5 Lessons Learned in Marketing

Spending 20+ years in marketing, now digital marketing, has taught me a few things. Most of the positions I've held required a fly by the seat of your pants approach, with never enough time or money to do all the marketing magic you always dreamed about in business school.

Time spent in my small business (almost a decade's worth), nonprofit, for-profit and education, I've pretty much covered all bases, except for experience with large institutions with really big marketing moola. I wouldn't change a thing.

Hundreds of social media platforms can make marketing seem overwhelming. Here are five marketing lessons.

Take-aways

1. Owning and marketing a small business ownership is tough, like, I can't afford payroll and I'm the only one on the payroll tough. What was I thinking starting a business shortly after college? It must have been all that independence (otherwise known as lonely leader), make your own hours (aka chained to the business) and dispelling the myth that small business owners are rich - we're not. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

2. Marketing is about change. Prepare for change, always. Embrace change, live for it, get excited by it, become a change junky. It's a blast always being presented with a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new problem, a new state of - I've never done this before but so be. Downside, it can be exhausting.

3. Relationships matter, like a lot. You never know who can help get you out of a bind, fund your start-up, put a call in for you, do you that favour or come to your rescue. Be prepared to be on the giving side of that equation, the world gives back what you put out.

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. The ask is the toughest part because we like to think we have it altogether, the cool kid on the outside (screaming on the inside). Asking for help puts us in a vulnerable position and that's super uncomfortable, but it's also invites others to engage with us. It's not just about us, asking empowers the helper too and who doesn't want to play the part of hero even in a small way.

5. There is nothing that time, money and relationships can't solve. When you are short on time and money, refer back to #3 and #4.

How about you? What lessons in marketing have you learned?