Marketing Strategy
Marketing that isn't working is usually solving the wrong problem.
We work out how you get chosen, and by whom, then turn it into positioning, messaging, and a plan you can run. Cody leads it, with more than twenty years as a CMO behind him, and Holly brings the data that keeps it honest. It always comes first.
UPWARD works out how your firm gets chosen before anything is built. That means who hires you, what those buyers need to believe, and how much of it the market can already see. Cody Strate leads it, with more than twenty years as a CMO, so your strategy sits with a senior hand, never a junior one.
What you get
A clear read on how you get chosen, and by whom.
- A clear positioning: how you win, and against whom
- An honest read of the firms you actually compete with
- A marketing plan tied to how your buyers really decide
- Senior marketing leadership from Cody, with 20+ years as a CMO
- The Trust Audit: a deep, human read of your visibility and trust signals
- A roadmap you can run yourself, or with us on an ongoing partnership
The trap
More ad spend rarely fixes a firm that sounds like everyone else.
When marketing isn't working, the usual diagnosis is weak SEO, a slow site, not enough content. It's usually wrong, and it keeps you paying to fix a problem you don't have. The real issue is more often that a serious firm has never worked out who it's for and why it gets chosen. We start there, and we're candid when the honest answer is to do less, not more.
Further reading: the five things CEOs get wrong about marketing, your agency is fixing the wrong problem, and why I stopped chasing leads and revenue went up.
The record
Repositioned, and the market responded.
Healthcare TechnologyA category of look-alikes, and the one brand that stopped sounding like itSee the story →
Healthcare TechnologyOne clear story, ready for the exitSee the story →
Art Finance TechnologyNew revenue streams from a restructured storySee the story →More stories with this serviceWick & TrautweinAcmeware
PatientPay's engagement continues today as an active, ongoing marketing partnership: strategy, content, and demand craft in specialty healthcare payments.
Where to start
The Trust Audit: the fastest paid read on where you stand.
The free Mirror shows you whether AI search engines name you when your ideal clients ask who to hire. When you want the deeper read, the Trust Audit is our paid diagnostic, credited in full toward a build: a human-reviewed evaluation of your visibility and trust signals with a working strategy session. It's the shortest path from "something is off" to "here is exactly what to fix first."
About the thinking
Questions worth asking before you spend.
What does a strategy engagement include? +
A clear read on how you get chosen and by whom, an honest look at who you actually compete with, and a marketing plan tied to how your buyers really decide. It's the thinking layer that should come before a rebuild, a shoot, or a content plan, so the craft that follows is aimed at the right target.
Do you offer fractional CMO or ongoing marketing leadership? +
Yes. Senior marketing leadership is part of what we do, led by Cody, who has more than twenty years of CMO experience. For firms that want it on a continuing basis, it lives inside an ongoing partnership rather than a one-off project. We'll help you decide which shape fits, and there's no pressure to commit to more than you need.
What if we don't need a new website? +
Then we won't sell you one. Strategy, messaging, photography, and content all stand alone. We would rather tell you honestly that your site is fine and fix what is actually costing you clients than talk you into a rebuild you don't need.
How is this different from a big marketing agency? +
A large agency sells you hours and often fixes the wrong problem: more ad spend, more SEO, a bigger funnel, when the real issue is that you sound like everyone else. We're small and senior, we start with who you actually are, and we're candid when the honest answer is to do less, not more.
What is the Trust Audit, and how much is it? +
Our paid diagnostic, priced for your firm and credited in full toward a build. It's a human-reviewed read of your visibility and trust signals with a working strategy session: where you stand, who is beating you to the referral, and what to fix first. The free Mirror is the place to decide whether the deeper read is worth it.
Strategy points the craft at the right target: storytelling, website design, and content. For the ongoing version, see the partnership; for the thinking behind it, the method.
How engagements work
One door in, four ways up. The first step is free.
The ask
Before you spend another dollar on marketing, find out whether it's aimed at the right problem.
A conversation
One conversation, with the two of us. No account manager between you and the people who'd do the work. And if you're happy with what you've got, that's fine too.
Cody usually replies within a business day.