The Power of Positioning: How “Your Outsourced CMO” Transformed Hawke Media

The Early Days: Meeting Clients Face-to-Face

In the early days of Hawke Media, I spent most of my time meeting potential clients face-to-face. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to understand exactly what made them tick—what they needed, what they hated about agencies, and what would actually make them trust a partner.

It was clear from the start that businesses weren’t just looking for marketing help. They wanted expertise, strategy, and execution without the fluff and broken promises they’d come to expect from traditional agencies. But articulating that in a way that landed? That was the challenge.

The Branding Struggle: Finding the Right Identity

At first, I described us as a digital agency. That didn’t work. Too many businesses had been burned before by agencies that overpromised and underdelivered.

I tried marketing agency next. Too vague. Too forgettable.

The reality was, Hawke Media wasn’t just running campaigns. We were stepping in as a true marketing partner, helping businesses with strategy, execution, and long-term growth in a way that most agencies simply didn’t (and ultimately failed at). But how do you capture that in a way that sticks?

The Breakthrough: “Your Outsourced CMO”

That’s when it clicked.

“We’re Your Outsourced CMO.”

The reaction was instant. Eyes lit up. The phrase resonated because it spoke to everything we were building—something strategic, thoughtful, and results-driven. Not just another agency, but a true extension of their team.

Instead of confusion, I got responses like, “That’s exactly what I need.” Suddenly, people were introducing me that way. My inbox filled with messages saying, “I heard you’re an outsourced CMO. I need that.”

That tagline wasn’t just branding, it was a positioning statement. It gave people the language to explain what we did, making them advocates for our business. Without it, the conversation was messy and forgettable.

Positioning Over Everything

Marketing isn’t just about what you do. It’s about how people understand it, talk about it, and remember it. The right positioning doesn’t just describe your business—it creates clarity, sparks interest, and makes your offering undeniable.

That’s the difference between blending in and standing out.

If your prospects are confused, they won’t buy. If they can’t explain what you do to others, they won’t advocate for you. If your positioning doesn’t hit immediately, you risk losing the deal before it even begins.

The Takeaway: Clarity Wins

Looking back, “Your Outsourced CMO” wasn’t just a clever tagline—it was the foundation that allowed Hawke Media to scale. It aligned with what businesses actually needed, made us instantly memorable, and turned clients into our biggest champions.

So if you’re struggling to differentiate, take a step back. Ask yourself:

• How do my customers describe what we do?
• Are they using the right language, or is it getting lost in translation?
• Does our positioning make people excited, or confused?

Because at the end of the day, if you can’t explain what makes your business different in a way that sticks, you’re making it way too hard for people to buy from you.