Most teams don’t have a marketing problem. They have an input problem. I keep seeing the same 5 patterns: “We need a marketer” Then the JD says: > strategy > content > social > SEO > ads > CRM > events > website > leads That is not a role. That is a department compressed into 1 person. Before hiring, define the business problem. Demand gen is different from brand. Lifecycle is different from content. Product marketing is different from paid acquisition. “We need more leads” Usually this means nothing yet. More than what? 100 per month or 1,000? Which segment? At what CAC? What conversion rate? What happens after the form is filled? A lead target without funnel math is just a wish. “We need to be everywhere” LinkedIn X TikTok newsletter SEO events podcasts community Presence is not strategy. If your buyers make decisions in 2 places, start with those 2. Distribution should follow customer behavior. Not competitor anxiety. “Marketing isn’t working” Based on what? Pipeline? Sales velocity? Conversion? Retention? Brand search? Website intent? You can’t fix marketing by blaming marketing. You need to diagnose the full funnel. “We need a new strategy” Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes the strategy was fine. The execution was just inconsistent for 6 months. My default view: marketing gets easier when the business is clear on what it wants marketing to solve. Not “do marketing.” Solve a specific constraint.