What 15+ Years in Marketing Taught Me (What Actually Works)

Marketing Isn’t Magic—It’s a Craft Built Over Time

I’ve been doing marketing for a long time. I’m nearly 40, and I didn’t stumble into some secret playbook or overnight success.

I started where most marketers start: copywriting.

It wasn’t glamorous. There was no ChatGPT. No shortcuts. Just sitting across from senior copywriters, submitting work, and hoping it didn’t get torn apart. I came from a creative background—music, composition, creative writing—and marketing copy felt painfully literal. Business-focused. Direct. It didn’t feel like “art.”

But that discomfort taught me something early:

marketing isn’t about creativity alone—it’s about communication.

And that lesson has shaped everything I’ve done since.

Skill First. Hype Later.

Most people want the viral moment. The headline. The one campaign that “finally works.”

That’s not how real growth happens.

Copywriting is still one of the most valuable skills in marketing—not because it’s flashy, but because it forces clarity. You don’t need to be a master writer. You need to communicate clearly, concisely, and honestly.

Even with AI tools today, this matters more than ever. If you can’t edit, refine, or recognize clarity, no tool will save your marketing. Writing is thinking. And thinking is strategy.

That skill transfers everywhere—emails, landing pages, ads, sales conversations, and leadership.

Why Great Marketers Learn More Than One Skill

After copywriting, I moved into video.

Same story. Different medium.

Video taught me structure, pacing, hooks, and storytelling—skills that directly came from writing. Once you understand how attention works, it translates across formats.

Today, marketing demands range:

• Writing
• Video editing
• UX and landing pages
• Social content
• Strategy
• Analytics
• Systems

You don’t need to be world-class at everything—but you do need to understand how it all fits together.

The marketers who win now aren’t specialists stuck in one lane. They’re integrators.

That’s what clients trust.

Marketing Is as Much Psychology as It Is Execution

One of the most underrated marketing skills?

Dealing with people.

I was often the one asked to take the tough client calls—the ones that were frustrating and uncomfortable. Marketing sits at the intersection of expectations, revenue, and emotion. That creates tension.

Marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin. When they’re disconnected, everyone loses.

Great marketing isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about managing uncertainty with confidence, communicating clearly, and staying committed to solving the problem—not defending your ego.

Detach from the work. Deliver the craft. Learn. Adjust.

That’s professionalism. 

Marketing Can’t Save a Bad Business

This is the hard truth most business owners don’t want to hear.

Marketing doesn’t fix:

• A weak product
• Poor customer experience
• No market demand
• Broken sales processes

Marketing amplifies what already exists.

When a business is strong, marketing gives it scale.

When it’s weak, marketing exposes the cracks faster.

That’s why I always look at sales—not vanity metrics. And why strategy comes before execution.

Startups need testing and patience. Established businesses need systems and scale. The approach changes, but commitment is non-negotiable.

Consistency Beats Campaigns—Every Time

Marketing isn’t a one-off effort. It’s a long-term commitment.

Too many businesses quit right before traction appears. They try a few ads, post some content, don’t see instant results—and walk away. 

That’s not a marketing problem. That’s a commitment problem.

Real growth comes from:

• Testing
• Learning
• Adjusting
• Repeating

Over time.

Build Trust (Your Clients Will Love You) 

Trust isn’t built through clever tactics. It’s built through:

• Clear communication
• Honest feedback
• Ownership
• Adaptability
• Results over time

Marketing should feel like a partnership, not a transaction.

I don’t promise miracles. I build systems. I test ideas. I focus on what moves revenue—not what looks good in a deck.

That’s how predictable growth actually happens.

Final Thought: Stay Human 

AI is powerful. Tools are incredible. Efficiency is higher than ever.

But the final 20%—the part that matters most—will always be human:

• Judgment
• Creativity
• Decision-making
• Strategy

Marketing isn’t about replacing thinking.

It’s about sharpening it.

And when you do that consistently, marketing stops feeling chaotic—and starts becoming a real growth engine.