The Marketing Skills No One Teaches CMOs

Table of Contents

Stop Chasing Virality: Build a Brand That Outlives the Algorithm

Let’s get one thing straight: if your marketing strategy is “go viral,” you might as well be playing darts blindfolded in a hurricane. Sure, you might hit the bullseye once, but odds are you’ll just poke someone’s eye out and get banned from the bar.

Virality is not a strategy. It’s a side effect. A symptom. Like sneezing when you look at the sun. It’s unpredictable, unsustainable, and frankly, a little desperate. And yet, every week, some poor soul in a marketing meeting says, “Let’s make a TikTok that goes viral.”

Friends, it’s time to stop chasing the algorithm’s tail and start building a brand that actually matters. One that people remember, trust, and—dare I say—love. Because while virality is a sugar rush, brand is the full-course meal. And your audience? They’re starving for substance.

The Problem with Playing the Algorithm Game

Algorithms are like moody teenagers: they change their minds every five minutes, don’t tell you why, and definitely don’t care about your quarterly goals.

Here’s what happens when you build your marketing around virality:

Inconsistent messaging: You’re constantly reinventing the wheel to “fit the trend.”
Shallow engagement: You get likes, but no loyalty. Views, but no value.
Burnout: Your team becomes a content sweatshop, churning out memes like it’s a TikTok factory line.

And the worst part? When the algorithm changes (and it will), your entire house of cards collapses faster than a crypto startup in a bear market.

Brand: The Long Game That Actually Wins

Now let’s talk about the grown-up table: brand. A strong brand doesn’t need to chase trends—it sets them. It doesn’t beg for attention—it earns it. And it doesn’t vanish when the algorithm sneezes—it endures.

Here’s what a brand-first strategy gives you:

Recognition: People know who you are and what you stand for.
Trust: You’re not just another flash in the pan—you’re the cast iron skillet.
Pricing power: Strong brands don’t compete on price. They compete on value.
Customer loyalty: People come back. And they bring friends.

Truth Bomb:

“Virality is a lottery ticket. Brand is compound interest.”

How to Build a Brand That Doesn’t Suck (or Disappear)

Alright, enough soapboxing. Let’s get into the meat. Here’s how to build a brand that doesn’t rely on dancing teenagers or algorithmic roulette.

1. Nail Your Positioning

If your brand were a person, who would it be? A wise mentor? A rebellious upstart? A sarcastic best friend who always tells the truth (hi, that’s me)?

Use the Positioning Statement Framework:

For [target audience]
Who [need or problem]
Our brand is the [category]
That [unique benefit]
Unlike [competitor], we [differentiator]

Example: For overworked marketers who are tired of fluff, MarkCMO is the no-BS marketing site that delivers strategy with a side of sass. Unlike corporate blogs, we don’t bore you to death.

2. Create Consistent, Valuable Content

Content is your brand’s voice. And if your voice changes every week, people will think you’re having an identity crisis.

Instead of chasing trends, create content that:

Solves real problems
Reflects your brand personality
Builds trust over time

Think of it like dating. You don’t win someone over by showing up in a different costume every day. You win them over by being consistently awesome.

3. Be Memorable, Not Just Visible

Visibility is easy. Memes go viral. Cats in hats get clicks. But memorability? That’s the holy grail.

To be memorable, you need:

A distinct voice: Don’t sound like everyone else. Sound like you.
A clear point of view: Take a stand. Have an opinion. Be bold.
Emotional resonance: Make people feel something—laughter, inspiration, even a little rage.

Remember: people forget what you said, but they remember how you made them feel. So make them feel something other than “meh.”

4. Play the Long Game (and Actually Measure It)

Brand isn’t built in a day. It’s built in a thousand tiny moments. So stop measuring success by likes and start measuring:

Brand recall
Customer lifetime value
Organic search growth
Direct traffic (aka people typing your name into Google like it’s 2005)

And yes, you can still do performance marketing. Just don’t let it cannibalize your brand like a hungry raccoon in a dumpster fire.