As a founder, choosing the right marketing channel can mean the difference between a business that grows steadily and one that constantly struggles to attract customers. If you’re building an ecommerce brand, you already know that time, money and energy are limited. That’s why the Bullseye Marketing Framework is so powerful. It’s designed to help you focus on the right things quickly.
In this post, we’ll walk through exactly how to use this framework, how to pick the best channels for your business, and how to avoid the most common mistakes made by ecommerce founders when trying to grow.
We’ll also cover how this approach relates to tools like CRM, CRM Implementation, CRM for Sales Teams and even CRMs For Engineering Companies, because your marketing must connect with how you handle leads, customers and data.
What is the Bullseye Marketing Framework?
The Bullseye Framework is a system that helps founders identify and test the best customer acquisition channels for their business.
There are 19 core marketing channels outlined in the framework. These include everything from SEO and content marketing to offline ads, PR, partnerships and more. But here’s the catch. You shouldn’t use all of them.
Instead, the goal is to:
- List all 19 channels
- Brainstorm realistic tactics for each
- Narrow it down to the 6 most promising channels
- Test 3 of those channels with real experiments
- Focus your energy on the single channel that works best
This method was popularised by the book Traction by Gabriel Weinberg, and at Gro, it’s become one of the central tools we use to help clients unlock real growth.
Why Founders Struggle With Marketing Channels
If you’re the founder of a growing ecommerce business, you’ve likely tried a mix of ads, social media and influencer marketing, but still feel unsure of what’s actually working.
Some of the most common issues include:
- Jumping from one tactic to another without clear results
- Overspending on unproven platforms
- Not knowing where your best customers are
- Assuming one viral post equals sustainable growth
According to research by CB Insights, 14 percent of failed startups attribute their failure to poor marketing. That’s nearly one in seven. For ecommerce startups, customer acquisition is one of the most critical challenges to overcome.
Step-by-Step: How to Use the Bullseye Framework
Let’s break this down into five clear steps.
Step 1: Understand All 19 Channels
Here’s a quick look at some of the most common acquisition channels:
Search engine marketing such as Google Ads
SEO or search engine optimisation
Targeted blogs
Unconventional PR
Social media ads such as Meta or TikTok
Influencer marketing
Email marketing
Affiliate programs
Offline events
Each of these channels can work in the right situation. The key is to match the channel with your customer.
For example, if you’re targeting engineers or SaaS buyers, CRMs For Engineering Companies might tie into search campaigns and partnerships. If your product is lifestyle based, TikTok or influencer collaborations might be a better fit.
Step 2: Use the Perfect Customer Avatar
Before you pick a channel, you must know who you’re trying to reach. At Gro, we help founders build what we call a Perfect Customer Avatar.
This includes where your customer spends time online and offline, what frustrates them, what their buying habits are and their role in decision making.
This data gives you direction. If your customer doesn’t hang out on Pinterest, don’t spend your time there.
Step 3: Narrow Down the List
Now that you’ve looked at all 19 channels and know your customer well, choose the 6 that feel most promising.
Ask yourself:
Is my customer active in this channel?
Do I have the skills to run a test here?
Do I have access to this audience?
Once you’ve narrowed it down to 6, shortlist the top 3. These will become your test channels.
Step 4: Run Micro Tests
You don’t need to spend thousands. Run small, measurable experiments in each of your top 3 channels.
Example tests might include:
Spending 100 pounds on Google Ads with specific keyword targeting
Outreach to 5 niche blogs for backlinks
Sending 100 cold emails to potential partners
The goal is to learn fast. These aren’t campaigns for perfection. They’re quick tests to gather data.
Step 5: Focus on the Winning Channel
Once you’ve completed your tests, choose the best performing channel and double down on it.
This is where your systems start to matter.
You may now need a CRM to track leads, CRM Implementation support to connect tools, a system for CRM for Sales Teams to follow up, and even specialist tools for niche businesses, such as CRMs For Engineering Companies.
When you find your winning channel, you build out the workflows, content and processes to scale it.
How CRM Connects to Your Marketing Channel
It’s not just about getting traffic or clicks. Once someone engages with your business, you need a clear path to convert them.
This is where your CRM setup becomes essential.
What is a CRM?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It’s a system that tracks your leads, customers and their journey with your brand.
It connects directly to your chosen channel.
For example:
If SEO is your best channel, your CRM can track which blog pages bring the most leads.
If influencer marketing is working, your CRM can follow which creator sends the most customers.
If cold outreach is effective, you can manage replies and follow ups from one place.
Why CRM Implementation Matters
Many founders set up a CRM tool like HubSpot or Pipedrive and never use it again. That’s usually because it’s not configured to match their actual processes.
CRM Implementation means building out:
Custom fields that reflect your business
Automation that sends the right emails or messages
Reports that show which marketing actions are working
CRM for Sales Teams
As you grow, it’s not just you doing the sales. If you have team members or freelancers, your CRM needs to be set up for multiple users.
That means shared pipelines, notes and reminders so leads don’t slip through the cracks.
CRMs For Engineering Companies
Even if your startup targets a technical market, like manufacturing or engineering, the same rules apply. Those industries are slower to trust, more data driven and need personalised follow up. A niche configured CRM allows you to track long sales cycles, multiple decision makers and offline conversations.
Real Results From Gro
Founders who come through the Gro programme typically start with zero clarity. They’re overwhelmed by choice and confused about what’s working.
Using the Bullseye Framework, our clients often discover a completely new channel that becomes their most reliable growth engine.
One client discovered that SEO and targeted blog outreach, a channel they hadn’t considered, generated more qualified traffic than their paid ads. We helped them implement a CRM to track the traffic, onboard those customers and keep the pipeline flowing.
Another founder realised that their TikTok organic reach was outperforming their ad spend. By focusing efforts on that single channel and setting up CRM Implementation correctly, they streamlined the entire content to sale pipeline.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a founder and your biggest problem is growth, you don’t need to do everything. You just need to do the right thing at the right time.
The Bullseye Framework is a smart and simple way to find what works without wasting your budget.
And once you find that channel, your CRM, your systems and your tools become the foundation that turns attention into revenue.
Whether you’re running a brand new ecommerce shop or scaling towards an exit, focusing your marketing and connecting it with the right CRM Implementation could be the missing link in your growth journey.
