Engineering Growth: How to Build a Full-Funnel Demand System That Doesn’t Break

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Marketing Isn’t Magic—It’s Math (With Better Fonts)

Let’s get one thing straight: marketing isn’t a mystical art practiced by hoodie-wearing wizards whispering to the algorithm gods. It’s not a vibe. It’s not a TikTok dance. And it sure as hell isn’t “just making things go viral.”

Marketing is math. It’s strategy. It’s psychology. It’s business. And yes, it’s also a little bit of theater—because if you can’t sell the steak, you better sizzle the hell out of that plate.

The Problem: Too Many Marketers Are Playing Pin the KPI on the Donkey

Here’s the cold, hard truth: most marketing teams are running campaigns like they’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and praying it sticks. And then they report on “engagement” like it’s a real metric. (Spoiler alert: it’s not. Unless you’re a wedding planner.)

We’ve got dashboards full of vanity metrics, but no one can tell you what actually moved the needle. Why? Because we’ve confused activity with impact. And that’s how you end up with a $50K brand video that gets 12 likes and a comment from your intern’s mom.

The Fix: Build a Marketing Engine, Not a Marketing Mood

Let’s break this down like a Netflix true crime docuseries—step by step, with a little drama and a lot of receipts.

Step 1: Start With the Business Objective (Not the Campaign Idea)

Before you even think about launching a campaign, ask: what business problem are we solving?

Need more qualified leads? That’s a demand gen problem.
Churn rate too high? That’s a retention and CX problem.
Sales team crying into their CRM? That’s a messaging and enablement problem.

If your campaign doesn’t ladder up to a business goal, it’s not marketing—it’s performance art. And unless you’re Banksy, that’s not going to pay the bills.

Step 2: Build a Funnel That Doesn’t Leak Like a Sieve

Funnels are like dating apps. You can have all the right swipes (traffic), but if no one’s converting, you’ve got a problem. And no, it’s not always the landing page’s fault. Sometimes it’s your offer. Sometimes it’s your targeting. Sometimes it’s your creepy retargeting ad that follows people like a digital stalker.

Here’s a simple framework to audit your funnel:

TOFU (Top of Funnel): Are you attracting the right people, or just anyone with a pulse and a browser?
MOFU (Middle of Funnel): Are you nurturing leads or ghosting them like a bad Tinder date?
BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): Are you closing deals or just sending “just checking in” emails into the void?

Step 3: Measure What Matters (And Burn the Vanity Metrics)

Let’s play a game. Which of these metrics actually matter?

Pageviews
Impressions
Pipeline generated
Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
Marketing-sourced revenue

If you picked the last three, congrats—you’re a grown-up marketer. The rest? They’re like cotton candy: fluffy, colorful, and completely useless for nutrition (or board meetings).

Truth Bomb:

“If your marketing can’t be tied to revenue, it’s not strategy—it’s decoration.”

Real Talk: Case Study Time

Let’s talk about a B2B SaaS company I worked with. They were spending $100K/month on paid ads and couldn’t tell me what their CAC was. Their CMO said, “We’re focused on brand awareness right now.” Translation: “We’re lighting money on fire and hoping someone notices the smoke.”

We restructured their funnel, cut 40% of their ad spend, and focused on high-intent channels. Within 90 days, pipeline doubled and CAC dropped by 35%. No magic. Just math, messaging, and a little tough love.

Marketing Tips You Can Use Before Your Next Coffee Refill

Map every campaign to a business goal. If it doesn’t tie to revenue, retention, or reputation—kill it.
Use UTM parameters like your job depends on it. Because it does.
Build dashboards that tell a story, not just a data dump. Your CFO doesn’t care about CTR. They care about ROI.
Test fast, fail faster, scale what works. And stop A/B testing button colors like it’s 2012.

Final Word: Stop Chasing Cool. Start Chasing Results.

Look, I love a good brand campaign as much as the next CMO. But if your marketing doesn’t drive business outcomes, you’re not a marketer—you’re a content creator with a corporate credit card.

So ditch the fluff. Embrace the math. Build a marketing engine that runs on strategy, not superstition. And remember: the best marketers aren’t the loudest—they’re the ones who can walk into a boardroom and say, “Here’s what we did. Here’s what it cost. Here’s what we made.”

Now go forth and market like a boss. Just don’t forget to check your attribution model before you start high-fiving yourself.

Mark Gabrielli
Founder, MarkCMO
<a href="mailto:Mark@MarkCM