15 Things I Wish I Knew Starting My Marketing Career 👇

I’m old now. But, here’s what I wish I knew at the beginning…

1️⃣. People want to follow people, not brands. Turn your brand into a personality and growth will follow. And a personal brand is INVALUABLE. Read this book.

2️⃣. Behavioral psychology. At its very fundamental level, Marketing is about connecting with PEOPLE, and understanding what makes them tick. 

3️⃣. Don’t study billionaires, study people 2-3 years ahead of you. This is literally a career hack. You can skip over so many tiny hurdles simply from interacting with and observing your peers who may be a few steps or years ahead of you.

4️⃣. Learn how to sell. *gasp* I knowww, I just said in a Marketing newsletter that you need to learn how to sell. Internal selling is one of the most crucial skills to learn in Marketing. Sales is a life skill, learn it ASAP. Oh and Marketing and Sales alignment is REAL, the best companies are aligned.

5️⃣. Double down on your strengths. Not your weaknesses. A prime example of this? I’m bad at math but great at operations and memes (and tennis jk lol).

6️⃣. Network. Your network is your…okay you know where I’m going with this one. Go to that networking event, be active on LinkedIn, make that connection. Your professional community will take you to heights you wouldn’t expect.

7️⃣. Learn or earn. If you’re doing neither, find a new job. ESPECIALLY to those new in Marketing.

8️⃣. Become an engineer. Okay, not literally, but reverse engineer what the best Marketers do. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, just innovate upon it.

9️⃣. It’s your career. Not your parents’, not your friends’. Follow your path and run your own race. DO WHAT YOU WANT

🔟. Take RISKSSSS. Not being risky IS risky in Marketing. Make sure to send this to tip to your boss.

1️⃣1️⃣. Always negotiate your salary. When you’re offered a job, the company has a salary band. Don’t lose out on salary, fight for yourself. You will NOT get fired or removed from the opportunity simply from negotiating.

1️⃣2️⃣. Don’t chase trends, chase your audience. Customer centricity wins. Be on the platforms that your audience hangs out on.

1️⃣3️⃣. Hard skills get you hired, but soft skills get you promoted. Communication skills, emotional intelligence, those are what gets you to the C-Suite.

1️⃣4️⃣. You teach people how to treat you. Don’t let people run over you. Set boundaries.

1️⃣5️⃣. Work smarter, not harder. AI is everywhere, how will you use it??