Josh Ramsey: From Traditional Media to Fractional CMO Strategy

Josh Ramsey, founder of JR CMO, reveals his transformation from traditional media sales to building a fractional CMO practice that solves the core disconnect plaguing modern marketing. After successfully creating over 80,000 campaigns and navigating the 2009 recession, Josh developed a psychology-driven approach that focuses on strategic messaging and narrative-based positioning rather than tactical execution. His methodology helps business owners escape the cycle of being sold what agencies are good at instead of what they actually need.

1. The Two Elements That Matter in Marketing

• Marketing is fundamentally simple: strategic message (what you say and what’s perceived) and tactical placement (where you put it).
• Anyone can execute tactics—SEO, AdWords, social media. The differentiator is strategic messaging and perception.
• Most businesses skip strategy and jump straight to execution, leading to wasted spend and poor results.

2. The Narrative-Driven USP Discovery

• Josh uses the “trauma egg” exercise—a visual chronological mapping of life experiences to uncover patterns.
• Your Unique Selling Position (USP) comes from your personal narrative, not generic positioning statements.
• Businesses are built by humans, and human psychology drives all algorithms and AI.

3. The Perception Revolution

• Updating Zig Ziglar’s famous quote: “It’s not what you say or how you say it—it’s what’s perceived by your audience.”
• In digital marketing, you can’t see facial expressions or reactions to course-correct in real-time.
• Strategic messaging must be locked in because perception happens without the ability to clarify intent.

4. The Navigation Psychology

• Josh’s biggest pet peeve: websites with generic navigation like “Home” and “Blogs.”
• Control user navigation by anticipating what visitors should know, not what they might randomly click.
• Replace “What do customers ask?” with “What should they be asking?“—this shifts the entire narrative.

5. The CFO Problem Pattern

• Josh works with CFOs more than CEOs because of a predictable dysfunction cycle.
• CEO wants money → CFO questions marketing spend → Sales wants more leads → Marketing spends more → CFO cuts marketing → Sales suffers.
• Setting proper KPIs breaks this cycle and creates clarity across all departments.

6. The 30-Day Framework

• Josh’s starter program analyzes: what you’ve been doing, where you want to go, how you’re trying to get there, and who’s on your team.
• Every business is unique, but the framework for identifying strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots is consistent.
• Sometimes it’s 30 days, sometimes 3-4 months—the duration depends on the specific scenario.

7. Social Media Mastery Formula

• Every reel should be maximum 15 seconds with a three-step structure:
• First 3 seconds: Disrupt (make them stop scrolling)
• Next 9 seconds: Engage and educate
• Final 3 seconds: Hook them to take action (follow, like, comment, visit website)

8. The Growth Paradox

• Josh’s counterintuitive insight: working less hard often leads to 10x growth.
• When he stops, delegates with confidence, and trusts his team, exponential growth follows.
• What got you here won’t get you there—different levels require different approaches.

🎯 Key Quotes:

• “People keep getting sold what someone’s good at, not what they actually need.”
• “It’s not what you say or how you say it—it’s what’s perceived by your audience.”
• “Your website doesn’t need to be rebuilt. It just needs to be reorganized.”
• “Every time I’ve stopped and trusted someone else to do it, I’ve 10x’d where I was.”
• “We can’t see our own blind spots, but we can see others.”

🧠 Ideal For:

• Business owners caught in the CEO-CFO-Sales-Marketing dysfunction cycle.
• Companies jumping between agencies without seeing real progress.
• Leaders who recognize they need strategic thinking, not just tactical execution.
• Businesses ready to invest in psychology-driven messaging rather than generic marketing tactics.