January — AUA (Ask Us Anything)
Okay, this already hasn’t gone exactly as planned.
Our original goal was to respond to your questions in a live session. But… alas. One of our founders kicked off the year with zero voice, and the other has been busy busy.
So we pivoted — and one of us loves where this landed because she doesn’t want to be on camera.
Anyway, one of our favourite parts of twoseven is the “quick question…” emails that turn into really good discussions about growth, marketing, and what’s actually working right now.
So welcome to Ask twoseven Anything (name currently being workshopped): a recurring series where you ask the questions, and we answer them. Real insights from building businesses, launching campaigns, and learning what works.
Now let’s get into it.
The questions we received
How do you know if it’s a marketing problem, or a sales problem?
What should a business do before spending money on ads?
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned while building Two Seven?
What’s your favourite type of client to work with?
What’s the most overrated tactic in marketing right now?
Now let’s get you some answers…
How do you know if it’s a marketing problem, or a sales problem?
Here’s the simplest way to break it down:
If you’re not getting enough leads, it’s likely a marketing problem
If you’re getting leads but they aren’t converting, that’s likely a sales and marketing problem
If leads are coming in, calls are happening, but nothing is closing? That’s usually a sales problem
Marketing’s job is to attract the right people, set expectations, and warm them up before they ever speak to you directly. Sales’ job is to qualify, build trust, and close. Most of the time, the real issue isn’t one or the other — it’s alignment. Marketing and sales need to operate as one system, not two separate teams pointing fingers at each other.
What should a business do before spending money on ads?
Before you spend a single dollar on ads, you need to make sure your foundation is in place.
That means:
Your website is clear and functional
Your digital channels are set up properly
Your follow-up process actually exists
Then ask yourself:
Who is this for?
What problem are we solving?
Where does the traffic go when someone clicks?
What happens after someone fills out a form or sends a DM?
Ads don’t fix broken systems. When ads work well, it’s almost always because everything before the ads was already solid.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned while building twoseven?
Clarify and verify.
In the early days of building a business, it’s easy to move fast and say yes to every client, every project, every idea.
But speed without clarity creates chaos.
In 2025, we really had to clarify:
Who we do our best work for
What problems we solve
What we don’t want to be known for
Then verify:
Is this opportunity aligned?
Does this client match how we work?
Does this decision move both our client and our own business forward?
Growth is about doing the right things, for the right reasons, consistently.
Clarifying and verifying is one of the most important disciplines you can build.
What’s your favourite type of client to work with?
We love working with people who believe in marketing and communications, not as an afterthought, but as a real business enabler.
Our favourite clients understand that marketing isn’t just about posting or running ads.
It’s about:
Creating clarity
Supporting sales and operations
Helping the business scale sustainably
We’re especially drawn to clients who are:
Critical thinkers
Transparent in how they operate
Grounded in integrity
At the end of the day, we want to work with good people who are scrappy and ready to grow; whether that’s a product, a service, or a company they genuinely care about. When values align, the work is better, the conversations are easier, and the results actually stick.
What’s the most overrated tactic in marketing right now?
Probably chasing a viral moment.
Virality can be powerful, but it doesn’t automatically mean conversions, growth, or long-term success. A video getting thousands of views doesn’t matter much if:
The audience isn’t the right one
The message isn’t clear
There’s no next step
That said, this really depends on the product, service, and goals. What’s overrated for one brand might be exactly right for another.
The real issue isn’t the tactic but rather using tactics without intention.
Marketing works best when every channel, idea, and execution ties back to a clear goal. Without that, you’re just chasing noise.
Got a question for next week?
Send us a DM, reply to our stories, or drop us a note through the site.
