The Cycle of Marketing Frustration

It usually starts with a shrug or a sigh.

A CEO, business owner, or senior leader says something like:
“I guess we need to do more marketing.”

Or worse:
“I’m not sure marketing even works for us.”

Then the same leaders set vague goals: 

“Get us out there more.” “Build our brand.” “Support the sales team.”

So they hire someone—often a smart, eager marketer whose background is mostly tactical. This person is asked to “own marketing,” but they’re not given the clarity, authority, or resources to tie marketing to business strategy.

Then the cycle begins.

Let’s call it what it is: The Cycle of Marketing Frustration.

It goes like this:

1. Leadership is unclear or skeptical.
   Marketing is treated as an afterthought, a nice-to-have, or a fixer of random problems.
   
2. They attempt to tie marketing to “goals,”
   but those goals are surface-level or purely tactical:
   
   • “Get us more followers.”
     
   • “Send out a newsletter.”
     
   • “Make it look better.”
     
   • “Support sales.”
     
3. They hire someone internally to “do marketing.”
   But the role is unclear. The strategy isn’t defined. And the expectations are high. That person starts pushing out content, managing the website, posting on social, maybe making some stuff “look better.”
   
4. Marketing becomes a support function.
   Helpful? Sure. But disconnected from growth.
   
5. Leadership gets frustrated—again.
   They say marketing isn’t “moving the needle.” That it’s not producing ROI. That they aren’t sure what they even do over there in marketing.
   

And the cycle starts over.

The Real Problem? What Leaders Think Marketing Is.

The problem isn’t marketing. It’s how leaders understand marketing—because most haven’t been exposed to what real marketing strategy actually is.

They don’t ignore it—they just don’t know it exists.
They assume knowing their industry means they know their audience.
They believe hearing from a few close customers means they know what all customers think.
They think marketing strategy means picking channels, creating content, or setting campaign goals.

Then they hire someone who’s good at marketing execution—writing posts, sending emails, updating the website. That person uses the language of marketing tactics, so the leader assumes they’re getting strategy too.

But they’re not. They’re getting execution without direction. And that’s what keeps the cycle spinning.

Strategy → Story → Tactics. Not the Other Way Around.

Here’s what’s missing:
Marketing has to start at the top.

It should be tied directly to business goals—revenue, referrals, retention, and reputation. That means:

• Gathering real insights from customers and team members
  through qualitative conversations led by outside experts—not internal surveys or assumptions. A few dozen of the right interviews uncover more truth than a hundred clicks ever could.
  
• Segmenting based on who you really need to reach
  by identifying your current best customers, finding lookalikes, and spotting those spending a little who could be spending a lot more.
  
• Crafting messages that resonate with each audience
  because different buyers need different stories—even if the product stays the same.
  
• Aligning creative, content, and channels with real business outcomes
  so every piece connects back to growth—not just “getting your name out there.”
  
• Measuring what actually matters
  by tracking KPIs tied to referrals, retention, revenue, and reputation—not likes, clicks, or fluff.
  

But none of that happens if marketing begins with “we need more social posts” or “let’s redo the website.”

You’re skipping the real story. And the strategy. And the structure.
You’re confusing movement with progress—and paying for it

Breaking the Cycle

The only way to break the cycle is for leadership to shift how they think.

They have to:

• Accept that marketing is a strategic function, not just a tactical one.
  
• Invest in true marketing leadership—not just doers, but thinkers who understand business.
  
• Connect marketing to business and financial strategy.
  
• Stop expecting execution to deliver impact without direction.
  

Breaking the cycle means committing to strategy first—before tactics.
It means building a plan that aligns with your real business goals.
It means elevating marketing from a cost center to a growth driver.

Companies that figure this out change their trajectory. The ones that don’t?
They stay stuck. Spending time, money, and energy on marketing that can’t win.

If this cycle feels familiar, you’re not alone.
The good news? It’s fixable.
But only if you’re ready to stop spinning and start leading with strategy.