What does it take to be a successful marketer?
These days, it takes constant education. Marketing techniques and tools are evolving every single week and it’s important that we keep up.
It’s also vital to
All of this was discussed in a recent podcast with fellow-podcaster Douglas Burdett, who hosts The Marketing Book.
In preparation for his interviews with some of the world’s top marketers, Douglas read hundreds of marketing books.
In our interview, he told me of some of the trends he’s seen that are a common thread throughout the hundred best marketing books he’s ever read.
3 Marketing Tips That Marketing Experts Want You to Remember
Trying to condense all that Douglas shared with me is extremely difficult. Here are just a few of the highlights.
1. Slow Down
This is something I’m hearing from a lot of marketing experts lately. People are rushing and getting ahead of themselves. They’re focusing on Step D when they haven’t even considered Step A, B, and C.
For example, a lot of people are worried about their digital efforts. A digital impact is important, but it’s only about 20% of the equation. Eighty percent of what you need to do happens at the very beginning – before you publish anything.
2. Focus on Who Your Ideal Client Is
A lot of companies tend to want to cast a generic marketing net and draw in as many people as possible, whether they’re a good fit for the product or not.
This is not the most effective way to go about doing things.
Instead, look at who you want to purchase your product. Who are they? What are their needs? How can you help them?
Figure this out and you’re more likely to get leads that turn into sales.
3. Don’t Worry About Ranks – Worry About Thanks
Besides creating a stellar product, the best thing you can do for your customers is create helpful content.
Think of it this way – will your clients want to thank you after reading your latest blog post? If not, you may want to re-think how you’re approaching your content marketing strategy.
Continual Learning will Help You Become the Best of the Best
Something that I found really interesting in our discussion was that more CMOs are being promoted to CEOs.
The best marketers understand the client, the product, the competition, and revenue.
How can you become one of the best marketers? It’s simple – keep educating yourself. Listen to podcasts and read marketing blogs and books.
But don’t just stop there! Make sure you implement what you’re learning. This is where a lot of marketers fail. They’re afraid of change.
This isn’t the way to go about your job, though, because marketing is constantly in flux.
Take action – take just one step at a time. Before you know it, you’ll be proficient at something that used to scare you. And that will put you on the path of becoming a trustworthy and effective marketer.
Are you interested in listening to The Marketing Book? You can check out Douglas’ blog and podcast, as well as connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay up to date with the latest marketing tips.