I have been a marketer for 18 years, going on 19.
It’s a long time to stay in one industry — but it’s what I love doing, I’m passionate about it.
I worked in corporate jobs for many of those 18 years.
But the entire time, I thought of myself as a marketer who just happened to be working for someone else.
In my earlier years, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was a struggle to keep up with everything going on around me.
But I was glad I did one thing. I kept a list of things that I learned along the way that gave me new perspectives.
These are things that kept me from repeating the same mistakes over and over again in my marketing career.
Hopefully, the list principles below helps you get from point A to point B throughout your journey.
I know it’s helped me tremendously.
Marketing principles to live by
#1: Long term success comes at a price
The people who are patient and are ready to play the long game will win at the end. I’ve wrote about about my business struggles and the reality of starting your own business.
#2: Relying on one channel will hurt your business
While you should focus on your pillar marketing channel, you should also figure out how to strategically allocate your ad budget across channels your customers spend time on.
#3: Never sacrifice your integrity for quick money
I regret it every single time I take on projects for the money. The outcome was frequently disappointing. This is difficult, especially when you need the money. But if you can, do anything to protect your integrity.
#4: Go against the status quo
Opportunities are abundant. It’s knocking at your door all the time. All you need is to exercise more creativity, more awareness, and curiosity to ask the right questions.
#5: Don’t work with arrogant people
There are plenty of people who are “know-it-alls.” You need to surround yourself with the right people. In my Find Your 6 article, I outlined the 6 types of people you need in your life to be successful.
#6: Pay it forward
Be happy to help someone else succeed in their pursuit. You don’t have to make money every single time — especially when you are lifting someone else and adding value into their life.
#7: Never stop testing everything
There’s no such thing is enough testing. It doesn’t stop, and it shouldn’t stop just because you are getting better results. Find new things you can test to continue improving performance, increase sales, and drive more website traffic.
#8: You will lose clients along the way
This is a hard pill to swallow. But you will lose clients even if you’re doing a great job — it happens. There are forces beyond your control that can cause this. Don’t dwell on it. Pick yourself up and move on.
#9: There’s no such thing as a 5-year forecast
Digital marketing forecasting is tricky. With everything moving at light speed, your forecast for the next 5 years will be outdated within the next 12 months. Instead of scratching your head, review your 12-month numbers to make sure you are on track.
#10: Pay attention to trends, even the silly ones
Sometimes, the silliest trends are the ones that will give you the largest boost. Don’t brush things off just because it doesn’t agree with the status quo.
#11: Stories will always attract more people
Your story will get more attention and resonate with more people than you think. Don’t let someone else tell your story. Whether it’s your entrepreneurship journey, your self-realization experience, whatever it is — tell it in your own unique way.
#12: Be ready and willing to pivot
Don’t call this plan B or C or D. Just be open-minded and don’t be driven by your ego if you need to pivot your business. In the first 9 months, we’ve already pivoted our service offering to better align with clients who we work with.
#13: Stop trying to be someone else
Own your craft. Don’t try to run your business in someone else’s shadows. Run your business the way you see fit; but always rule with humility, grace, and kindness.
#14: Video is here to stay
This has been beaten to death — yes, video content will not be slowing down anytime soon.
#15: Don’t jump into trends too quickly
Don’t dismiss trends, but don’t dive in too quickly as well. Stay alert, be ready to execute. Keep your ears to the ground — using social media listening tools, Google alerts, etc — information is your biggest ally.
#16: Be ready to work twice as hard
You snooze you lose. Get ready to put it more hours than the next person if you want to win. The cliche of “work smart, not hard” holds true within limitations. You have to work equally hard and equally smart — there’s no other way. This is the reality of what it takes to succeed.
#17: Overnight success don’t exist for 99.999999% of people
There’s no secret formula, no growth hacking recipe that can catapult your business overnight. Don’t get caught up in the stories you read about “unicorns.” Those are distractions and fodder for happy hours. Run your business so it succeeds on your own terms.
#18: It’s OK to be self-centered (in a healthy way)
Take care of your health and well being. Work hard, but don’t overwork yourself sacrificing your health. The people you work with needs you. Your clients need you. Your family needs you. Add a health routine into your schedule — exercise, healthy diets, etc.
#19: Marketing will get more expensive in the future
Superbowl ads are getting more expensive every year. Pay per click ad costs is getting higher. Marketers are demanding higher pay. Customers are demanding more every day. The overall costs to do marketing will not get any cheaper. So your job will be to increase budget efficiency.
#20: Don’t fake what you know
This will come back and bite you even faster now — with social media. Never ever ever talk or sell something you are not familiar with. The whole “fake it till you make it” is not the right approach. Learn your craft, master your art, and you will become a subject expert people trust.
#21: You can’t market crappy products / services
If your product or service does not solve problems, make lives better, or add value; you have nothing to sell. Period.
#22: Social media is a theater, we’re all actors
If you haven’t realized there’s no 100% transparency on social media, you’re in huge denial. It’s time to stop hiding under a rock. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn is a stage. It allows us to show our best selves — good or bad — we are all actors, some better than others.
#23: Agree to disagree with arrogant marketers
Don’t waste another second trying to prove someone else wrong. People build their own reality and make up their mind based on perceptions and misguidance. Spend your time with people who are positive and motivating.
#24: Not every smart marketer can be a good leader
A great marketer doesn’t equal to a great mentor or leader. I have worked with many highly skilled marketers in my career, but they do not possess the right mindset to be leaders. Don’t follow blindly.
#25: Not every client is worth your time
I believe in bringing the most value to my clients. But the reality is there are some clients that will unreasonably demand your attention — and exhaust your resources. Cut those clients or risk suffocating your team and other clients.
#26: You won’t satisfy everyone, don’t try to
Not at all. The best companies understand what they make and sell will not appeal to everyone. Pick your market, focus on core customers, and be the best in your industry.
#27: There are no shortcuts to success
No hacking your way to the top — those are extremely corner cases.
#28: Viral content is combination of luck, timing, content
Everyone wants to create content that goes viral, get tens of millions of views, and rake in the sales. But it’s more complex than just putting up a funny cat video. It must have the right mix of the right ingredients, and that’s complex.
#29: There are many “gurus” out there who don’t know what they’re talking about
Scroll through your FB feeds and you’ll see what this means.
#30: You are a well compensated scapegoat
I’ve made six-figure salaries in my past jobs — overseeing marketing teams. But the reality is, when things went wrong, I was the scapegoat — the sacrifice the company put on the guillotine. This is harsh, but as long as you are being paid, this is the reality.
#31: Optimize for top line revenue
Profits are great, but most companies won’t be profitable for many years as it scales. If you optimize for gross revenue first, you can gauge the demand first. Build your customer base, create loyalty, and then optimize for profit.
#32: Brand development is important, but not an excuse for poor conversions
Building your brand is the #1 thing. But don’t use it as an excuse if your conversion performance is lack luster. As your brand’s reach grows, your conversions should follow nicely if you have been attracting the right audience to your brand.
#33: Don’t hire people too quickly out of desperation
I fell into this trap in the first 3 months of launching Fullmoon Digital. I hired because I was desperate for help, and it ended up doing more damage to our clients.
It is difficult to find and hire good people. Taking your time to hire new people can give you the time to figure out exactly who you want to bring on your team.
#34: Invest in content development in every format
Video, written-form, images, podcast, webinars, etc — it is a consistent and long-term strategy. You may not see the results immediately, but for every piece of content you produce and distribute, it’s one more than your competition who’s not doing it.
#35: Do something that scares you; that’s a sign of growth
It’s OK to try something new — and if it scares you, it’s a clear indication that you have room to grow. I was afraid to write my first client contract. But spending the time to draft (because I couldn’t afford counsel) it forced me to learn new things about agreements and business terms.
#36: Humble-bragging is lame
Too many people are doing this — and honestly, it’s getting annoying. Sharing your success with your network is healthy — but using your success to stroke your ego (yes, it’s obvious) is the lamest thing you can do.
#37: Not every story on social media is true
Don’t be naive. Not everyone is telling 100% of their story — it’s a channel that empowers selective sharing. Nobody will talk about how much in debt they are, but they will certainly talk about how they closed 5 new clients last week.
#38: Numbers don’t lie (unless you have bad data)
Garbage-in-garbage-out (GIGO). When in doubt, turn to your data for insights. Don’t guess and don’t assume.
#39: There’s no silver bullet on how to get more leads
You can get leads from many sources. There’s no single source that’s better than another. Lead generation used to be a “black box” but with better marketing and tracking tools, you can ascertain how leads flow into your business from click to convert.
#40: Protect your brand at all costs
Especially true for Google Ads pay per click. Brands, now more than ever must launch brand campaigns so their competition do not steal customers away. And if your brand is not ranking in SEO, more reason to defend your brand through pay per click ads.
#41: Listening is an important skill to master
Not easy, but 100% necessary. Most people love listening to themselves talk. But to become a good leader, you need to be a great listener. In fact, you will often learn something new when you listen — let’s face it, you don’t know everything.
#42: It’s not always about the money (although easier said than done)
I’ve helped people without getting paid many times — and I don’t mind it at all, within reason. Obviously, you can’t offer free work all the time, otherwise you’d be on the streets. But whenever you can afford to offer that help, it is a very fulfilling experience that you’ve helped someone get to their next milestone.
#43: Don’t be a boss, be a leader
Everybody hates their boss. But they love and are loyal to their leader. Gain the respect of people you work with, do not manage a team with fear. Show them how things are done by doing it, but through some online tutorial video.
#44: You don’t and will never know everything
Nothing surprising about this one.
Conclusion
Many above will sound so simple to you while others may not. The point I am trying to make is that you and your team will run into at least one or two of these mistakes.
What’s important is that you make your own list so years later, you too, can share with others what you have experienced in your job to help the people who are just getting started.
What principles have you written down throughout your marketing career? Let’s hear them.
