Becoming a better marketer is a journey and a process, not something you’ll achieve overnight. You will constantly have to evolve and stay nimble as markets change, trends change. To that end, here are 3 things to stop and start doing right away.
How to become a better marketer: Start and stop doing these things.
Stop overanalyzing.
I don’t know how many marketers get stuck poring over data and research to the point that they get paralysis by over-analysis. It has never been more important to be data-driven. I’ll give it to you: Data is gold. But if findings from data are never turned into action, it’s all useless.
Also, done is better than perfect. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably an over-analyzer. If you won’t release anything for publishing until it is absolutely perfect, there’s a strong chance you won’t get much done. I agree that you should copyedit and squash typos wherever possible. It’s OK to have a 1-2 rounds of revision with your graphic designer to make sure everything going out is on-brand. But bear in mind that the pursuit of perfection could hurt your ability to produce results for your business.
Forget about best practices and trends.
Pick up your jaw off the floor. Who the heck is the ultimate shot-caller when it comes to what is deemed as a best practice?! There doesn’t seem to be a singular body of authority when it comes to marketing.
Marketing is fickle, like fashion. This year it’s growth and performance marketing. Last year, it was ABM. Before that, it was inbound. Google changes its algorithm all the time.
When marketing influencers and thought leaders put out “best practices” for your consumption, they aren’t doing so with your business and its unique nuances in mind. You, as your company’s marketer, are ultimately more in tune with your business needs and challenges than any other marketer on a soapbox who is not an employee of your business. It is your responsibility to line up best practices with the realities of your businesses. Test best practices before you adopt them as part of your marketing strategy.
Never think too highly about yourself.
Marketers are a dime a dozen, and this is coming from a passionate marketer. Some of us are really good at what we do. Some of us aren’t. I would never tell you if I didn’t think you were. But I would encourage anyone who is committed to having a successful marketing career to turn down your ego and not assume you’re the smartest person in the room.
Be humble, but not in a self-deprecating way. Be humble in a “there’s always room for improvement” kind of way. For everything you do know, there’s still so much that you can learn and grow in.
Be a doer. It’s all about execution.
A lot of us marketers get a high when we’re scribbling diagrams on a whiteboard or showing off carefully-selected gifs in our PowerPoints. We want to be known as the “big idea” person. But if none or few of these ideas ever come to fruition, it’s a huge problem. It’s only a matter of time before your company catches on that… they may not be achieving the full value of what they’re paying you to do.
This is where learning how to be an agile marketer is advantageous (deeper dive into agile marketing yet to come). Take your big ideas and break them down into smaller, manageable chunks or tasks. If you are a one-person marketing team, you will have to constantly ask yourself what tasks are going to have the most impact. Will this task influence or generate revenue in some kind of way? If the answer is yes, then think about how quickly it will generate revenue and/or will it drive more revenue versus other activities you could be working on.
If you have a manager or business leader who is very forthcoming and straightforward about what their expectations are regarding marketing priorities, strive to get their requests completed first. This builds trust and momentum in your marketing strategy. Once those projects are finished, you will have time to shine in executing your own ideas and recommendations.
Adapt best practices to your business. Use them as a guide, like a recipe.
I treat best practices like a recipe. Sometimes the recipe calls for a teaspoon of sugar when you know that a tablespoon is going to do the trick. Maybe a dash of nutmeg – an ingredient nowhere to be found on the recipe – is going to take that dish to another level. Recipes are a guide meant to inspire you as the chef. You can deviate from the recipe to make the dish something unique, something the original chef may not have thought of. Take those best practices and adapt them to your business and available resources. Especially if you have a lean team or limited resources, you may need to abandon best practices altogether in favor of what is realistic for you to accomplish with what you have.
Learn from your team and other colleagues. Get feedback.
If you’ve been given a blank canvas or work in a very hands-off, self-guided environment, I would encourage you to reach out to your sales leader and other colleagues on the sales team. They are on the front lines trying to win over customers every day. Your work as a marketer matters the most to them. You may be surprised at how many things are on their marketing “wish list” or even how many of them have never been engaged by anyone on the marketing team altogether.
I can’t stress it enough: If marketing – the marketing team and its efforts – is not generating revenue, your organization has a huge problem. The first place to get feedback on whether marketing is working or not is from the sales team. Ask them what they think is working and what isn’t. Don’t be defensive or disagree with them. Be patient and listen.
If you don’t think you can have a productive conversation with your sales team or any other stakeholders, take a step back, take a breather, and try to connect again when you’re in a better position to receive feedback. However, teamwork makes the dream work. If you work with the sales team as one team – the revenue team – you are destined to win together. Relationships are a two-way street. Commit to each other, to give feedback and to collaborate, in order to have a good working relationship.
I’ve been on an 8-year quest to become the best marketer I can be. I certainly have not arrived at my destination, but I have learned I cannot get there alone. I need those who have invested in me, those who have taken a chance and exposed themselves to risk with me, to work with me together. What are some things you will try to start or stop doing to become a better marketer? Share in the comments below.