How I Ended My Marketing Overwhelm (And How You Can Too)
GUEST AUTHOR: Victoria Hajjar, Fractional CMO & Marketing Coach at Ugli Ventures
I started my career like many of you—fumbling through marketing, trying to figure things out.
Years ago, I worked directly with founders and investors, building boutique hotel brands across Asia. I got to rub elbows with celebrities like Paris Hilton, collaborate with branding powerhouses like Frog Design, and play a role in launching some truly innovative brands. It was an exciting time, but it was also incredibly frustrating.
Like many marketing managers, I could only develop my marketing skills to the extent that the founders above me could guide me. And let’s be honest—most founders aren’t marketers. I had to figure it out on my own, piecing together strategies and trying to make them work.
The pressure was immense. Investors weren’t exactly patient when it came to mistakes that cost money. I spent the first five years of my career executing at full speed but with no real structure or consistency. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and I had no idea why.
It wasn’t until I went in-house with a marketing agency that everything changed. I finally saw how structured marketing programs worked. I learned the secret that high-performing marketing teams used to juggle multiple strategies without losing their minds.
That secret? A marketing framework.
And once I adopted it, my results skyrocketed.
Why Frameworks Matter (Especially in Marketing)
Too many founders approach marketing like throwing spaghetti at the wall—hoping something sticks.
They jump from one tactic to the next:
Let’s try paid ads!
Email marketing might work!
What if we post more on LinkedIn?
And while they might see some success, they don’t understand what’s working (or why). It’s chaotic. It’s inconsistent. And it’s impossible to scale.
That’s why marketing frameworks matter.
A marketing framework gives structure to your efforts. It turns marketing from a random series of experiments into a systemized process—one that you can test, iterate, and improve over time.
That’s exactly what I built when I developed the 24/7 Marketing Flywheel.
The 24/7 Marketing Flywheel: The System That Changes Everything
The 24/7 Marketing Flywheel is a repeatable system that takes your audience from strangers to paying customers—and keeps them coming back for more.
Here’s how it works:
1. Awareness (Get Noticed)
If your ideal clients don’t know you exist, they can’t buy from you. This stage is about getting in front of the right people through SEO, content marketing, paid ads, partnerships, and PR.
Example: Instead of running random Instagram ads, you identify where your audience actually spends time and focus your efforts there.
2. Engagement (Spark Interest & Build Connection)
Once you have attention, you need to keep it by making people feel connected to your brand. This is where thought leadership, storytelling, and brand-building come in. But engagement isn’t just about likes and comments. It’s about conversion. At this stage, your goal is to move people from passive interest to active connection—getting them to follow you, subscribe to your content, or join your email list so you can continue the conversation beyond just one post.
Example: You don’t just post about your product—you share personal stories, industry insights, and valuable education that makes people stop scrolling.
3. Nurture (Build Trust)
Most people won’t buy immediately. You need to stay top of mind and build trust before they’re ready. This happens through consistent emails, retargeting, webinars, and high-value content.
Example: Instead of cold-pitching, you deliver a weekly email filled with insights so that when your audience is ready to buy, you’re the first person they think of.
4. Invite (Convert into Customers)
At some point, you need to ask for the sale—but in a way that feels natural. This could be through compelling offers, clear calls-to-action, and a smooth sales process.
Example: Instead of shouting “BUY NOW,” you offer a free workshop or strategy call that naturally leads into your paid offer.
5. Delight (Create a Memorable Experience)
Your job isn’t done when someone buys. This is where client experience becomes your secret weapon. A great customer experience leads to repeat buyers, referrals, and testimonials.
Example: After working with a client, you follow up with a personalized thank-you note, ask for feedback, and offer additional support.
6. Advocate (Turn Clients Into Your Best Salespeople)
Your happy clients should be your biggest brand ambassadors. If you deliver real results, your clients will share their experiences—driving more leads for you, at zero extra cost.
Example: Instead of just hoping for referrals, you create a structured referral program that rewards clients for spreading the word.
Why This Marketing Framework Works
Most founders skip steps—they try to jump straight to sales without engaging or nurturing their audience first. Or, for a lot of women, we do a lot of nurturing and never ask for the sale!
The 24/7 Marketing Flywheel ensures that you’re not just throwing tactics at the wall—you’re building a system that works over and over again.
How to Measure & Optimize Your Marketing Flywheel
Once your flywheel is running, the key is tracking results so you can tweak and improve over time.
Here are a few key metrics to watch at each stage:
Aware: Website traffic, social engagement, ad reach
Engage: Email subscribers, comments, shares
Nurture: Email open/click rates, webinar attendance
Invite: Conversion rates, sales calls booked
Delight: Customer satisfaction scores, retention rates
Advocate: Referral traffic, testimonials
By measuring your marketing efforts, you can see what’s working—and where you need to improve.
Where to Go From Here as a Small Business Owner
You don’t need to be everywhere. You don’t need to do everything.
But you do need a system.
The 24/7 Marketing Flywheel is the exact framework I teach inside the Scalable Marketing Machine Accelerator—a program designed to help founders scale their marketing without the chaos.
If you’re ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start building a repeatable marketing system that drives real results, click here to learn more.
Let’s build your flywheel!
About the Author
Victoria Hajjar is the founder of Ugli Ventures and creator of the Scalable Marketing Machine Accelerator—a program that helps founders streamline, systemize, and scale their marketing. With 15+ years of experience working with fast-growing businesses, she specializes in helping founders move from doing it all themselves to leading a lean, ROI-driven marketing team.
