Josh Mangum is the Founder of WiT Group, a performance-based digital marketing agency, and the innovator behind the Objective Based Marketing (OBM) approach. As an entrepreneur and inbound marketing expert, Josh employs OBM to align sales, marketing, and operational tactics, ensuring optimal returns on efforts for his clients.

Josh’s journey with WiT Group began out of necessity, driven by a desire to survive and make a living. This foundational urgency resurfaced in 2020 when WiT Group relaunched as a full-service agency. Over the past four years, the agency has experienced significant growth, expanding its client base and increasing revenue. This success has allowed Josh and his team to become more intentional with their long-term goals, planning six months to a year ahead and strategically shaping the agency’s future. 

Josh’s innovative approach to digital marketing has been instrumental in WiT Group’s success. He has created a cohesive strategy that drives results by aligning sales, marketing, and operations. His expertise in inbound marketing and his ability to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape has made WiT Group a leader in the industry.

Under Josh’s leadership, WiT Group has developed a reputation for delivering exceptional client results across various industries. The agency’s performance-based model ensures that clients receive the best possible return on investment, making WiT Group a trusted partner for businesses looking to enhance their digital marketing efforts.

Josh’s dedication to continuous improvement and innovation has also fostered a culture of growth and learning within WiT Group. He emphasizes the importance of staying ahead of industry trends and continuously refining strategies to meet clients’ evolving needs. This forward-thinking approach has benefited clients and contributed to the agency’s rapid growth and success.

In addition to his professional achievements, Josh is committed to giving back to the community and supporting the growth of future entrepreneurs. He actively mentors young professionals and shares his knowledge and experience to help them navigate the challenges of the digital marketing landscape. 

Looking ahead, Josh and his team at WiT Group are focused on continuing to expand their services and reach, helping more businesses achieve their marketing objectives through the innovative OBM approach. 

Aligning Efforts with Business Goals for Tangible Results 

Josh emphasizes that an objective-based marketing approach is crucial for aligning efforts with defined business goals. He observes that many internal marketing departments and traditional agencies often exert well-intended effort that ultimately fails to drive revenue toward these objectives. By taking the time at the beginning of their relationship with clients to clearly define these objectives, they ensure their efforts are aligned with the client’s goals.

Josh points out that this approach often involves less visible but significantly impactful work. Clients feel the impact through increased revenue, though it may not be something flashy to showcase on social media or in a portfolio. The work involves ensuring proper attributions and focusing on measurable outcomes, such as the “1s and 0s” of digital marketing. While this may not be the most glamorous aspect of marketing, it ultimately drives revenue and delivers tangible results.

Seamlessly Integrating Innovation into Client Operations 

 In the initial stages of working with a new client, Josh and his team prioritize understanding the client’s current operations. They aim to integrate new systems into the client’s existing processes whenever feasible. Recognizing that some clients may not be as technologically advanced and may prefer more traditional methods, Josh and his team often suggest improvements and encourage the implementation of these changes.

Their goal is to enhance the client’s existing framework, working within it and making improvements wherever possible. This approach sometimes requires creative thinking to find the best solutions that align with the client’s specific needs and goals. By doing so, they ensure that any new systems or processes introduced are seamlessly integrated and effectively support the client’s objectives.

Balance Between Data and Creativity

With the advent of AI and increasing automation, especially in mass communication such as chatbot-driven emails, a noticeable trend is emerging. Josh believes this trend is compounded by privacy changes limiting advertisers’ access to insights and data. Six years ago, advertisers could precisely target specific demographics with detailed data; for example, they could show a Facebook ad to a 37-year-old pregnant woman who voted for Obama. However, as privacy concerns mounted, platforms began to restrict data sharing. This shift has led to a decline in data accuracy and the impending disappearance of cookies.

As a result, the industry is shifting back to a reliance on market research and creative marketing strategies to drive success. While data is important, exclusive reliance on it is no longer sustainable. The trend now emphasizes the importance of blending data-driven insights with creativity. Josh sees successful marketing as requiring a balanced approach: leveraging data for informed decisions while allowing room for innovative and creative strategies.

Blending Tenacity, Grit, and Empathy for Team Success

Josh’s background in sales and operations has been crucial in shaping his leadership style. This experience enables him to collaborate effectively with leaders in these areas, providing advice when needed and knowing when to seek guidance. His leadership philosophy is built on core values such as tenacity, grit, and empathy.

Over the past four years, Josh’s leadership approach has evolved considerably. He is dedicated to continuous improvement, especially in leading with empathy. For him, this means prioritizing understanding and connecting with his team members, and ppreciating both their personal and professional contributions. By building strong relationships and creating a supportive environment, Josh ensures that his teams succeed and grow, both individually and collectively.

Cultivating a Performance-Driven Culture of Innovation and Growth

WiT Group’s performance agency thrives on a business model that inherently promotes innovation, growth, and development through a strong emphasis on performance. This focus creates a culture of continuous improvement within the team. Josh’s team’s approach to performance does not need to be enforced—it is ingrained in their ethos. This model attracts self-motivated individuals who excel in independent learning, a critical trait given the demands of their work.

WiT Group is dedicated to fostering a culture of knowledge sharing by circulating articles, information, and insights among team members. This practice enhances collective knowledge and skills and reinforces the agency’s commitment to innovation and high performance.

Thriving Through Adversity

The year 2020 was particularly challenging for WiT Group. They launched as a full-service agency in March, only for the world to shut down two weeks later due to the pandemic. Despite this, Josh is proud of how his team tackled the obstacles, building their client base amidst adversity. In 2022, he made the decision to rebuild from the ground up. Despite these hurdles, within two years, they managed to scale their operations to multiple seven figures. This demonstrates the robustness of their business model, achieving threefold growth in just four years.

Work-Life Integration

Balancing work and personal life is essential, but Josh prefers to view it as work-life integration rather than balance. Instead of separating work and personal life, he believes in blending them. This approach acknowledges that you can’t completely shut out either aspect and encourages incorporating both into your daily routine.

Guide to Standing Out

Josh advises aspiring entrepreneurs and marketing professionals aiming to make a significant impact and drive innovation in their fields. He recognizes the saturation in the market, especially with the proliferation of boutique agencies and small teams emerging across various industries in recent years, accelerated by the events of 2020.

To stand out in this competitive landscape, Josh emphasizes the importance of differentiation. He advises identifying a “blue ocean,” a unique niche or untapped opportunities that set your business apart from others. At his agency, they highlight their pay-for-performance model as a key differentiator. Drawing from their own experience, Josh suggests investing time upfront in documenting processes rather than focusing solely on building the business. He stresses the importance of prioritizing the development of a strong brand identity from the outset, which he believes is foundational to long-term success in a crowded market.

Touching New Horizons with Strategic Expansion and Collaborative Expertise 

Josh reflects on an exciting phase for WiT Group, marked by its expansion into new service areas alongside its core specialization in digital marketing. WiT Group has strategically streamlined its services to diversify its offerings, introducing podcast services and swift virtual assistance. 

A key aspect of their strategy involves collaboration with specialized agencies in branding and videography. WiT Group enhances its overall service delivery by partnering with these experts without diluting its focus on core competencies. This approach allows them to leverage external expertise in complementary fields, ensuring comprehensive solutions for their clients while maintaining their commitment to excellence in digital marketing.