Mark Gabrielli - Executive Headshot | Chief Marketing Officer at MarkCMO.com

Mark Gabrielli

Revenue Isn’t a Dirty Word: Own It as CMO

Revenue Isn’t a Dirty Word: Own It as CMO

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

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

Revenue Isn’t a Dirty Word: Own It as CMO

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 business. It’s knowing your CAC from your LTV and not confusing your brand voice with your brand’s karaoke night. If you’re still treating marketing like a glitter cannon at a budget wedding, it’s time for a wake-up call—and I’m here to be your espresso shot of truth.

The Big Idea: Marketing Is a Profit Center, Not a Party Trick

Here’s the truth bomb you didn’t know you needed:

“If your marketing isn’t making money, it’s just expensive decoration.”

Too many companies treat marketing like a cost center—something to cut when times get tough, like free snacks or that one guy in sales who only talks in sports metaphors. But great marketing is a revenue engine. It’s the growth lever. It’s the difference between being a brand people buy from and a brand people forget faster than last year’s Clubhouse hype.

Step 1: Know Your Numbers (Yes, All of Them)

If you can’t tell me your CAC, LTV, ROAS, and conversion rate without checking a spreadsheet, you’re not a marketer—you’re a mascot. Cute, but not useful.

  • CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): How much it costs to get someone to buy. If it’s higher than your LTV, congrats—you’re paying people to shop.
  • LTV (Lifetime Value): How much a customer is worth over time. If you don’t know this, you’re flying blind with a blindfold made of burning money.
  • ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): For every dollar you spend, how much do you get back? If it’s under 1, you’re not advertising—you’re donating.
  • Conversion Rate: The percentage of people who do what you want them to do. If it’s low, your funnel has more holes than a colander in a gunfight.

These aren’t just metrics. They’re your marketing GPS. Ignore them, and you’ll end up in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and a confused CFO.

Step 2: Build a Funnel That Doesn’t Leak Like a 90s Website

Funnels are not just for bros in sales or people who love diagrams. They’re how you turn strangers into customers into evangelists. But most funnels look like they were built by raccoons with a Wix account.

The 3-Part Funnel Framework That Actually Works

  • Top of Funnel (TOFU): Awareness. This is where you get attention—but not just any attention. You want the right people to say, “Oh damn, this is for me.”
  • Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Consideration. This is where you educate, nurture, and seduce (professionally, of course). Think email sequences, webinars, and content that doesn’t suck.
  • Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Conversion. This is where the money happens. Offers, urgency, testimonials, and a checkout process that doesn’t feel like filing taxes.

If your funnel isn’t converting, don’t just throw more ad dollars at it. That’s like trying to fix a leaky boat by buying a bigger bucket. Fix the funnel first.

Yes, I know. Threads is hot. AI is hotter. And someone on your team just asked if you should be on BeReal. (Spoiler: you shouldn’t.)

Trends are fun, but they’re not strategy. A real brand doesn’t need to jump on every bandwagon—it builds its own damn parade.

How to Build Brand Equity That Lasts Longer Than a Hashtag

  • Consistency: Your brand voice, visuals, and values should be tighter than your CFO’s budget spreadsheet.
  • Clarity: If people can’t explain what you do in one sentence, you’ve already lost.
  • Credibility: Social proof, case studies, and actual results beat “vibes” every time.

Remember: a brand is a promise. And if your promise is “we’re just like everyone else, but with a slightly different shade of blue,” you’re not a brand—you’re a template.

Step 4: Align Marketing with Sales (Or Prepare for War)

Marketing and sales should be like peanut butter and jelly—not peanut butter and passive-aggressive Slack messages. If your sales team thinks your leads are garbage and your marketing team thinks sales can’t close a door, you’ve got a problem.

How to Fix the Marketing-Sales Cold War

  • Shared KPIs: Align on revenue, not just MQLs. No one cares how many leads you got if none of them buy.
  • Feedback Loops: Sales should tell marketing what’s working. Marketing should listen. Revolutionary, I know.
  • Joint Planning: Quarterly meetings where both teams plan together. Bonus points if no one throws a chair.

When marketing and sales are aligned, magic happens. When they’re not, you get finger-pointing, missed quotas, and a lot of “we need better leads” emails.

Step 5: Test, Learn, Repeat (Then Brag About It)

Marketing isn’t a one