Written by Chris Hedges – Marketing Consultant at Brave Zone

Yep. It will soon happen. I am counting down the weeks before I turn the BIG 40. So, I thought now would be a good time to reflect and unpack what I have learnt throughout my marketing career so far. Some of these points fellow marketers may relate to but here it is. Brace yourself:

…(in no particular order)

1. Marketing is not easy and not everyone can do it.
2. Never forget the ‘why’ behind each idea.
3. Learn from great salespeople. It helps you to sell your ideas.
4. You don’t need huge budgets to create remarkable marketing.
5. Recruit people to complement existing skillsets in your team.
6. Never be precious about an idea.
7. Collaboration with others creates better outcomes.
8. Back up your ideas with evidence.
9. Don’t close your mind to learning new things.
10. Fine tune your number crunching. Your Financial Director will love you for it.
11. Mistakes happen. Just learn from them.
12. Making things complicated is easy. Making them simple is tough.
13. A marketing plan that is not joined up to the business plan is pointless.
14. The message is more important than the platform it is communicated on.
15. Not everyone will like your ideas.
16. Marketing is not about ‘making things look pretty’.
17. Never just do what you did the previous year. Keep evolving.
18. Laugh with your team every day.
19. People will pinch your ideas but take it as a compliment.
20. No matter if you are marketing in B2B or B2C, you are still marketing to people.
21. Celebrate success.
22. Awards don’t matter. Delivering great work that delights customers does.
23. There are no ideas that are bad ideas if it sparks conversation.
24. Too many people involved in a project will create a donkey rather than a racehorse.
25. You can never have too many whiteboards in the office.
26. Never be afraid to challenge thinking.
27. Inspiration for your next marketing campaign can come from anywhere.
28. ROI is not the be all and end all of a campaign.
29. Always set aside quality thinking time for each and every project.
30. There will always be moments where you have to make tough decisions.
31. Trust your team. You employed them for a reason.
32. Google Analytics is your friend. Learn to love it.
33. Every touch point of your marketing should create an emotional response.
34. Don’t be afraid of feedback. It is a tool that helps you to constantly improve.
35. Analyse the ‘marketing crime scene’ before jumping in feet first.
36. Always share knowledge.
37. Create a working environment for your team to flourish.
38. Take people along the marketing journey with you.
39. Strive to learn something new every day.
40. Be brave

Whilst some of these points aren’t strictly marketing related, they are still things I have learned throughout my career. How many of these forty points can you relate to? The marketing profession is a great one to pursue.

Every day is a different day and, in the right environment, your aptitude for solving problems creatively will know no bounds.

As I blow out the forty candles on the birthday cake in the not too distant future, I will certainly be pondering what else I will learn in the next forty years.

About Guest Contributor: Chris Hedges has over 17 years’ experience in marketing across multiple sectors. Last year he took the leap over to agency side and helped to launch international marketing agency, Brave Zone, in the UK. Brave Zone bend the usual marketing rules, because they believe that nothing exciting ever happens inside your comfort zone. www.brave.zone