Author: Mariia Grineva
Why a strategic approach to marketing is essential
In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, businesses without a structured marketing strategy struggle to grow consistently. Without a clear system, resources get wasted, the wrong people are hired, and marketing messages miss the mark.
Stats show that nearly 20% of businesses in the U.S. fail in their first year, and 1 in 5 cite poor marketing as a key reason. At the same time, demand for skilled marketers keeps rising — job openings in the field grew by 10–12% annually in 2023–2024. Marketing budgets are climbing too, reaching an average of 9.1% of company revenue in 2023, proving that businesses are starting to view marketing as a strategic investment, not just an expense.
The Most Common Marketing Challenges Businesses Face
Most business owners still treat marketing as “just ads” — skipping over foundational work like audience research, market analysis, positioning, messaging, and packaging. The result? Scattered campaigns, inconsistent leads, wasted ad spend, and zero visibility into what’s actually working.
Agencies are hired without a real strategy. Job descriptions are unclear. The company ends up with “hybrid marketers” that don’t exist. Sales and marketing teams work in silos. And worst of all — the entire process lives in the founder’s head. No structure, no clarity, and definitely no growth.
Here’s what that looks like in reality:
- Marketing is chaotic and depends on 1–2 people.
- Lead flow is inconsistent and low quality.
- There’s no visibility into ad performance.
- No real marketing team or clear hiring strategy.
- Sales and marketing don’t talk to each other.
- No systems or documentation.
- Ads attract cold, unqualified leads.
- No brand guidelines or operating standards.
- Founders have no idea who to hire or how to evaluate them.
- Revenue growth from marketing is random and unsustainable.
The Solution: The “Marketing Department in 4 Months” Program
As a strategic marketer with 11 years of experience — including leading campaigns for global corporations and founding my own agency, Escalator Marketing Group — I’ve helped over 500 companies across media, healthcare, tech, and retail build marketing that drives results.
I’ve spoken at top business forums, taught MBA courses, and now I’ve turned all that experience into a hands-on program that helps founders and their teams build a real marketing department from scratch — and start seeing measurable growth.
What’s Inside the Program
The program is built around three pillars that turn marketing from an expense into a revenue engine:
- Strategy & Structure
- Full business and marketing diagnostics in the first session.
- Building the ideal team structure: roles, salaries, KPIs.
- Revenue breakdown and sales funnel modeling.
- A detailed, step-by-step plan tailored to your goals.
- Team Building & Training
- We open positions, build job descriptions, and guide the hiring process.
- New hires get onboarded with clear expectations.
- Access to 50+ hours of training, templates, and real-world examples.
- System Implementation
- 16 private sessions over 6 months (2–3 hours each).
- We implement analytics, marketing plans, reports, budgets, and KPIs.
- You get help choosing the right vendors through mini-tenders.
- We align marketing with sales, finance, and operations.
- You get support between sessions through a shared communication channel.
What you get as a result?
- A fully functional marketing department with clear structure, job descriptions, and reporting system.
- The business owner has full visibility and control over marketing activities.
- A detailed strategy and marketing plan that directly supports sales targets.
- All processes, templates, and documents stay in the company — so even if your marketer leaves, onboarding a new one is seamless.
- In essence, you’re getting a fractional Marketing Director who leads the project and ensures results.
Real Results from Real Businesses
🔹 Children’s Education Network
Increased enrollment by 15% above target during a 4-month enrollment push.
🔹 Wholesale & Retail Construction Supplier
Doubled inbound leads (600+) in month 3 — more than they’d ever had before — triggering the expansion of their sales team.
🔹 Engineering & Construction Services
Closed contracts worth over $500,000 by month 3 — 50% of their total previous annual revenue — after implementing a marketing plan and launching a partner program.
The Bottom Line: Marketing Isn’t About Luck — It’s About the Right System
Growth doesn’t happen through hope and hustle alone. It happens when strategy, structure, and the right people come together.
If you’re tired of guessing, outsourcing everything, or seeing no return on your marketing — let’s talk. I’ll show you how we can build the system that actually gets results.