strategy.

When Marketing Lacks a System, Everything Feels Harder

If your marketing feels disorganized, reactive, or overly dependent on a few high-performers to hold it together, you’re not alone. That’s not a marketing problem. It’s a systems problem.

Here’s what it looks like in the wild:

Priorities change week to week
Campaigns launch at the last minute
Results are hard to explain or scale
Tools and platforms aren’t integrated
Leadership doesn’t know what to invest in next

Even successful businesses experience this behind the scenes. Growth may be happening, but it’s fragile. It depends on effort and intuition, not structure.

Why Strategy Alone Falls Short

Most businesses have some kind of strategy — or at least a slide deck with one.

But strategy doesn’t:

Set monthly and quarterly priorities
Assign ownership across people and teams
Decide what gets launched — and what doesn’t
Convert insight into repeatable execution

Without a system, strategy becomes a one-time conversation instead of an ongoing guide.

What Is a Marketing Operating System?

A Marketing Operating System (MOS) is not software. It’s not a campaign calendar. And it’s not a tech stack.

It’s a structured approach for running marketing — all year long.

A solid MOS answers five essential questions:

What matters most right now?
Who owns what?
How does work flow?
How do we measure progress?
How do we decide what to change next?

When these questions are consistently answered, marketing stops being reactive and starts compounding.

Want to find out if the MOS is right for your business? Book a strategy call

The 5 Core Components of a Marketing Operating System

Let’s break down what a functional, scalable MOS actually includes.

1. Strategy First

Every strong system starts with a clear direction. That means defining:

Your ideal client
Your positioning and point of differentiation
A short list of strategic priorities
The complete customer journey

This becomes your filter. Without it, your team defaults to what’s urgent — not what’s important.

2. Campaign Planning & Prioritization

Campaigns shouldn’t be surprises.

An MOS creates a predictable campaign rhythm that:

Ties directly to strategy
Sequences campaigns intentionally
Aligns outcomes with business goals
Gets planned quarterly, not in a rush

This creates calm, not chaos.

3. Roles, Workflows & Operating Rhythm

Without clearly defined responsibilities and workflows, marketing turns into guesswork — or worse, heroic efforts.

A true operating system outlines:

Who owns which parts of the engine
How tasks move from idea to execution
Where decisions are made
How internal teams and external partners collaborate

With this in place, marketing becomes scalable and sustainable.

4. Measurement That Informs Decisions

A healthy MOS doesn’t track everything — it tracks the right things.

Focus on:

A handful of critical KPIs
Signals that guide smart decisions
Regular (but not obsessive) review cycles

The goal isn’t to prove activity — it’s to enable better investment of time, money, and energy.

5. A Consistent Leadership Cadence

Systems don’t run themselves. Someone has to steer.

A Marketing Operating System needs a clear owner who:

Sets priorities
Makes tradeoffs
Interprets metrics
Guides iteration and improvement

Without this leadership layer, systems degrade and decision fatigue creeps in.

Why AI Makes This More Urgent — Not Less

AI has revolutionized how fast we can create and execute marketing tactics.

But AI can’t tell you what should be done.

And without a system, it can actually make the chaos worse — more content, more ideas, more busy work.

Within a Marketing Operating System, AI becomes leverage.

Outside of one, it’s just noise.

What Changes When You Install a Marketing Operating System

When you commit to running marketing as a system, things get noticeably better:

Strategy gets activated — not just documented
Campaigns align to real business goals
Teams know what to do and why it matters
Tools and data connect into workflows
Leadership finally sees the full picture

You stop reacting and start building momentum.

The shift isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things with less friction.

This Is a Leadership Conversation

If marketing still feels like a recurring problem to solve, this is your moment to reframe the question.

Don’t ask:
“What should we do next?”

Ask:
“How should marketing operate inside our business?”

That shift leads to structure.
Structure leads to momentum.
Momentum leads to sustainable growth.

Conclusion: Less Friction, More Momentum

Marketing doesn’t fail because people aren’t trying.

It fails because it wasn’t designed to function well in the first place.

Installing a Marketing Operating System won’t eliminate the work.

But it will eliminate unnecessary confusion, misalignment, and wasted energy.

And that’s what makes marketing a driver of growth — not a source of stress.

Want to find out if the MOS is right for your business? Book a strategy call

FAQs: Marketing Operating System for Small Business

Q: What exactly is a Marketing Operating System?
A: It’s a structured approach to running marketing across your business. It connects your strategy to daily execution, planning, measurement, and leadership rhythm.

Q: Do I need special software to build this?
A: No. This is about process, not platforms. Tools support the system, but they don’t create it.

Q: How long does it take to install a Marketing Operating System?
A: Most businesses can establish the foundation in 30–60 days with the right guidance and ownership.

Q: Is this just for big companies with large teams?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, smaller businesses benefit most — because it reduces the chaos and helps small teams do more with less.

Q: How does this work with AI tools like ChatGPT or Jasper?
A: AI can amplify your system — but only if you have one. A MOS gives you the strategic and operational clarity to use AI effectively, instead of just generating more content.

How to Build a Complete Marketing Strategy That Drives Results: The Duct Tape Marketing Engine Framework

How to Build a Complete Marketing Strategy That Drives Results: The Duct Tape Marketing Engine Framework written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

A Practical Guide to Building Your Brand, Attracting Ideal Customers, and Creating Remarkable Customer Experiences

Introduction: Why Most Marketing Fails

Most small business marketing fails not because of a lack of effort, but because of a lack of alignment. Random tactics replace intentional strategy, and the result is wasted time, money, and momentum.

At Duct Tape Marketing, we fix that with a simple yet powerful framework: the Strategy Pyramid, anchored by three strategic elements—Brand, Growth, and Customer Experience (CX). These aren’t buzzwords. They’re the backbone of a complete, cohesive marketing system.

The Duct Tape Strategy Pyramid

What is it? A strategic framework that aligns your entire marketing effort with the full customer journey from awareness to advocacy.

The Three Strategic Layers:

Brand Strategy: Who you are, who you serve, what you stand for.
Growth Strategy: How you generate demand and convert it into revenue.
Customer Experience Strategy: How you create remarkable, repeatable experiences that turn buyers into raving fans.

To bring these to life, we build three engines in your Marketing Operating System (MOS):

Brand Engine
Growth Engine
CX Engine

These engines make strategy actionable.

Engine 1: Building a Value-Aligned Brand Engine

Your Brand Engine defines how your business shows up in the world. It’s not just about logos or color palettes (though those matter). It’s about values, messaging, tone, and emotional resonance.

Key Components:

Ideal Client Focus: Know who you’re for and who you’re not for.
Brand Positioning Statement: Clearly state the transformation you deliver: “We help [ideal client] get [core result] by [unique mechanism].”
Core Message Framework: Anchor your brand in story and proof.
Voice, Tone, and Visual Identity: Consistent, compelling, and aligned with your values.
Value-Aligned Personas: Build messages that resonate emotionally.

Deliverables:

Brand Guidelines
Messaging Framework
Visual Identity Refresh
Brand Style Board

Engine 2: Installing a Growth Engine That Converts

The Growth Engine is a repeatable system for attracting and converting value-aligned leads. The focus is on clarity and consistency—not chasing the latest tactic.

Key Components:

Lead Sources: SEO, referrals, partnerships, ads. Pick a primary channel.
Offers That Convert: Lead magnets, tripwires, consultations mapped to the buyer journey.
Conversion Paths: A defined path from awareness to sale (e.g., content → email → consult).
Follow-Up Systems: Email sequences, retargeting, outreach, automated, and human.
Measurement Dashboard: Track leads, CPL, conversion rates, and sales velocity.

Deliverables:

Offer Suite
Funnel Maps
Lead Nurture Sequences
Follow-Up SOPs

Engine 3: Delivering a Customer Experience Engine That Wows

Your CX Engine is how you deliver on your promises and turn customers into advocates. The first 100 days are critical—and we help you map that journey with purpose.

Key Stages of the CX Engine:

Welcome & Affirm – Reduce buyer’s remorse, reassure the decision.
Onboard & Activate – Get early wins, build confidence.
Deliver & Accomplish – Help them experience real results.
Deepen & Adopt – Provide ongoing support and insights.
Convert to Advocate – Capture reviews and referrals.
Sustain & Retain – Keep delivering value to reduce churn.

Supporting Tools:

First 100 Days Playbook
CX SOPs
Review and Referral System

Connecting the Engines to Campaign Execution

Once your engines are defined, campaigns become strategic execution, not isolated tactics.

The Campaign Builder System connects every campaign to:

A priority offer (from your Growth Engine)
A clear message (from your Brand Engine)
A remarkable delivery plan (from your CX Engine)

This is how you create marketing that works.

Action Plan: What We Could Build With You in the First 90 Days

If you’re a small business owner, you don’t need more marketing noise; you need a system that works. That’s what we install in your first 90 days.

Here’s what that looks like if we build it for you:

Days 1–30: Strategy First

Clarify your ideal client and what truly sets you apart
Define your core message and top 3 strategic priorities
Map the customer journey from first contact to advocacy

Days 31–60: Engine Builder Phase

Brand Engine: Establish positioning, tone, and a value-aligned messaging framework
Growth Engine: Identify primary lead channels, offers, and content assets
Customer Experience Engine: Design your first 100 days and review/referral system

Days 61–90: Campaign Design & Readiness

Select and define your priority offer(s)
Build a campaign plan tied to your engines
Prepare your content assets, calendar, and delivery system

By the end of 90 days, you have the roadmap for a complete Marketing Operating System: strategy-led, engine-driven, and ready to scale.

Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Growing?

If you’re tired of marketing that feels random and reactive, it’s time to install a system that actually works.

Let us build your Brand, Growth, and CX Engines—and turn your strategy into action.

Schedule a Discovery Call Today

We’ll walk you through how it works, what to expect, and whether it’s the right fit for your business.

FAQs: Answering Small Business Owners’ Top Questions

Q: I’ve tried marketing plans before—what makes this different?
A: Most plans are disjointed. Ours starts with strategy, then builds engines that create real momentum across your brand, lead generation, and customer experience.

Q: How long does it take to build all three engines?
A: Most businesses can define and activate their engines in 4–6 weeks, with early wins in the first 30 days.

Q: Do I need a big team to make this work?
A: Not at all. This system is built to scale with the resources you have today—whether you’re a solo owner or have a small marketing team.

Q: What if my messaging isn’t clear yet?
A: That’s exactly why we start with Brand Strategy. You’ll develop a clear positioning and message before you run another campaign.

Ready to Build Your Engines?

If you’re tired of disjointed marketing, the Duct Tape Marketing Engine Framework gives you a practical way to install a complete, aligned system that grows your business from strategy to execution.

Let’s build your brand, growth, and CX engines—one step at a time.

Why the Traditional Agency Model Is Broken and What Comes Next

Why the Traditional Agency Model Is Broken and What Comes Next written by Sara Nay read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The traditional agency model is no longer built for today’s small businesses. In this article, Sara Nay explains the anti-agency model and how strategy-first marketing, fractional leadership, and AI can help businesses own their marketing instead of outsourcing it blindly.

Table of Contents

Living the Agency Reality From Every Side

What I Mean by the Anti-Agency Model

AI Changed the Rules Whether We Like It or Not

Timeless Marketing Principles Still Matter

The Real Danger of AI-First Thinking

Why Fractional Marketing Leadership Matters More Than Ever

What This Means for Agencies

Two Steps You Can Take This Week to Start Owning Your Marketing

AI Is Not About Replacing People. It Is About Elevating Them.

Final Thought

For the last 15 years, I have lived inside the agency world.

I have been an intern, a community manager, an account manager, a fractional CMO, and now the CEO of Duct Tape Marketing. I have seen this industry from nearly every angle. Inside the work, inside the relationships, and inside the pressure that agencies and clients both feel.

Here is the truth I could not ignore anymore.

The traditional agency model is broken.

Not because agencies are bad.
Not because marketers do not care.
But because the model itself no longer serves small businesses or the agencies trying to support them.

That realization is what led me to write Unchained: Breaking Free from Broken Marketing Models and to articulate what I call the anti-agency model.

Let me explain what I mean and why this moment matters more than ever.

Living the Agency Reality From Every Side

Over the years, I experienced the same challenges many agency owners quietly struggle with.

Constant scope creep
Difficulty scaling profitably
Burnout among team members
High client expectations with limited clarity
Pressure to do more faster and cheaper

At the same time, I have spent years on the sales side of our business talking with hundreds of small business owners. I heard the same frustrations over and over again.

“Marketing does not work.”
“I am paying an agency, but I do not know what I am getting.”
“I feel disconnected from my own marketing.”

Both sides were frustrated, and neither side was wrong.

The system simply was not designed for the reality we are in now.

What I Mean by the Anti-Agency Model

Let me be clear. This is not anti-agency.

We are an agency. We have been one for over 30 years. I love agencies and believe they play a critical role.

What I am against is a model where agencies:

Hoard execution
Operate as black boxes
Replace ownership with dependency
Compete on volume instead of leadership

The anti-agency model is anti that approach.

It is a strategy-first, AI-enabled approach that helps small businesses stop renting their marketing and start owning it, while agencies evolve into leadership partners instead of outsourced task machines.

AI Changed the Rules Whether We Like It or Not

Before AI, it made sense for agencies to own execution.

Content
Social
SEO
Ads
Email

Small businesses simply did not have the resources or tools to handle that work internally.

That is no longer true.

AI has fundamentally changed what is possible for small teams. Today, small businesses can:

Keep execution closer to home
Operate with leaner internal teams
Use AI systems to handle heavy lifting
Focus human effort on thinking, judgment, and leadership

Here is the key.

AI does not replace strategy. It makes strategy more important.

Timeless Marketing Principles Still Matter

One thing has not changed, despite all the technology.

Marketing fundamentals still matter.

In Unchained, I spend a lot of time reinforcing timeless principles, including:

1. Deep Ideal Client Understanding

AI without clarity just creates noise.

If you do not deeply understand your client’s fears, motivations, and what keeps them up at night, AI will happily produce generic content that sounds like everyone else.

Strategy comes first. Then you train your tools.

2. Core Messaging and Differentiation

Your messaging, what makes you you, must be defined before automation enters the picture.

Otherwise, AI accelerates inconsistency instead of clarity.

The foundations have not changed.
The way we use them has.

The Real Danger of AI-First Thinking

The biggest mistake I see right now is businesses jumping straight into tools.

AI amplifies whatever already exists.
If you have chaos, it amplifies chaos.
If you lack clarity, it multiplies confusion.

That is why we now say:

Strategy before tactics.
Strategy before technology.

Ask these questions first.

What is the business trying to accomplish?
What role should marketing play?
How should the team be structured?
Where does AI actually help us move faster without losing direction?

Only then do tools make sense.

Why Fractional Marketing Leadership Matters More Than Ever

Most small businesses were never able to afford a traditional marketing org chart.

A CMO
Plus channel specialists
Plus support staff

AI changes that equation.

Today, the most effective structure looks like this.

Fractional marketing leadership responsible for strategy, budget, direction, and metrics
A lean internal team
AI systems supporting execution underneath

This allows founders to stay in their zone of genius. Selling, leading, and growing. Not becoming accidental CMOs.

And no, the title does not matter.
Call it a fractional CMO, marketing leader, strategist, or advisor.

What matters is that someone is leading marketing strategically, not just taking orders or doing tasks.

What This Means for Agencies

If you are an agency reading this, here is the hard truth.

Execution-only services are becoming a race to the bottom.

AI will continue to get better.
Small businesses will continue to bring more execution in-house.
Margins will continue to compress.

The opportunity is not to compete against AI.

The opportunity is to lead strategy, elevate humans, design systems, guide internal teams, and work with AI instead of against it.

Agencies that evolve into leadership partners will thrive.
Those that do not will struggle to stay relevant.

Two Steps You Can Take This Week to Start Owning Your Marketing

If you are a business owner and this feels overwhelming, start here.

1. Revisit the Marketing Strategy Pyramid

Clarify your business goals, your marketing strategy, and your team structure.

Do this before tools. Do this before tactics.

2. Audit Your Current Relationships

Ask yourself:

Do we have visibility into what is happening?
Do we understand why we are doing what we are doing?
Are we in control, or are we in the dark?

Ownership starts with clarity.

AI Is Not About Replacing People. It Is About Elevating Them.

One of the most powerful exercises we have done internally is asking our team to identify:

Human-led skills
AI-assisted skills
Tasks that could be fully automated

Not to squeeze more output, but to help people focus on work that matters more.

That is how businesses, and careers, get future-proofed.

Final Thought

This moment is not about choosing between humans and AI.

It is about choosing between ownership and dependency.

The businesses that win will not be the ones chasing every tool.
They will be the ones leading with strategy, clarity, and intention.

That is what Unchained is really about.

If you want to learn more, visit unchainedmodel.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Sara Nay is the CEO of Duct Tape Marketing and the author of Unchained: Breaking Free from Broken Marketing Models. With more than 15 years of experience in the agency world, she has worked in nearly every role, from intern to fractional CMO, giving her a rare, full-spectrum view of what works and what no longer does in modern marketing. Sara is a leading voice in strategy-first marketing and the evolution of the agency model, helping small businesses and agencies stop renting their marketing and start owning it through clear strategy, strong leadership, and practical use of AI.

Grow Your Business with the Marketing  Hourglass Framework

Grow Your Business with the Marketing  Hourglass Framework written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

I created the Marketing Hourglass after years of working with small businesses that felt overwhelmed by disjointed tactics. Agencies chased big budgets and flashy campaigns, while consultants dropped in and out without leaving a sustainable system. I believed marketing should work like any core business function; systematic, practical and focused on results. That insight became a framework, then a book and eventually a global community built around strategy before tactics.

Table of Contents

Why Most Marketing Funnels Fall Short

Introducing the Marketing Hourglass Framework

Why Does The Marketing Hourglass

work?

What Are the Seven Stages of The Marketing Hourglass

Case Study: Balance Dental Studio’s (Previously Fox Point Dental) Marketing Hourglass

Success

How Can I Put The Marketing Hourglass

Into Practice?

How to Make Marketing Manageable

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Most Marketing Funnels Fall Short

Traditional marketing funnels push people from awareness to purchase, then stop cold. But as a small business owner, you know the real value comes after the sale, when customers come back, buy again, and tell their friends. Funnels ignore this. They treat marketing as a straight line, missing the reality that today’s buyers research, compare, and rely on recommendations before and after they buy.

Here’s the problem:

Most marketing stops at the transaction.
Buyers expect more: ongoing value, trust, and opportunities to share their great experience.
If you don’t nurture relationships after the sale, you lose out on repeat business and referrals.

Introducing the Marketing Hourglass Framework

The Marketing Hourglass was created to solve this problem. After years working with small businesses overwhelmed by disjointed tactics, I realized that marketing should be systematic, sustainable, and focused on results, just like any core business function.

The Marketing Hourglass expands the funnel into seven essential stages: Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat, and Refer. Each stage answers a question your customer is asking and helps you guide them from first discovery to enthusiastic advocate.

Why Does The Marketing Hourglass work?

Aligns with real buying behaviour. People often decide long before they contact you. The hourglass ensures you’re there early and stay present after they buy.
Improves profitability. Selling to existing customers can convert as high as 70%, while new prospects often sit closer to 20%. This means, even a small bump in retention, around 5%, can increase profits by more than 25%.
Creates a referral engine. Happy customers spread the word. The hourglass gives them a structure and incentives to do so.

What Are the Seven Stages of The Marketing Hourglass?

Know – “Who are you?” Use search‑friendly posts, social media and local events to introduce yourself. Address the problems your audience faces instead of pitching services.
Like – “Do I like your style?” Show personality through behind‑the‑scenes stories, team profiles and newsletters. Help people feel a personal connection to your business.
Trust – “Can you deliver?” Publish case studies, testimonials and reviews. Evidence builds confidence.
Try – “What’s the risk?” Offer a free consultation, audit, sample or downloadable guide so prospects can experience your expertise with little commitment.
Buy – “Is this right for me?” Make the purchase simple. Onboard new customers thoughtfully, communicate clearly and deliver early wins.
Repeat – “Should I stay?” Stay in touch with educational emails, progress check‑ins and offers that add value. Show customers you’re invested in their success.
Refer – “Who else needs this?” Encourage referrals by making the process easy (shareable links, referral bonuses) and recognising advocates. A great experience is the foundation.

Case Study: Balance Dental Studio’s (Previously Fox Point Dental) Marketing Hourglass Success

Balance Dental Studio needed a complete marketing reset. By embracing the hourglass model, they:

Rebranded and relaunched their website for better awareness and trust.
Offered low-risk ways for prospects to engage, like free consultations.
Streamlined the appointment process to make buying easy.
Nurtured patients after their visits with ongoing communication and value.

The results:

Website traffic soared by 1,287%
Google Business Profile views increased by 659%
Overall practice growth reached 300%

When you guide people from first discovery to repeat visits and referrals, the impact is dramatic.

Read the full Fox  Point Dental case study

How Can I Put The Marketing Hourglass Into Practice?

Audit your touchpoints. List every interaction prospects and customers have with you and assign each one to an hourglass stage. Notice gaps, maybe you have plenty of awareness content but no formal referral process.
Fill the gaps. Add simple tactics for the stages you’re missing. For example, if you lack a “Try” stage, offer a free audit or downloadable checklist.
Measure what matters. Track metrics such as repeat purchase rate, referral volume and customer lifetime value, not just leads or clicks.
Update regularly. The hourglass is dynamic. Refine your approach based on results and feedback.

How to Make Marketing Manageable

Small businesses thrive with systematic, not scattered, marketing. The Marketing Hourglass is your blueprint for attracting, engaging, and delighting customers at every step. Want to see where you stand? Schedule a Strategy Call today.

Let’s turn marketing chaos into clarity together.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Marketing Hourglass?

It’s a seven-stage framework that covers the entire customer journey, helping you build relationships beyond the first sale.

Is The Marketing Hourglass a trademarked term?

Yes, the Marketing Hourglass is a registered trademark of Duct Tape Marketing. You can view the US patent here.

How is it different from a funnel?

Funnels end at the purchase. The hourglass continues past the sale, focusing on retention and referrals, key drivers of sustainable growth.

Who created the Marketing Hourglass?

John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, built the hourglass to help small businesses implement systematic, results-driven marketing.

Can any business use this framework?

Yes, B2B, B2C, product, or service. The hourglass adapts to any industry or business size.

How do I start?

Map your touchpoints to each stage, identify what’s missing, and take action to fill those gaps.

What should I measure?

Monitor repeat purchase rates, referral volume, customer lifetime value, and how prospects move through each stage.

Is Traditional Marketing Dead? Why Strategy Wins in the Age of AI

Is Traditional Marketing Dead? Why Strategy Wins in the Age of AI written by Sara Nay read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Over the past 15 years, I’ve watched marketing evolve in ways we never could’ve imagined. When I started as an intern at Duct Tape Marketing, the name of the game was execution. Do the work. Deliver the thing. Check the box.

Back then, success meant staying busy. Creating deliverables, managing campaigns, launching tactics. And honestly, that model served us well for a while.

But today, things are different. That model is breaking.

AI Has Changed the Game

The rise of AI hasn’t just changed how we work. It’s completely shifted the value we bring as marketers.

Small businesses now have access to tools that can write content, analyze performance, and even build marketing assets in seconds. What used to take a whole team and several days can now be done with a few well-written prompts. The result? Execution has become a commodity.

Doing the work isn’t enough anymore. Simply checking boxes doesn’t move the needle the way it used to.

It’s Time to Evolve

This is our wake-up call. As marketers, consultants, and agency leaders, we have to stop viewing ourselves as taskmasters. Instead, we need to step into the role of guide and strategist.

Our clients don’t just need help with content calendars and SEO reports. They need someone who can help them make smarter decisions, implement the right tools, and build systems that actually scale.

Start With Strategy

Every successful marketing system I’ve helped build starts in the same place: strategy.

We use a simple but powerful three-tiered approach I call the Strategy Pyramid:

Business Strategy: What are your goals? Where are you headed?
Marketing Strategy: Who are you trying to reach? What are you offering, and how are you positioning it?
Team Strategy: Who is responsible for what? What tools and systems will support this plan?

Too many businesses skip this part. They dive straight into tactics like running ads, setting up email automations, and posting on social. But without clear strategic direction, those tactics rarely lead to the results they want.

AI doesn’t fix that problem. In fact, it makes it worse. When you automate without clarity, you’re just moving faster in the wrong direction.

Why Simple Wins

One of the biggest changes I’ve embraced in recent years is simplifying the marketing process.

Forget those bloated 12-month marketing plans. Instead, we work in 30 to 45-day sprints. It’s long enough to make progress, short enough to pivot if needed. It keeps teams focused, aligned, and moving with intention.

And when it comes to AI, simplicity matters even more. You don’t need to jump into every new tool that hits the market. Start with one. Get a quick win. Let your team see the impact. Then grow from there.

That’s how you build momentum. Not through complexity, but through clarity and consistency.

AI is Only as Good as Your Strategy

Yes, AI is powerful. Tools like ChatGPT have changed the way we think about creativity, speed, and productivity. But tools are just that — tools. They only work well if you have a solid foundation underneath them.

That’s why I’m so excited about platforms like Ella from Atomic Elevator. Ella is a marketing operating system that helps businesses build strategic marketing systems while staying true to their brand voice. It removes the need for fancy prompt engineering and brings structure to how content and strategy come together.

This kind of innovation gives small businesses the ability to compete with larger brands and gives agencies a smarter way to scale without burning out.

Your Team Isn’t Being Replaced. They’re Being Reimagined.

Here’s the truth: AI is not here to replace your team. It’s here to elevate them.

But in order to do that, we have to change how we think about marketing roles. It’s not just about executing tasks anymore. It’s about bringing empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking to the table. Those are the skills that will set marketers apart.

When I talk to business owners, the most common question I hear is, “Where do I even start with AI?”

My answer is always the same: Start small. Start smart. You don’t need a full AI tech stack overnight. Choose one tool. Build one system around it. Measure the outcome. Then expand from there.

That’s how you go from overwhelmed to empowered.

Are You Ready to Lead?

The truth is, traditional marketing isn’t dead. But it is evolving. And if you want to keep up, it’s time to shift.

If you’re ready to stop chasing tactics and start leading with strategy…
If you want to embrace AI without losing your voice or your vision…
If you’re looking to build systems that grow with you, not ones that burn you out…

Then let’s talk.

And check out my episode with Ellie McIntyre on the Conversion Zoo Podcast for more insights on where marketing is headed next.

How to Stay Human in the Age of AI: Marketing Strategies for 2025

How to Stay Human in the Age of AI: Marketing Strategies for 2025 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Table of Contents

Start with Strategy—Not Shiny Objects

Emotional Intelligence Still Wins

Storytelling Is Your Superpower

Know Your Voice—and Stick to It

Get Personal

Use AI to Boost Your Team—Not Replace Them

You Don’t Have to Master It All Today

Let’s face it—marketing in 2025 feels like a whirlwind. AI tools are everywhere. They’re writing copy, designing graphics, analyzing data, and sliding into your inbox with “game-changing” promises daily.

But here’s the real talk: just because you can automate everything doesn’t mean you should.

If you want to build a brand people actually trust and connect with, you’ve gotta keep the human part of marketing alive. And in a world that’s getting noisier by the second, that might just be your biggest advantage.

Let’s walk through how to actually do that.

Start with Strategy—Not Shiny Objects

New AI tools are fun. But chasing every single one is like trying to drink from a firehose.

You need a plan.

If you don’t have a clear strategy—who you serve, what you stand for, how you solve problems—AI won’t fix that. It’ll just help you screw it up faster.

Before you plug into the next “must-have” tech, ask:
Does this help me hit my actual goals?
Does it make my customer experience better?
Does it align with how I want to show up?

If the answer’s no, skip it.

Emotional Intelligence Still Wins

AI is getting smarter by the minute. But here’s the kicker—it still can’t feel.

Empathy, context, tone, real human understanding? That’s on you.

The marketers who are going to thrive are the ones who can actually read a situation, listen well, and build trust—not just crank out perfectly formatted content. That human connection? That’s your edge.

Storytelling Is Your Superpower

Look, AI can generate blog posts all day long—but it can’t tell your story.

Your actual experience. That awkward client meeting that turned into a breakthrough. The late-night idea that changed your business. That’s the stuff people connect with.

So don’t hold back. Tell your story. Be real. That’s how you build trust (and stand out from all the generic, AI-generated noise).

Know Your Voice—and Stick to It

The fastest way to lose credibility? Sounding like a robot.

You’ve got a voice. Whether it’s laid-back and funny or sharp and straight-shooting, your audience knows it—and they expect it.

So if you’re using AI to help with content (which, hey, go for it), make sure it still sounds like you. Your voice is part of your brand. Own it.

Get Personal

We’ve all gotten those “Hi [FirstName]!” emails that feel anything but personal.

Now that AI can access more data, personalization is getting way more interesting—and way more powerful.

Imagine sending someone an email at the exact time they’re usually online… with content that directly speaks to what they just posted about on LinkedIn… and a product suggestion that actually solves the problem they’re dealing with.

That’s where this is headed. The brands that do this well are going to win.

Use AI to Boost Your Team—Not Replace Them

Let’s squash the fear: AI isn’t here to steal your job—it’s here to kill the stuff you hate doing.

Repetitive tasks? Data cleanup? Endless scheduling? Let the bots handle it.

What’s left for you and your team? Strategy. Creativity. Relationship-building. The high-impact work that actually grows your business.

So instead of thinking, “How do we replace people with AI?” ask, “How can we free up our people to do what they’re best at?”

You Don’t Have to Master It All Today

AI is moving fast. That doesn’t mean you need to learn every tool or automate every part of your business this week.

Take a breath.

Pick one tool or use case. Try it. Learn. Keep going.

Better yet, find a few smart people you trust and share what you’re learning. Start a mini mastermind. Talk about what’s working, what’s not, and how to stay grounded while still moving forward.

Because this new wave of marketing? It’s not about choosing between human or machine—it’s about finding the right mix.

How Strategic Planning Can Help You Crush Your Goals in 2025

How Strategic Planning Can Help You Crush Your Goals in 2025 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Strategic planning is one of those things that’s easy to push off because, let’s face it, running a business keeps you busy. But here’s the deal: if you don’t have a clear plan, it’s way harder to hit your goals. You’ll just be spinning your wheels instead of moving forward.

At Duct Tape Marketing, we’ve been tweaking our strategic planning process for years, and it’s been a game-changer. Since we started using this approach, we’ve grown our revenue by over 20% every year.

If you’re ready to map out your best year yet, let’s take a look at how we do it.

What Is Strategic Planning, Really?

Strategic planning is just a fancy way of saying you’re making a plan to reach your goals and figuring out how to take action. It’s about thinking big (one-year and three-year goals) and then breaking it down into smaller, manageable chunks you can focus on every quarter.

A lot of people skip strategic planning because they feel too busy, or they don’t follow through after they make the plan. That’s why having a simple system makes all the difference.

Our Go-To Framework for Strategic Planning

At Duct Tape Marketing, we mix mindset, goal-setting, and action steps into a process that actually works. Here’s how:

1. Get Clear on What Matters to You

Before you dive into business goals, take a minute to think about your personal values. What drives you? What matters most? When you’re clear on this, it’s way easier to stay motivated and make decisions that align with what you care about.

Try This:

Grab a notebook (or our handy spreadsheet) and brainstorm what’s important to you. Is it work-life balance? Making an impact? Financial security? Once you have your list, rank your top 10. These are your guideposts for staying focused and grounded as you plan.

2. Lay the Foundation for Your Business

Your business needs a strong foundation. This means knowing your purpose, values, what makes you unique, and who your ideal customers are. This step sets the stage for everything else you’ll do—from marketing to operations.

Ask Yourself:

Why does my business exist? What’s the deeper purpose?
What values define how we operate and interact with clients?
How are we different from competitors in our space?
Who are we trying to help? What do they need from us?

Taking the time to answer these questions creates clarity and ensures every decision you make aligns with your bigger picture.

3. Write Down Your Goals

If you don’t write it down, it’s not a real goal—it’s just a wish. Studies show that people who write their goals are way more likely to achieve them. For your business, focus on revenue and profit targets for the next year and three years.

SMARTER Goals:

We use a twist on the classic SMART goals. Our SMARTER goals are:

Specific: Clear and actionable.
Measurable: Define success with numbers.
Achievable: Set a stretch goal, but keep it realistic.
Relevant: Align with your overall strategy.
Time-Based: Set a deadline.
Empowering: Goals should inspire you and your team.
Reflective: Make sure they align with your values and purpose.

4. Figure Out Your “Why”

This one’s huge. Why do your goals matter? When things get tough (and they will), your “why” is what keeps you going and reminds you why you started in the first place.

Example:

“I want to grow revenue by 20% because it will let me provide stability for my family, expand my team, and give back to my community.”

A strong “why” is like a north star—it keeps you motivated and focused no matter what challenges come your way.

5. Plan Quarterly Priorities

Breaking your big goals into quarterly priorities makes them way less overwhelming. Plus, it gives you a chance to adjust as things change, whether that’s in your business or the market.

What to Do:

Set a specific revenue target for the quarter.
Identify three main priorities to focus on.
Break each priority into smaller projects with clear deadlines and team assignments.

By tackling one quarter at a time, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and build momentum towards your bigger goals.

6. Schedule Time for Your Plan

All the planning in the world won’t help if you don’t take action. Block time on your calendar to work on your priorities—and treat it like an unbreakable meeting.

Pro Tip:

Experiment with what works for you. Maybe you dedicate Mondays to strategy or block out mornings for focused work. The key is sticking to your schedule and showing up for yourself just like you would for a client or team meeting.

How AI Can Make Planning Easier

AI tools like ChatGPT can help you work smarter and make strategic planning more effective. Here’s how:

Analyze your data for trends, opportunities, and patterns.
Compare your priorities to long-term goals to ensure alignment.
Use AI to streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up time for high-level thinking and strategy.

AI isn’t just a tool—it’s like having a data analyst and assistant by your side, helping you make better decisions faster.

Tying It All Back to Marketing

Strategic planning isn’t just for operations—it’s the foundation for effective marketing too. At Duct Tape Marketing, we use a Marketing Strategy Pyramid that builds on your business strategy. Once you know where you’re headed, you can create a marketing plan that supports your goals and drives real results.

Let’s Get Started

Ready to make a plan for 2025? Make a copy and download our strategic planning spreadsheet and start mapping out your goals. If you’re feeling stuck or want help taking your plan to the next level, let’s chat. We’re passionate about helping businesses create strategies that actually work.

Simplify Your Marketing: How the Marketing Snapshot Can Transform Your Business

Simplify Your Marketing: How the Marketing Snapshot Can Transform Your Business written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing is a word that can stir up a lot of emotions for business owners. For some, it’s excitement – the thrill of attracting new customers and watching your business grow.

But for many, it’s more like frustration, confusion, and even dread. Why?

Because marketing today can feel incredibly complex. There are countless channels to manage, strategies to execute, and metrics to track. It’s no wonder so many business owners feel overwhelmed.

But what if I told you that marketing doesn’t have to be complicated?

What if there was a way to cut through the noise and focus on what really matters?

That’s exactly what I’m going to show you today with the Marketing Snapshot – a simple, yet powerful tool that can transform your approach to marketing and set your business up for success.

Table of Contents

The Problem: Marketing Has Become Too Complex

The Solution: A Simple, Systematic Approach

Breaking Down the Marketing Snapshot

Why the Marketing Snapshot Works

How to Get Started with the Marketing Snapshot

The Problem: Marketing Has Become Too Complex

Let’s start with a harsh truth: most businesses overcomplicate their marketing. It’s not your fault – the marketing world is filled with shiny objects, new trends, and endless tools that promise to deliver incredible results. The problem is that chasing these trends often leads to fragmented efforts, wasted time, and frustration. Instead of clarity, you get confusion. Instead of results, you get noise.

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of working with small business owners: the best marketing is simple. Simple because it’s focused. Simple because it’s consistent. Simple because it’s based on a system.

Marketing Snapshot Training With John Jantsch

Tired of feeling overwhelmed by marketing?

In this hands-on training, I’ll guide you through creating a clear, actionable one-page Marketing Snapshot that cuts through the noise and sets you on a path to success. Learn the key elements of a winning strategy, and leave with a personalized plan you can put into action right away.

Let’s simplify your marketing and get results.

The Solution: A Simple, Systematic Approach

What if you could distill your entire marketing strategy onto one page? What if you had a clear, concise plan that guided every marketing decision you made? That’s the idea behind the Marketing Snapshot.

The Marketing Snapshot is a one-page tool designed to capture the essential elements of your marketing strategy. It’s not about cramming everything you do onto a single page – it’s about focusing on what really matters. It helps you identify your ideal client, craft a compelling core message, and choose the right channels to reach your audience. It’s a simple, systematic approach that brings clarity and direction to your marketing efforts.

Breaking Down the Marketing Snapshot

So, what exactly does the Marketing Snapshot include? Let’s walk through each section.

1. Ideal Client

This is where it all begins. You can’t create an effective marketing strategy if you don’t know who you’re trying to reach. The Ideal Client section helps you define exactly who your best customers are – not just in terms of demographics, but also their needs, challenges, and behaviors. By understanding your ideal client, you can tailor your marketing efforts to attract more people like them.

2. Core Message

Your core message is the heart of your marketing. It’s the promise you make to your customers – the reason they should choose you over your competitors. In this section, you’ll craft a message that resonates with your ideal client, speaks to their pain points, and clearly communicates the value you offer.

3. Core Channels

With your ideal client and core message defined, the next step is to figure out where to reach them. The Core Channels section helps you identify the most effective marketing channels for your business. Whether it’s social media, email, content marketing, or something else, this section ensures that your efforts are focused where they’ll have the biggest impact.

4. Brand Strategy

Your brand is more than just a logo or tagline – it’s the perception people have of your business. In this section, you’ll define your brand’s mission, vision, and values, and ensure that everything you do aligns with your brand identity. A strong brand strategy helps you build trust and loyalty with your customers.

5. Growth Strategy

This section is all about scaling your business. Whether it’s through new product lines, expanding into new markets, or increasing customer lifetime value, your Growth Strategy will outline the steps you need to take to achieve your business goals.

6. Customer Strategy

Your marketing doesn’t end once someone becomes a customer. The Customer Strategy section maps out the entire customer journey – from awareness to advocacy. It ensures that you’re not only attracting customers but also nurturing them into loyal, repeat buyers who refer others to your business.

Why the Marketing Snapshot Works

You might be wondering, “Can something this simple really make a difference?” The answer is a resounding yes.

The Marketing Snapshot works because it forces you to focus on the most important aspects of your marketing strategy. It eliminates the distractions and helps you see the big picture.

Here’s why it’s so effective:

Clarity: With everything distilled onto one page, you gain a clear understanding of what you need to do and why. No more second-guessing or getting lost in the weeds.
Focus: The Marketing Snapshot helps you prioritize your efforts. Instead of spreading yourself thin across dozens of tactics, you focus on the strategies that will have the biggest impact.
Consistency: Marketing success doesn’t happen overnight. The Snapshot keeps you consistent by providing a roadmap to follow, ensuring that your efforts are aligned and working together.
Simplicity: There’s beauty in simplicity. The Snapshot cuts through the complexity of modern marketing and brings you back to the basics- the things that really matter.

How to Get Started with the Marketing Snapshot

How can you start using the Marketing Snapshot in your business?

The first step is to take a step back and assess your current marketing efforts. Are they aligned with your business goals? Are you targeting the right audience? Is your message clear and compelling?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to fill out your own Marketing Snapshot. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry – I’m here to help.

I’m offering a free training where I’ll walk you through the process of creating your own Marketing Snapshot. By the end of the session, you’ll have a clear, concise plan that you can put into action right away.

Marketing Snapshot Training With John Jantsch

Tired of feeling overwhelmed by marketing?

Let’s simplify your marketing and get results.

Start Transforming Your Marketing with the Marketing Snapshot

Marketing doesn’t have to be a headache. It doesn’t have to be complicated. With the Marketing Snapshot, you can simplify your approach, gain clarity, and start seeing real results. It’s time to stop chasing trends and start focusing on what really works.

If you’re ready to transform your marketing and grow your business, I invite you to join me for this free training. Let’s make marketing simple, effective, and fun again.

Scale Your Business with Precision: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing the Marketing Strategy Pyramid

Scale Your Business with Precision: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing the Marketing Strategy Pyramid written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Want to stay ahead of your competition and keep your business growing? A solid marketing strategy and understanding the Marketing Strategy Pyramid are key.

With AI evolving fast, attention spans shrinking, social media algorithms constantly changing, unpredictable ad costs, and tighter privacy rules, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest “quick fixes.”

But what your business—or your clients’ businesses—really needs is a steady guiding light to stay on track. That’s where the Marketing Strategy Pyramid comes in.

You can catch the podcast episode here if you would rather listen to me talk about the Marketing Strategy Pyramid.

Table of Contents

What is Marketing Strategy?

The Marketing Strategy Pyramid

3 Core Components of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid:

Business Strategy

Developing a Marketing Strategy

The Real Brand Strategy

Formulating a Growth Strategy

Building a Customer Strategy

Implementing a Team Strategy

What is Marketing Strategy?

It’s easy to get tangled in the jargon of marketing tactics, but at its core, a marketing strategy is the master plan that sets the direction for how your business will compete and stand out in the marketplace.

For fCMOs and business owners, it’s critical to not just know but to master the art of aligning these strategies with broader business objectives.

For businesses, it’s important to prioritize strategic planning over quick fixes. Strategic planning provides the framework to make decisions that enhance long-term sustainability rather than just immediate gains.

If I were to give marketing strategy an emotional definition, it’s how you will place the flag in the sand to say, “Here’s how we’re going to dominate.” But that probably isn’t helpful in understanding how to create a successful marketing strategy. That is why I built the Marketing Strategy Pyramid.

The Marketing Strategy Pyramid

Think of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid as your roadmap for integrating comprehensive strategies with your business’s key goals. The Marketing Strategy Pyramid shows that there is no one magic marketing strategy or marketing tactic. It’s really about integration, and that’s what we do for clients, something we call Strategy First.

The Marketing Strategy Pyramid has five layers to it, and the middle three layers are really the marketing strategy component and everything rests on the overarching business strategy.

3 Core Components of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid:

Business Strategy: This is the bedrock that focuses on growth, dominating your market, and retaining clients.
Marketing Strategy: This layer is the heart of the operation, including brand, growth, and customer strategies.
Team Strategy: The capstone that ensures your strategies are executed flawlessly by your team.

When we come in to work with a client, the main thing we are there to do is develop the marketing strategy and then the list of tactics to employ that strategy, but everything is based on the overarching business objectives. So if growth is a business objective, if dominance in a market is a business objective if retention of clients is a business objective, then the marketing strategy is built around that and only that to begin with.

Business Strategy

The foundation of all of this is the business strategy, which sets the stage for every tactical decision.

For example, the very first thing we do in working with a client is try to understand where they’re going, try to understand the profit that they want to make in this business, try to understand the market share that they want to enjoy before we ever start really suggesting anything.

And unfortunately, very few marketers actually take that approach. Very few business owners actually take that approach. They want to hire a marketer to generate some leads, and that usually leads them to doing a whole bunch of different tactics that they shouldn’t be doing and takes them away from focusing on the things that are actually going to allow them to meet their marketing objectives and drive real growth.

Developing a Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy is the meat of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid and consists of brand, growth, and customer strategies. These three elements reflect the comprehensive journey a customer takes with your business.

At Duct Tape Marketing, we believe this is how a customer or a lead effectively moves through a business. These three elements reflect the marketing journey inside of the marketing strategy.

Often, people end their marketing strategy with a clever tagline, colors, and logos, and they call it a day. But what I want to suggest is a marketing strategy actually runs through the entire customer journey.

We use something called the Marketing Hourglass. It’s a tool we use to reinforce this idea of the customer journey.

The Real Brand Strategy

Brand strategy is where we will help identify who makes an ideal customer, narrow the focus, and define the products and services the customer is looking for.

We also are going to focus a great deal of attention on messaging. Are we promising to solve that ideal customer’s biggest problem as opposed to, here’s what we sell, so nobody cares what we sell; they want their problems solved.

Narrowing Focus: Pinpoint your ideal customer to tailor your marketing efforts directly to them.
Defining Offerings: Clarify what you provide that specifically solves your customers’ problems.
Messaging: Shift the conversation from what you sell to how you solve their biggest headaches.

For example, consider Cedar Ridge Retreat Homes, who came to us facing significant challenges in marketing their luxury home-building services. Their previous marketing efforts failed to resonate, leaving their brand message unclear and poorly aligned with their business objectives.

Through our “Strategy First” process, we pinpointed their ideal customer and crafted a resonant brand identity that emphasized retreat spaces over generic rentals. This strategic pivot not only clarified their offerings but positioned Cedar Ridge for substantial growth in their niche market.

Brand strategy development also includes things like how we want to be perceived. Are we fun? Are we very serious? Are we analytical? This drives all of your content. Lastly, many people put this first, we want to make sure that the names, colors, graphics, logos and things all support the message and the brand promise are aligned. That is all the first part of marketing strategy.

Formulating a Growth Strategy

The second part is the growth strategy. What are the tactics we’re going to use to attract, build trust, get people to try and buy from us?

The growth strategy includes all of the communication and content designed to move people through the Marketing Hourglass stages. Certainly, it’s advertising and all the things that create awareness. It should also be about building trust and facilitating a seamless buying experience.

Content and Advertising: Use these tools to educate and engage potential customers.
Sales Processes: Create processes that are as streamlined as they are effective.

By staying attuned to the current landscape, we, as fractional CMOs, can pinpoint the opportunities and challenges that will shape the success of our strategies. For instance, if we observe a rising trend in video content consumption and it aligns with the business strategy, it’s essential to weave video marketing into our growth plans to effectively capture and engage our client’s target audience.

Building a Customer Strategy

After the sale, the real work begins. Your customer strategy should aim to turn first-time buyers into lifelong fans and advocates. This includes:

Onboarding: Make their first experience with your brand unforgettable.
Customer Engagement: Keep the dialogue going and the relationship growing.
Referral Programs: Use satisfied customers to bring in new ones. I wrote an entire book on referrals called “The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself” that covers this topic extensively.

Our past customers are often our best customers. Did you know 80% of a company’s revenue comes from just 20% of its existing customers?

By investing in these customer loyalty strategies, you can build a base of devoted customers who drive sustainable growth for your business.

Implementing a Team Strategy

So their overarching business builds on this business strategy, has marketing strategy in the middle, and the cherry on top is the team strategy.

The team is there for the execution. You build it (business strategy), communicate it (marketing strategy), and execute on it (team strategy).

Team strategy includes:

Team Alignment: Ensure everyone is on the same page and fully equipped to deliver.
Training and Development: Keep your team sharp and informed with regular training.
Culture: Cultivate a team culture that attracts and retains top talent, emphasizing values that elevate both the company and its clients.

As a business owner, the team also allows you to scale efficiently and effectively.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

For fCMOs and business owners, a well-crafted marketing strategy is more than a set of tactics. It’s a comprehensive system that threads through every layer of your business. By leveraging a structured approach like the marketing strategy pyramid, you can align your business goals with your marketing efforts to drive real, sustainable growth.

Visit dtm.world/growth for insights and tools to understand your or your clients’ marketing strategy and ultimately grow your business.

Navigating this journey isn’t just about knowing what to do; it’s about making strategic moves that make sense for your business.

How to Scale Your Agency with Productized Marketing Services

How to Scale Your Agency with Productized Marketing Services written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

The best thing you can do right now to scale your agency is to productized marketing services.

Struggling to scale your strategic marketing agency? Working tirelessly on both big and small projects but feeling like your earnings don’t match your effort? This frustration is shared by many, where the hours poured into work seem to overshadow the financial return. I navigated a similar hurdle when I first started my strategic marketing agency, Duct Tape Marketing, working relentlessly but watching my earnings plateau. It was at that moment I understood things couldn’t stay the same.

Over 20 years ago, I pivoted from tailoring bespoke, effort-heavy marketing solutions that left me exhausted and my clients less than impressed to embracing a transformative strategy: productized offerings. productized marketing services. This strategy was a game-changer, allowing my agency to work smarter, not harder, and significantly increasing our revenue year after year.

Get a complete fractional CMO system that changes how you think about your agency’s growth.

The Essence of Productized Services in Marketing

Productized marketing services are fixed, repeatable offerings; most agencies offer services tailored to each clients’ unique needs. This is not to say that each client is not unique and should not be treated as such. But in the very beginning of an agency-client relationship there are certain things that every client needs and that is what can be productized.

The idea of productizing marketing service based business goes beyond marketing and can really be applied to almost any service-based industry.

Defining Productized Marketing Services

In marketing, productizing means turning your offerings into standardized packages. Like products on a shelf, these services have fixed scopes and price tags. Think Facebook ads or web design but sold like off-the-rack suits: they fit well enough for most businesses without needing tailor-made solutions.

This business model takes what typically might be custom work—say designing a website—and distills it down into something more tangible: “Website Design Package A includes up to 5 pages with basic SEO optimization.” It makes buying decisions easier because clients know exactly what they’re getting and at what cost—a powerful lure for small businesses watching every penny.

Benefits of Productizing Your Agency’s Services

If you’ve ever faced cash flow headaches at month-end or juggled multiple client expectations simultaneously, standardization could be your ticket to scalability heaven. By defining precise deliverables upfront—whether it’s logo design or web development—you let potential clients know exactly what they’re getting without any guesswork involved.

Productizing also allows agency owners to save time focusing on crafting high-quality content rather than being bogged down by project management intricacies every step along the way. You get more space to stay focused on market trends while fostering long-term relationships through reliable delivery mechanisms; ultimately leading not just revenue growth but also customer satisfaction due largely thanks in part because user experiences have been made so much better.

Revolutionize your agency with productized services—like a 3 item coffee shop menu for digital marketing. Say hello to clear choices, fixed prices, and happy clients. #MarketingStrategy #AgencyGrowthClick To Tweet

Crafting Your Productized Marketing Service Offerings

Turning your marketing agency’s services into well-oiled machines starts with a focus on productization. Creating a consistent experience for your customers through productizing is the key to providing an efficient and expert service.

Identifying Your Target Market

Before anything else, zeroing in on who will love your service is key. You want to aim for that sweet spot where 20% of customers bring in most business benefits—your ideal target market. Look at your data trends; they don’t lie. They tell tales of who your best clients and who’s willing to pay for the value you provide.

Once you have identified the top percent then dig deeper. You need to understand their pain points better than they do themselves because let’s face it, everyone loves someone who gets them.

Structuring Your Service Packages – Standardize

The art here lies not just in creating attractive bundles but ensuring each one has clear deliverables—a transparent blueprint clients can trust. With clarity comes confidence from both sides: agencies promise tangible results while clients grasp exactly what they’re investing in.

Pricing structures mustn’t be a puzzle either; transparency wins races here too. By communicating pricing models early, clearly, and often you can start to earn trust, something that is hard to do in the agency world.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Consistency

SOPs aren’t glamorous—but boy do they pack a punch when delivering consistent customer experiences. This step will take time. Even if it took 3 weeks, it would likely be the most beneficial 3 weeks you spent on one thing for you agency.

This structured approach helps teams stay focused so time isn’t wasted reinventing wheels but rather polishing those already rolling smoothly along tracks paved by streamlined processes designed specifically around efficiency—and ultimately leading towards predictable outcomes loved by all parties involved.

These SOPs are what will allow you to scale, to teach others how to run your processes almost as well as you would. This is what will allow you to start working on your agency instead of in it.

Key Takeaway: Turn your agency’s services into productized services, offering the same excellence every time—like a trusted cup of coffee.

Nail down who really digs your service. Use data to uncover their pain points and craft packages that hit home – For Them, Not You.

Create clear, confidence-boosting service bundles with straightforward pricing. And finally experience a trusted client relationship.

SOPs are your secret sauce for delivering spot-on customer experiences consistently—it’s all about precision and predictability.

More on the Benefits of Productizing Your Marketing Services

It’s about transforming those time-sucking, custom, often unpredictable service offerings into neatly packaged, expert solutions that clients can trust. Because you have done it before you know what the results will be. Your services are proven and not a test.

Streamlining Sales and Operations

By standardizing your offerings with productized services, you create a smooth-running machine. Your client knows the exact service that they will get with clear package outlines and pricing and you know exactly how to deliver that to them and how much time it will take.

Your team members will thank you as well because when they have clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow, it takes away guesswork and streamlines training. And if there’s one thing employees appreciate, it’s knowing exactly what needs to be done without having to decode cryptic instructions every day.

Boosting Profit Margins

Once you’ve nailed down an efficient delivery method for your productized service—the kind that lets customers know precisely what they’re getting—you can actually charge more for them. Yes indeed. Because consistency breeds quality which justifies premium pricing all day long.

This model also helps keep cash flow steady since recurring services mean predictable monthly income streams—it’s like subscription models in retail but without needing fancy box packaging or catchy jingles.

Enhancing Customer Value Proposition

Last but certainly not least is how this approach elevates customer experience—a critical factor considering today’s consumer savviness where poor user experiences never go unnoticed (or so social media would have us believe). When clients understand exactly what they’ll get from each package offer—they’re happier because transparency builds trust.

The cherry on top? They start seeing results quicker thanks again to those standardized processes which make delivering high-quality work efficiently.

Key Takeaway: Productizing your marketing services turns chaos into clarity, making sales smoother and boosting profits. Your team gets clear SOPs while clients enjoy transparent packages they can trust—leading to quicker results and killer referrals.

Communicating Value Effectively

Sell not just what it is but what it solves; paint a picture where their life gets easier because of your packaged solution—and yes, we mean literally spell out those benefits so they know exactly what they’re signing up for.

Your Facebook ads management might save 10 hours per week—that’s binge-watching two seasons of “The Office” worth of time saved.
Show them how speed optimization means no more spinning wheels on their website—which translates into visitors sticking around longer than a confused squirrel on a busy street.

Remember though—no amount of persuasive chatter will stick if you don’t deliver promised results. That said, once people see others singing praises about how much easier life is post-adoption (cue testimonials.), trust me—they’ll line up faster than kids at an ice cream truck.

Examples of Productized Marketing Services

Social Media Management: Create tiered packages for managing different aspects of social media. These could range from basic content creation and scheduling to comprehensive management, including strategy development, analytics, and engagement across multiple platforms. Here is an example of Lyfe’s social media management’s packaged service. SEO Optimization: Develop bundles tailored for different levels of SEO needs. Services could include keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO audits, content strategy for SEO, and backlink building strategies.
Content Creation: Offer monthly subscription plans for creating various types of content. Depending on the package, this could include blog posts, articles, video scripts, and infographics, with different volumes and frequencies of content production.
Email Marketing: Provide structured packages for designing and managing email marketing campaigns. This can include newsletter design, list segmentation, campaign automation, and performance analysis to optimize engagement and conversions.
Marketing Strategy and Consulting Packages: My personal favorite and expertise. Offer a comprehensive package that includes market analysis, strategy development, and implementation guidance. This could involve competitor analysis, identifying target demographics, developing marketing strategies tailored to the client’s business, and providing ongoing consulting services for strategy refinement and execution. At Duct Tape Marketing we offer this in just one inclusive and expertly crafted package through our Fractional CMO+ System.

Marketing Your Productized Services Effectively

Give Your Productized Service a Name

Name or brand your service to help sell it. For example, I created Strategy First, which is the name for my marketing system that I offer to clients. That itself became it’s own brand. I created materials, elements, and graphics just for Strategy First. This showed my clients exactly what they were going to get and familiarize themselves with the concept.

Leveraging Social Media and Content Creation

According to a survey by Databox 47% of agencies are not happy with their self-marketing when compared to their competitors. Social media isn’t just for cat videos anymore—it’s a megaphone for your marketing message. Educate your audience on the problems that this productized approach solves for them and use social media to amplify that message. Craft high-quality content around pain points, showing them there’s light at the end of their problem-riddled tunnel through your well-defined service packages.

Field Testing and Refinement

Rome wasn’t built in a day—and neither will perfect productized service models be conjured up overnight either. Once you’ve created some stellar packages based on your best-selling services it’s showtime: field testing with actual paying customers who’ll give honest feedback. This stage is crucial since customer insights help tweak those initial assumptions made during development.

Key Takeaway: Market your productized services: Give your productized service a brand, name and voice.

Build trust through content. Use social media for more than just posts; tell stories that resonate with your audience’s challenges and spotlight how your services are their light at the end of the tunnel.

Leverage SEO to make sure those searching for what you offer find you first—optimize content, clarify deliverables, and use internal linking to drive conversions.

Test & refine.

Embrace productized marketing services, and you transform chaos into clarity. Embrace standardization, and you give your clients the gift of certainty. Embrace scalability, and watch your business grow.

Finding that sweet spot in pricing models takes finesse but gets you closer to predictable cash flow and agency expansion. Crafting these services means tuning into your top clients, taking the time to standardize, and locking down SOPs—because consistency is king.

Your marketing strategy and expert-level productized services should make you the trusted advisor in your clients eyes. Ultimately, enhancing customer experience through clear deliverables that secure trust and those long-term relationships crucial for sustained success for any strategic marketing agency.

Free up your time, increase ROI, and finally learn how to scale by licensing a complete fractional CMO+ system for your marketing agency. We have helped 1000s of agencies scale and clients soar with this proven marketing system, check it out.