John Zouine’s Post

Head of Marketing is the hardest job in marketing. Why? Because today’s marketing leaders wear too many hats. But many businesses don’t need that full-time headache. I offer fractional Head of Marketing services-for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. As a Fractional Head of Marketing, I partner with businesses that need high-level strategy and hands-on execution, without the full-time cost. Plus, I have a network of highly skilled marketing professionals, each specialized in their field. This ensures your business gets the right expertise without the hassle of hiring multiple full-time staff. Here's how I help: 🧚♀️ Growth Focus: Data-driven plans that deliver results 🧚♀️ Hands-On Action: I work directly with your team to execute 🧚♀️ Cost-Efficient: Expert marketing support without the full-time expense Let’s chat if this is something that resonates with you! (selfie for the algo)

Many businesses hit a point where marketing becomes essential—but hiring a full-time CMO just isn’t in the cards. You’re not alone. That’s where we come in. Blaze Ahead provides executive-level marketing expertise exactly when you need it, helping you build out a marketing function and strategy that drives growth without the overhead. Get started today ---> www.blaze-ahead.com or hello@blaze-ahead.com

Looking for the perfect employee for a marketing position? Here are three important questions I always ask candidates: 1. Have you ever invested your money in advertising? If a candidate has never invested his or her money in advertising, he or she will probably treat your money like playing chips. This question will help you understand how much he or she appreciates and understands the value of advertising campaigns. 2. What is the primary task you think we're hiring for? We don't just want an ad campaign exec, but someone who understands the strategic importance of each campaign to business growth - whether it's for immediate results or long-term development. 3. How will you measure your performance and what KPIs will you set for yourself? Forget about hours and clicks. We're interested in ROI and revenue growth. If a candidate doesn't talk about this, they don't understand the essence of the advertising function in a business. These three simple questions will help you find a marketer who not only knows how to create ads, but also knows how to maximize your profits.

When is the right time to hire a head of marketing? If you’re a company leader who can answer yes to one or both of the following questions, NOW is *likely* the right time to hire a head of marketing either in a fractional CMO capacity or in a full-time capacity. Can you benefit from brand development? (Establishing your brand, enhancing brand awareness, differentiating your company from your competitors, having consistent branding across multiple channels, etc.) Would you like to grow your company within the next six months to one year? While you may not need new business RIGHT NOW, growth is not something that can just be turned on overnight. A head of marketing can start building the foundation for a strong brand before you’re under the gun needing leads. In addition, a head of marketing can contribute value to a company in the capacity of: 👏Getting all teams aligned with brand messaging  👏Supporting the sales team with email scripts, sell sheets, case studies, testimonials, webinars, and other collateral to help them close deals 👏Working with customer success to implement a customer retention strategy before your company starts losing customers Which marketing level is best? A marketing director? Vice president of marketing? Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)? In a full-time or part-time capacity? Can someone who is entry-level work? Drop a time on my calendar and let’s discuss this: https://lnkd.in/euQGqCna If I don’t think either is necessary now, I will let you know. The key here is to consider your goals and timeline and hire before it’s too late. Not hiring a head of marketing soon enough can set you back in the market. Hope that helps!

As a CMO and VP of Marketing I made plenty of mistakes hiring. Hiring people and hiring agencies. Most of the time the root cause of that mistake was my problem - not the candidates, not the agencies. But me. It's me. Hi. I'm the problem it's me. Anyway, here's what I've learned: It comes down to me being able to articulate what I wanted and what good looked like. - Each hiring mistake came down to not having goals and a clear "what will this person do, and why, and what does success look like" - or not having at least tested that we "need" this role inside of the company first. For example, if you think you want to hire a product marketing manager, can you first do some of that job yourself so you can have a deeper understanding of what you need before jumping right to hiring. If you want to start doing events, don't jump right to hiring an Event Marketing Manager, but first do some of that yourself - learn more about the role, then go find the person to own it full-time. I would learn so much more about finding the right person and giving them the right plan and goals this way. - Each agency mistake was similar - I'd chase a shiny object and go look for an agency to hire and expect them to magically solve my problem or help each some goal without having a deep understanding of what I was really trying to accomplish. "We need to do a better job with PR" --> Rush to hire a PR agency --> Of course I'm going to be unhappy with the results. VS. Develop a hypothesis about PR, what we could be doing better, start to test some of this internally with the existing team or do it for 20% of my time, get some learnings, create a better and more specific plan, then go find a PR agency to help scale. Or working with a Creative Agency and not being happy with the output, but also not being able to properly articulate what I wanted with clear examples of what "good" looks like. Can you relate to this?

Every company needs a Marketing Generalist. Someone with the strategic knowledge and experience to lead, execute, and build. If you're a startup or a small business that can't afford a team of specialists, your best bet is hiring a marketing generalist. If you're a company that has the budget for a team of specialists, you'll still need a marketing generalist to steer things in the right direction. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱. The best approach to marketing is a seamless integration between all marketing avenues and a strong alignment with sales objectives. And the best person to do this is a marketer who's capable of envisioning the bigger picture and bringing it to life. If you are ready to accelerate your business growth without the cost of hiring a full-time marketing executive, I've got something for you: I developed a Fractional CMO Program designed to help B2B companies accelerate their business growth without the cost of hiring a full-time marketing executive. It's ideal for companies that don't have a marketing leader on their team or have a marketer who would benefit from additional support and strategic guidance. I made a short document that explains how the program works and how it can benefit your business. Send me a message and I'll share it with you. P.S. I'm only taking one more client. First come, first served.

Hiring a marketer has always been real tough! 💥 But it might now be harder than ever… You think: √ A specialist can handle all your marketing √ It's okay to stretch an 'all rounder' thin √ Marketing isn't that big a deal √ A full marketing team isn't necessary Your job descriptions scream these attitudes. 📝 Marketers worldwide are tired of this game. So, they're choosing a new field. Can't blame them. 🚶♂️ What's the answer? Treat marketing like your sales. 💼 Invest in the right tools, give valuable training, understand that marketing is not just a buzzword—it's a strategy. Do this and see the change. Waiting for your thoughts. 🤔

Two common mistakes CEOs make when hiring a head of marketing. They hire the wrong specialty and hire someone who is used to a different ACV. I call this out because a CEO often hires a marketer and is shocked that they lack off-the-charts creativity or can’t prove ROI. It's tough to find marketers who go deep into every aspect of marketing. Marketing has gotten more complicated. A CMO oversees three different functions, including Product Marketing, Brand marketing, and Demand Generation. However, typically, they have expertise in one and will need to fill gaps through hiring in the other areas. Part of the reason the tenure of a CMO is so short is because they have so much in their per-view. Look at their resumes. Did they work in product marketing, brand/creative, or demand generation? Then, look at who they’ve sold to previously. Someone who worked at a company with an ACV of $400k will approach marketing differently than someone who previously worked for a company with an ACV of $10k. The $400k person will be much more focused on supporting the sales team, and the $10k one will be used to drive demand inbound, qualifying accounts, and setting up the sales team to close high volumes. By carefully considering these criteria, you can significantly narrow your search and increase your chances of finding the right marketing executive, setting your business up for success. 

CEOs - Here is your manual to hire a CMO or Head of Marketing

The concept of hiring a fractional CMO (or other executive) is pretty new for small businesses. Until recently, people just assumed it was for bigger organizations. The actual truth is that fractional consulting is a perfect solution when you're ready to grow. Here's how to know when you might be ready: 📈 Your growth has plateaued You've hit a ceiling and your current marketing efforts aren't delivering the results they used to. 💡 You lack strategic direction You're doing marketing activities, but there's no cohesive strategy linking them together. ⏰ Marketing decisions are taking a backseat You're so busy running the business that marketing becomes reactive instead of proactive. 🎯 You need to scale efficiently You want to grow but need help optimizing your marketing budget and resources. 💪 A fractional CMO brings senior-level expertise at a fraction of the cost, helping you: 👉Develop comprehensive marketing strategies 👉Build and lead your marketing team 👉Optimize your marketing spend 👉Drive measurable results Ready to talk about how your business can grow in an affordable and sustainable way? Lets chat.