How to Build a Scalable Marketing Process: Insights from Behdad Jamshidi

Scaling your business doesn’t stop with a great product or service. To grow effectively, you need a marketing strategy that scales alongside your company. In this episode of the 4M Strategies™ podcast, Carl J. Cox, CEO of 40 Strategy and 40 Accounting, and Behdad Jamshidi, founder of CJAM Marketing, share the secrets to building an efficient, scalable marketing process that works for businesses of any size.

Why a Scalable Marketing Process Matters

A scalable marketing process ensures that as your business grows, your marketing efforts can keep up without burning out your team or overextending resources. Behdad emphasizes that scalability is all about structure—from understanding your customers to leveraging outsourcing and creating efficient workflows.

Start with Your Customers

The foundation of any effective marketing strategy begins with a deep understanding of your customers. Behdad highlights the importance of:

• Talking to your customers: Learn why they choose your product or service and what truly matters to them.
• Identifying pain points: Understand the challenges they face and how your solution helps address those problems.
• Shaping your messaging: Use customer insights to inform your brand strategy and marketing content.

When you focus on your customers first, everything else—from channel selection to content creation—falls into place.

Build Clear Processes

Efficiency is key to scaling. Behdad explains that having clear, repeatable processes ensures your team can operate effectively without constant oversight. Examples include:

• Content creation workflows: Use tools like ClickUp or Asana to track the status of content from creation to publication.
• Social media scheduling: Plan and schedule posts across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to ensure consistent visibility.
• Campaign tracking: Monitor the performance of marketing campaigns to identify what’s working and where adjustments are needed.

With clear processes in place, you’ll save time and reduce stress, freeing up resources to focus on growth.

Leverage Outsourcing Wisely

For businesses in their early stages, Behdad suggests learning the basics of marketing yourself. But as you grow, outsourcing becomes essential for scalability. Here’s how to approach it:

• Start small: Hire a part-time assistant or freelancer for simple tasks like scheduling posts or data entry. Even a $10/hour hire can free up valuable time.
• Focus on expertise: As your budget grows, invest in specialized professionals for areas like graphic design, SEO, or copywriting.
• Retain control over strategy: Keep strategic decision-making in-house while outsourcing execution.

Outsourcing allows you to focus on high-value activities while ensuring the day-to-day tasks are handled efficiently.

Mix In-House and Outsourced Talent

A common misconception is that you need to build everything in-house to scale. Behdad recommends finding the right balance by:

• Leveraging in-house talent for their core strengths. For example, use your in-house copywriter for content but outsource graphic design or web development.
• Supplementing with external expertise. Agencies or freelancers can fill gaps in skills or bandwidth, allowing your team to focus on what they do best.

By mixing in-house and outsourced resources, you can create a flexible, scalable team that adapts to your needs.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Scaling marketing often comes with hurdles. Behdad offers advice for overcoming common challenges:

• Budget constraints: Start small with outsourcing and reinvest as your business grows. A few dollars spent on outsourcing can free up your time to focus on revenue-generating activities.
• Defining roles: Clearly outline responsibilities within your team to avoid overlap or confusion. Each team member or external partner should have defined deliverables.
• Fear of delegation: Trust your team or partners to handle tasks. Remember, their 80% effort multiplied is more effective than your 100% effort spread too thin.

Practical Steps to Build a Scalable Marketing Process

Behdad provides actionable steps to get started:

1. Understand your customers: Talk to them, learn their needs, and build your strategy around their priorities.
2. Choose your channels: Focus on platforms where your audience is most active, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.
3. Document your processes: Create workflows for key activities like content creation, social media posting, and campaign management.
4. Outsource strategically: Start small and gradually delegate more tasks to free up your time.
5. Continuously refine: Monitor your efforts and adjust as needed to optimize performance.

Why This Approach Works

Behdad’s approach ensures that your marketing efforts grow with your business. By focusing on structure, leveraging outsourcing, and understanding your customers, you’ll create a scalable process that drives consistent results.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

• Scaling requires a balance of in-house and outsourced resources.
• Customer insights are the foundation of effective marketing.
• Clear processes improve efficiency and reduce stress.
• Outsourcing small tasks early can free up time for strategic growth.
• Flexibility and continuous refinement are essential for long-term success.

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