Let’s talk about a common trap I see small businesses fall into: hiring someone to “do marketing” and expecting them to drive strategy, brand positioning, lead generation, and growth.
This isn’t a knock on the talented social media managers or content creators you might already have on your team. The problem isn’t their ability. It’s the expectations.
Let’s unpack the most common misconceptions small businesses have about marketing leadership—and what it really takes to scale.
Myth #1: Marketing Is Just Promotion
Too often, businesses treat marketing like an advertising function. Need more leads? Run some ads. Need visibility? Post more on LinkedIn.
The truth? Promotion is only one piece of the marketing puzzle.
True marketing leadership includes:
- Market research
- Messaging and positioning
- Product-market fit
- Competitive analysis
- Brand development
- Customer experience strategy
Without those foundations, no amount of promotion will lead to sustainable growth.
Myth #2: One Person Can Do It All
You hire one person to be your marketing department. They write copy, design graphics, manage ads, plan strategy, build decks, handle reporting—all while staying on budget.
It’s unrealistic.
According to a 2023 MarketingProfs survey, 62% of marketers say they’re stretched too thin to be effective. When businesses overload a junior hire with senior-level expectations, they get mediocre results at best—and burnout at worst.
Myth #3: The CEO Should Be the Marketing Brain
Founders often have the vision and passion to get marketing started. But at some point, leading the marketing strategy becomes a bottleneck.
When CEOs have to approve every piece of content, campaign, or budget decision, the team slows down. Worse, it creates confusion when direction shifts every week based on new ideas.
A dedicated marketing leader brings consistency, structure, and accountability.
Myth #4: If You Build It, They Will Come
After launching a new product or service, creating a landing page, and posting on social media, all you hear… is crickets.
The Field of Dreams approach doesn’t work in modern marketing. You need go-to-market strategy, demand generation, and continuous testing.
Great marketing leadership ensures every launch is paired with:
- Audience segmentation
- Clear value props
- Paid media plans
- Sales enablement tools
- Nurture sequences
Myth #5: Marketing Can Succeed Without Sales Alignment
We covered this in the last blog post, but it bears repeating: if your marketing team doesn’t understand how sales works (and vice versa), you’re wasting time and money.
Marketing leadership builds bridges across departments. It ensures that the pipeline is healthy, handoffs are clear, and feedback loops are active.
What Marketing Leadership Actually Looks Like
If you want marketing that drives real business results, you need a leader who can:
- Build a strategy based on your business goals
- Manage people and priorities
- Collaborate with sales and ops
- Measure and report what matters
- Adapt strategies according to what’s effective and what isn’t
This doesn’t always mean hiring a full-time CMO. For many small businesses, a Fractional CMO is the smarter path.
Real Example
A client came to me after churning through two marketing hires in under a year. They were both talented but had no direction. The company expected them to lead strategy without support.
I stepped in, created a 12-month roadmap, and hired a part-time marketing coordinator to handle execution. We doubled qualified leads within six months.
Final Thoughts
Marketing is more than content calendars and email blasts. It’s leadership. Vision. Alignment.
If your small business is struggling to turn marketing into momentum, it might be time to rethink who’s leading the charge.
I’m Schell Gower, a Fractional CMO and CSO. I help small businesses get clear, focused, and effective with their marketing. Let’s build the leadership structure you need to grow. Let’s talk.
