<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Obsidian North Partners]]></title><description><![CDATA[Obsidian North Partners. Senior marketing leadership, fractional. Strategy, brand positioning, demand generation, and execution for growth.]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:40:38 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Why Is Customer Acquisition So Expensive in 2026, and What Should Small Businesses Do About It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Quick answer: Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have climbed roughly 60% across industries over the past five years, driven by rising ad prices, privacy changes that weakened ad targeting, and more competitors bidding on the same audiences. The fix isn't a bigger ad budget. It's rebalancing toward channels you own and control: referrals, email, retention, and content. Businesses that diversify beyond paid ads have seen CAC rise about half as fast as those that rely on paid channels alone. If...]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/post/why-is-customer-acquisition-so-expensive-in-2026-and-what-should-small-businesses-do-about-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a638e88424f5a9980a88278</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:33:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5991a0_9a1647fcca9141b8811a516c2ffcdeb4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_654,h_654,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Megan Cosgrove</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[CASE STUDY: When the Right Answer Was Not an Ad Campaign]]></title><description><![CDATA[Results don't happen by accident. They happen by design.

One year after partnering with a regional wealth management firm, independent market research revealed they had achieved the highest brand recognition among high-net-worth prospects, even outperforming firms with significantly larger budgets.

It didn't start with advertising.

It started with asking better questions.
Research. Strategy. Execution. Growth.

That's the order that works.

True North isn't found. It's built.]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/post/case-study-when-the-right-answer-was-not-an-ad-campaign</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5544a678b0c4eecec9dc61</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:11:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5991a0_82709eb5383747ee8e2cbf1526963ce7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Megan Cosgrove</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Does a Fractional CMO Do?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Growth-stage and mid-market companies rarely need a full-time executive salary to get executive-level marketing leadership. What they need is someone who has run the function before, who can walk into the business, diagnose what is actually happening, and build a plan that connects marketing to revenue. That is the role a fractional CMO fills. At Obsidian North Partners, this is the work we do every day for clients across building materials, industrial and manufacturing, life sciences, AI and...]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/post/what-does-a-fractional-cmo-do</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4f0bfb496dfdbafc93cc47</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 02:49:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5991a0_97b290154d02417b9ad11e4925dd67d3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_880,h_585,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Megan Cosgrove</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Obsidian North Partners Ends MarketingGuesswork — Helping Brands Move With Intention]]></title><description><![CDATA[Launched across the US https://www.einpresswire.com/article/919871949/obsidian-north-partners-ends-marketing-guesswork-helping-brands-move-with-intention-launching-today]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/post/obsidian-north-partners-ends-marketingguesswork-helping-brands-move-with-intention</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3a8fb98955009f7228fa6b</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:07:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5991a0_b00ec4ccf6fe4aa4bacb7a5fcccf8449~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Megan Cosgrove</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Press Release: Obsidian North Partners Declares an End to Marketing Guesswork ]]></title><description><![CDATA[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 16, 2026 Obsidian North Partners Declares an End to Marketing Guesswork Launching today — because brands should move with intention. FairBuild.ai Named as Founding Client    Hudson, WI — June 16, 2026 Obsidian North Partners, LLC today announced its official launch. The firm has a message for founders, CEOs, and C-suite leadership: the best marketing decisions start with the right questions -- and most companies never get around to asking them. The problem isn’t...]]></description><link>https://www.obsidiannorthpartners.com/post/press-release-obsidian-north-partners-declares-an-end-to-marketing-guesswork</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2f46be418318a8f7e77862</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 03:48:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5991a0_b0235b2bbbd84fe7b564f75eef47b61f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_610,h_289,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Megan Cosgrove</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>