Real Strategy Wins: How Great Marketers Align Purpose With Results

 

If you’re a business owner or a marketing leader who’s tired of seeing effort that doesn’t turn into results, let’s talk about strategy.

Not just the kind that looks good on a whiteboard—but the kind that makes your marketing work in the real world.

Because here’s what I’ve learned after a decade running a top performance marketing agency: Most marketing problems aren’t execution problems. They’re strategy problems.

Most Marketers Are Flying Blind

They’re running campaigns without clear business goals. They’re optimizing for metrics that don’t move the needle. They’re trying to make magic happen with a budget that doesn’t match the goal.

I know, because I’ve been there. I started Disruptive University after realizing how many marketers were stuck chasing someone else’s definition of success. Marketing things they don’t believe in. Running campaigns they can’t stand behind. Hoping the next thing will finally work.

Let’s flip the script.

When you have the right strategy, things get simple :

• You know who you’re trying to help.
• You know what they need.
• And your marketing meets them exactly where they are.

Here’s what that looks like at Disruptive:

 

1. Start With the Business Goal

If your marketing isn’t tied directly to a revenue, profit, or growth goal, you’re wasting your time.

Every business is in a different stage (startup, growth, maturity, or renewal), and your strategy needs to reflect that.

We use tools like CAC/LTV ratios, efficiency ratios, and marketing math to ensure the goals and budget actually align. We get clear on the volume and efficiency targets needed to hit revenue and profit goals. Then, we break it down into SMART quarterly projects and actions that actually move the needle.

This isn’t just theory. It’s how we scaled from a startup to one of the top marketing agencies in the U.S.

2. Know Who You’re Really Marketing To

Let me ask you: Can you describe your favorite customer?

If not, you’re not ready to build a strategy. We don’t market to avatars—we market to real people—the ones who love what we do and get the most value from it.

We build detailed personas based on our best customers—their fears, dreams, beliefs, and barriers. We interview them. We survey. We test. Because when you know them deeply, everything else becomes easier.

3. Map the Whole Journey (Not Just the Click)

A good strategy doesn’t stop at the ad. It carries through the entire journey: from the first impression, to the landing page, to the follow-up, to the purchase, and beyond.

We break this down into:

• Awareness
• Interest
• Consideration
• Decision
• Purchase
• Retention
• Advocacy

And we align our messaging, offers, and budget accordingly. We always start by fixing the leaky bucket from the bottom up—because why pour more into a funnel that doesn’t convert?

4. Budget Based on Funnel Stage (Not Gut Feel)

Too many marketers throw budget at their favorite channels.

At Disruptive, we budget by funnel stage :

• Top of Funnel (40–60%)
• Mid Funnel (25–35%)
• Bottom of Funnel (10–20%)

We prioritize based on gaps and opportunities. We audit where the leaks are. We fix those first. Then we scale.

5. Creative That Feels Right And Converts

Strategy without the right message? Won’t land.

That’s why our creative strategy is based on brand pillars and the Feel / Know / Do framework:

• What do we want them to feel?
• What do we want them to know?
• What do we want them to do?

Every stage. Every piece of creative. Every ad.

And yes, we test like crazy—because one breakthrough can change the game.

6. Data That Measures What Matters

If it doesn’t drive sales, your marketing isn’t working.

We track metrics at every stage of the journey, but we’re laser-focused on business results. Leads, sales, retention, referrals. If it doesn’t drive value, we don’t celebrate it.

And we regularly revisit our funnel to measure progress and spot leaks.

 

Strategy Isn’t Magic. It’s Alignment.

When your business goals, audience, journey, creative, and data all line up, growth becomes inevitable.

And best of all? You start to believe in your work again. You stop guessing. And you start showing up as the marketer you were meant to be.

So here’s the challenge:

• Stop chasing tactics.
• Start building a strategy that actually works.
• And do it for brands and people you believe in .

Because when strategy meets authenticity, that’s when real breakthroughs happen.

Want to see how we build this for real businesses every day?

Get a Free Strategy Session →