Being a good marketer is tough. Being a great marketer is even tougher. The marketing industry is constantly going through changes and it’s a significant effort to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, tools and techniques.
While there is no single, definitive way to ensure your success as a marketer, I’ve found that hard work, determination and stamina are some of the defining factors of a successful marketing career. Additionally, adopting and sticking to good habits will help keep you on the bleeding edge of the industry.
Here are the two things every marketer should do every day if they want to be successful.
1. Know what’s happening in YOUR world.
By this I mean, look at your numbers every single day. Depending on your business these numbers will be different. These numbers can be site visitors, leads and/or sales, conversion rate(s) to leads/sales, click through rates from ads, traffic by lead-source, etc. Again, these numbers will differ for every business and there’s not always something you can do about them in the short-term. But you should absolutely know what they are every day as well as the trailing 7, the trailing 30 and trailing 90 days.
Knowing and analyzing your numbers (aka your key performance indicators) is the main way you’re going to be able to understand what works and what doesn’t, as well as proving your worth. Every marketing campaign is going to have goals, and keeping abreast of your numbers is going to keep you on track to achieve them.
Find the data that is most relevant to your needs, create SMART goals around them and then check them daily to ensure you’re continuing down the right path. Remaining knowledgeable about your numbers will allow you to more easily identify trends, recognize a potential crisis and better inform your overall marketing strategy.
2. Know what’s happening in the OUTSIDE world.
Read the paper – print, digital or otherwise. And I’m not just talking about scrolling through your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Go seek out what is happening in parts of the world and circles of thought that aren’t in your typical social echo chamber. As a marketer, it’s critical to understand not only the zeitgeist, but also the perspectives of others in order to best find your footing in the market and align your offering(s) with the appropriate audience(s).
Additionally, in a time where information is everywhere, there is really no excuse to not be always in-the-know. Curate a solid list of publications that you skim on a daily basis so you can stay informed. Getting daily newsletters sent to your inbox is an incredibly easy and efficient way to do this.
Being a well-rounded, well-informed person is going to immensely help your ability to connect to a variety of audiences as a marketer.
Like I said earlier, there’s no golden formula that’s automatically going to make you the best gosh dang marketer this side of the Mississippi. But if you make it a point to be knowledgeable about what’s going on inside your own little world, as well as the larger world around you, you’ll be off to great start.
