In 2022, I co-founded a web3 review platform.

To build it, I worked personally with a UX designer and a software developer. Every screen, every flow, every interaction I had imagined had to go through someone else's hands before it became real. And it came at a cost I honestly couldn't afford at the time. Finding a good developer and a UX designer wasn't cheap, and what I spent on execution came directly out of the marketing budget I had planned to use to actually grow the thing. Every app or platform I'd ever wanted to build required either a technical co-founder or a fee. The idea was mine. The execution always depended on someone else.

That was three years ago.

Over the past few months, my husband and I have built tens of websites and platforms together. Admin panels, user panels, custom functionality. The monthly cost: a Claude subscription and domain registration. That's it.

When I zoom out and look at what actually changed, it's not that I got more technical. It's that the dependency is gone.

And I think most people haven't fully processed what that means yet.

Right now, the majority of people using AI are using it as a smarter search engine. A better writing assistant. A recipe generator, a fitness planner, a way to clean up email copy before hitting send. Useful? Yes. But that's the shallow end of what's actually available, and most people don't realize how much further it goes. Tbh, I'm jealous of anyone who hasn't really seen the possibilities yet because it's so mind blowing. :)

The assumption that's still sitting underneath a lot of this, quietly and mostly unchallenged, is that building real things is still for the technical people. That if you have an idea for a tool, an automation, an agent that would actually solve something meaningful at work, you need to find someone who can code, or budget for it, or wait until your company prioritizes it.

That assumption is out of date.

AI isn't giving technical people more power. It's eliminating the gap that kept everyone else out. The barrier was never imagination or problem clarity. It was the cost and dependency of execution. And that barrier is either gone or close enough that the difference barely matters anymore.

So what does this actually mean for your career?

The question shifts. It's no longer "do I have the technical skills to build this?" It's "do I have enough clarity about the problem to direct the build?"

And that's where I think the real career opportunity sits for marketers right now.

Not in learning to code. Not in becoming an AI power user for its own sake. In developing problem definition as an intentional skill, not just a byproduct of your job. In getting really, genuinely precise about what's broken, where it breaks, and what fixed looks like.

Because here's what I've noticed: the people who are building things that actually work, technical background or not, are the ones who walk in with that clarity. And the people who are spinning their wheels are often the ones who have the tools but not the problem map.

I've built a content repurposing engine, a pipeline forecasting model, and an account enrichment workflow over the past two weeks. Not because I learned to code. Because I've spent years sitting inside the broken versions of all three and I knew exactly what I wanted instead.

That's the skill. And it's one most marketers are already developing without realizing it.

The marketers who stand out in the next two to three years won't necessarily be the most technical ones. They'll be the ones who figured out that what they imagined but couldn't build before is now within reach, and did something about it.

You don't need to become a different kind of marketer. You need to stop assuming that the gap between your idea and its execution is still as wide as it used to be.

For a long time, I thought salary negotiation was something other people did. Confident people. People who had leverage. People who weren't me.

I remember getting my first serious job offer in marketing and feeling so relieved that someone wanted to hire me that negotiating didn't even cross my mind. I said yes. I started on a Monday. I worked hard. I got good performance reviews. And then a few years later I figured out, almost accidentally, that the peers I'd been outperforming were making significantly more than I was.

That realization didn't make me angry. It made me embarrassed I hadn't done my homework sooner.

The thing is, I didn't know how broken the system was from the inside until I started actually looking. And what I found is that most salary advice assumes you already know your number, already know how to ask for it, and are just looking for the right wording. But for a lot of us (especially earlier in our careers) the first problem isn't the script. It's not even having the conversation in the first place.

This article is my attempt to fix that. Not with generic negotiation tips you've read in 47 other places, but with the actual framework I wish I'd had. Built on real experience, real data, and some honest truths about how salary growth actually works in marketing.

First: the thing nobody tells you about getting raises

Here's the part that took me too long to understand: there are two completely different salary games happening in your career at the same time.

Game 1 is the internal game. Asking for raises, getting promoted, building your case within your current company. You can absolutely win this game, and I'll show you how. But it has a ceiling. A real one. Most companies have salary bands by role and level, and once you hit the top of that band, no amount of good work or smart negotiation is going to move the number.

Game 2 is the external game. Using the job market itself as your benchmark, your leverage, and sometimes your escape hatch.

I played Game 1 for years. I did everything right. I kept a folder of wins (screenshots of positive feedback, client results, performance metrics) and everything I could pull out in a conversation to justify a raise. I did the market research. I prepared the benchmarks. I asked twice over the course of about two years. Both times, I got something. But the increases were small. Incremental. And I eventually found out they were small not because my manager didn't value me, but because the band for my role had a ceiling, and I was close to it.

The significant salary jump, the one that actually moved the needle, came when I changed companies. In one move, I closed the gap that two years of internal negotiation hadn't been able to touch.

I'm not saying leave every time you want more money. I loved that job. The decision to leave was hard. But I want you to understand both games before you decide which one you're playing, because most negotiation advice only teaches you Game 1.

Step 1: Know your actual number before you walk into any conversation

This is the non-negotiable starting point. You cannot negotiate well from a vague sense that you should be making more. You need a real number, grounded in real data.

Where to find it:

• LinkedIn Salary — filter by title, location, and years of experience. This gives you current ranges, not industry averages from a survey done 18 months ago

• Glassdoor — useful especially for named companies. Use it to benchmark total comp, not just base

• Levels.fyi — primarily tech, but useful if you're in a marketing role at a software company

• Job postings — this is underrated. Many states and provinces now require salary ranges on postings. Search for your role and city and see what the market is actually advertising

• Talking to peers — I know this feels uncomfortable, but it's the most accurate data you'll get. Women especially tend not to do this, and it costs us. (Research from Harvard confirms that women negotiate on pay less often and face more resistance when they do, which means information sharing matters even more.)

If you haven't already, the Digital Marketing Salary Guide I published covers US and Canadian benchmarks across roles and experience levels. Start there.

Once you have your data, build a range — not a single number. Your floor (the minimum you'd accept), your target (where you want to land), and your stretch (what you'd ask for if you felt completely confident). You'll negotiate from your target and anchor high with your stretch.

The companion Salary Benchmarking Worksheet walks you through total compensation, not just base salary but bonus, equity, benefits, and flex. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you look at market data.

Step 2: Build your case, not your argument

The framing here matters a lot. You're not going into a negotiation to fight for something. You're going in to present data that helps your employer make a decision.

That shift in framing changes everything: what you say, how you say it, and how you feel walking into the room.

What to bring:

• Your wins, documented. Specific, quantified where possible. Not "I managed our paid media campaigns" but "I reduced our cost per lead by 18% over two quarters while increasing volume." Start keeping a wins folder now if you don't have one. Screenshot the Slack messages, save the email praise, note the metrics before and after you touched a program.

• Market data. Print it, screenshot it, have it ready. "I looked at LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor for my role and experience level in [city], and the range is X to Y. I'm currently at Z."

• Your role scope, honestly assessed. Has your role grown since your last compensation review? Are you doing things now that weren't in your original job description? Name them.

What to leave out:

• Your personal financial situation ("I have a mortgage now" is not a business reason)

• How long you've been there without a raise (relevant context, but not the lead)

• What a colleague makes, unless you're prepared for where that conversation goes

• Vague language like "I feel I deserve more." Feelings without data don't move numbers.

Ready to go beyond the framework? The Salary Negotiation Playbook includes a full pre-conversation checklist, word-for-word scripts for three scenarios, and objection-by-objection response guides. $19 — and it pays for itself the first time you use it.

Get it here

Step 3: The actual conversation

Here's something nobody told me until I figured it out from experience: timing matters as much as preparation.

In most corporate environments, raises are a budget decision, not an in-the-moment decision. Which means you need to have this conversation before the budget is set for the next fiscal year, not after. Ask your manager directly: "When does the planning for next year's compensation budgets happen?" Then get your conversation in at least 4-6 weeks before that window closes.

If you ask for a raise after the budget is locked, a well-meaning manager will tell you it's not possible right now. And they'll be telling you the truth.

The structure that works — across raise requests, new offers, and counter-offers — is the same in every case: lead with relationship and accomplishments, present the market gap with data, and close collaboratively rather than with an ultimatum. Not "I need more money." More like: "Here's what I've contributed, here's what the market is showing me, and I'd love to work out a plan together."

The exact words matter more than most people realise. The difference between a conversation that opens a door and one that puts someone on the defensive is often one sentence. The full scripts for all three scenarios — raise request, new offer, counter-offer — are in the playbook.

Step 4: When they push back

Most salary conversations hit at least one wall. The two most common ones I've run into personally, and that come up constantly in conversations with other marketers:

"The budget is set for this year." This is usually true, not a deflection. It's a structural constraint, and there's a specific way to respond that keeps the conversation alive and gets the commitment in writing.

"We have salary bands for this role and you're at the top." This one is harder because it's structural, not personal. Your options depend entirely on how you respond in the next thirty seconds — and getting it wrong means the conversation ends there.

One finance writer documented this pattern publicly: small raises internally over several years, then a significant jump when she switched companies in a single move. Her story mirrors what I've seen happen to myself and people I know. The internal ceiling is real. Knowing it exists is not pessimism. It's information.

Get the word-for-word scripts. Knowing the framework is one thing. Walking in with the exact language ready is another. The Salary Negotiation Playbook has full scripts for every scenario, plus a checklist to make sure you're ready before you open your mouth.

$19 — get it here →

Step 5: When base won't move

This is where most negotiation guides stop. Don't stop here.

If the number is fixed, here's what's still on the table — and most candidates never ask about any of it:

• Signing bonus (for new offers) — often funded from a different budget than salary, so more flexibility exists here than you'd expect

• Annual bonus target — if base is capped, can the bonus structure change?

• Title — a stronger title improves your leverage in your next negotiation, even if it does nothing for your current paycheck

• Remote work and flexibility — real financial value. Calculate commute costs, childcare savings, time savings.

• Professional development budget — conferences, certifications, courses. Ask for a specific annual amount, not "we'll see."

• Extra PTO — not ideal if you want cash, but meaningful if you're burned out

• Promotion timeline — can you get a written commitment to review your compensation in 6 months instead of 12?

Companies with strict salary bands almost always have flexibility elsewhere. Most candidates just never ask.

The honest part: knowing when to stay and when to go

I stayed in a role I loved longer than I probably should have, because I kept hoping the internal math would eventually work in my favour.

It didn't. Not because my employer didn't value me (they did) but because the system wasn't built for the kind of jump I needed. The bands were real. The budget cycles were real. And the market had moved faster than my internal reviews could keep up with.

The jump I made externally wasn't reckless. It was informed. I knew my number. I'd done multiple rounds of interviews specifically to understand what the market would pay me. I walked into the offer conversation knowing my floor, my target, and my stretch. And because I was genuinely ready to decline if the number didn't work, I had leverage I'd never had in an internal negotiation.

Nearly a quarter of digital marketers switched jobs in 2024, with low compensation listed as the top reason. You're not alone if you're sitting with this tension right now.

That's not an argument for leaving. It's an argument for knowing. Know your worth in the external market. Know your ceiling internally. And make a clear-eyed decision about which game you're actually playing.

Start here, this week

You don't have to have the negotiation conversation today. But you can start building toward it.

1. Pull the market data for your role and city — 30 minutes

2. Open a wins folder and add everything you can remember from the last 6 months — 20 minutes

3. Use the Salary Benchmarking Worksheet to calculate your real total compensation and the gap — 30 minutes

4. Find out when your company's annual budget planning happens — one conversation

That's it. By the time you're ready to have the conversation, you'll have everything you need to have it well.

Want the full playbook?

Most digital marketers leave their first raise conversation without getting what they asked for. Not because they weren't good enough. Because they went in without a number, without a script, and without a plan for when they heard no.

The Salary Negotiation Playbook fixes that. $19 for a framework that pays for itself the first time you use it — and keeps paying every time you negotiate after that.

Inside: full scripts for three scenarios, a pre-conversation checklist, objection-by-objection responses, and a complete guide to negotiating when base won't move.

Get the Salary Negotiation Playbook

Elif Hiz is a Marketing Strategy Director and the founder of elifhiz.com, a content and education brand for marketers who want to build better careers without burning out. She lives in Ontario, Canada, and has been writing for the version of herself five years behind her since 2019.

Remember when a Google algorithm update was a whole event?

SEO specialists would lose their minds for a week, forums would light up, and then slowly, everyone would adjust and move on. It happened maybe a couple of times a year. You had time to catch up. You had time to read about it, talk about it with your team, figure out what it meant for your specific situation.

Or when a new Martech tool would come out and the whole conversation was "okay but how does it compare to what we're already using?" MailChimp versus HubSpot. Pardot versus Marketo. You'd do a feature comparison, maybe sit through a demo or two, and make a decision over a few months. It was deliberate and thought through.

That was the pace of change in marketing for a long time. Significant enough to pay attention to, slow enough to actually absorb.

I don't know exactly when that changed. But it did.

Now I wake up and there's a new AI model that apparently does something the last one couldn't. A tool I started using three months ago already has three competitors. Something that took me an afternoon last year takes me twenty minutes today, and I found out about the faster way from a LinkedIn post at 7am.

There is so much happening right now that even I can't keep up. And I work with this stuff every day.

If you're a marketer feeling genuinely overwhelmed by the pace of it, that's not a you problem. That's just what this moment actually feels like. The FOMO is real. The sense that you're always one step behind is real. I feel it too. So does every other marketer I follow on Linkedin.

But here's where I think a lot of us are getting stuck. We're treating that feeling as a reason to wait. Like if we just watch long enough, things will slow down and we'll find the right moment to actually start. They won't. It's not just me saying this - I just finished watching an interview with Boris, who built Claude Code and he's saying the same thing - AI models learn exponentially and it's impossible to predict where they could be in a year. This means the window between "learning and adapting now" and "playing serious catch-up later" is closing faster than most people realize.

I used to think the AI-replacing-marketers conversation was overblown. I don't think that anymore.

Not because AI is some magic system that does everything better. It doesn't. But because the gap between marketers who are actively building AI into how they work and the ones who aren't is already starting to show. In output. In speed. In the kind of strategic thinking you can actually do when repetitive work isn't eating your entire week.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I'm in the middle of designing something at work that's built entirely around this idea. An AI-centered operating model where there's a core intelligence layer at the center, agentic workflows handling execution, and humans sitting above it owning strategy, judgment, and relationships. Not AI as a tool you open when you need it. AI as the actual operating system, with people directing it rather than doing the work it can do.

What I keep realizing as I build it is how much of what marketing teams do every day doesn't actually require a human. It requires consistency, volume, and speed. AI is very good at those three things. What it can't do is decide what matters, read a room, or make a call when the data is ambiguous. That part is still ours.

Think about how much of your regular workload is genuinely repetitive. Writing the first draft of the same brief format every campaign. Building a weekly newsletter from scratch. Pulling together a QBR deck structure you've built a dozen times before. These aren't creative tasks. They're time taxes. And right now, a lot of those time taxes have a workaround.

Tools like Cowork can automate recurring content workflows and schedule them forward. That means a weekly newsletter that used to take me a couple of hours to build from scratch can now run on a system I set up once. That time goes somewhere else. For me, it goes into strategy, into creative thinking, into the work that actually moves things.

The marketers who are figuring this out now are going to be operating at a completely different level in the next 12 to 18 months. Not because they worked harder. Because they built smarter systems while everyone else was still deciding whether to start.

And the gap between those two groups is going to be genuinely hard to close later. Not impossible. But a year of reps building and iterating on real AI workflows is not something you can shortcut when you finally decide you're ready.

So the question I keep coming back to isn't whether AI replaces marketers. I think it replaces the version of the role that was mostly execution. The marketers who thrive are the ones using the space it creates to be more creative, more strategic, and more valuable in the ways AI actually can't replicate yet.

The one thing I'd suggest doing right now: pick one task you do every single week on autopilot and ask yourself if there's a way to take yourself partially or fully out of it. Not your whole job. Just one thing. See what you learn from that exercise alone.

That's where it starts.

There's an overwhelming amount of career advice floating around LinkedIn, Twitter, and every productivity newsletter in your inbox.

Most of it sounds good in theory but falls apart in practice.

But there's one piece of advice I received in my career that I've watched work firsthand—for myself and dozens of others I've mentored:

Document your wins.

Not during annual review season when you're frantically trying to remember what you did in March.

Not when a recruiter reaches out and suddenly you need to update your resume.

Right now. This week. Every week.

Why Most People Don't Do This

Let's be honest - documenting feels like extra work. You're already busy shipping campaigns, putting out fires, and attending back-to-back meetings.

The idea of adding "document my achievements" to the to-do list feels like one more task you don't have time for.

But here's what I learned the hard way:

When I didn't document my wins, I consistently undersold myself. In interviews, I'd give vague answers like "I worked on ABC campaign that did better than previous campaigns". Better how? By how much? I struggled to define what 'better' looked like and tie it back to business impact because I have the memory of a fish sometimes, and I had simply forgotten about that campaign and its results by the time I needed to speak about it in a different context.

The work was great. The proof? Nowhere to be found.

My System for Documenting Wins (That Actually Works)

After years of trial and error, I've landed on a four-step system that takes minimal time but delivers massive returns.

Step 1: Capture in the Moment

I keep a simple Google Doc titled "Wins & Proof" and a running note called "Things people say about my work".

Every Friday afternoon (I block 15 minutes on my calendar), I add three things:

• What shipped this week – even small launches count

• The metric that moved – traffic increased, conversion improved, engagement went up

• Visual proof – screenshots of Slack kudos, analytics dashboards, positive email feedback, or customer testimonials

This is the most important step because memory fades fast. That campaign you're proud of today? In three months, you won't remember the exact numbers or why it worked.

Takes 10 minutes. Saves hours later.

Step 2: Organize by Future Use Case

Raw documentation is helpful, but organized documentation is powerful.

I sort my wins into four buckets based on how I'll eventually use them:

LinkedIn posts – Campaigns with clear before/after stories that would resonate with my network. These become content that builds my personal brand.

Resume bullets – Quantified outcomes directly tied to business goals. These follow the format: "Action + Result + Business Impact."

Case studies – Full project breakdowns including the challenge, my approach, what I did, and the results. These become portfolio pieces.

Interview stories – Specific examples of problems I solved, organized by common interview themes (leadership, conflict resolution, innovation, failure).

Step 3: Create Artifacts While It's Fresh

When a major project or campaign wraps, I (try to) do something most people skip:

I spend 30 minutes creating a proper artifact while the details are still fresh.

My favorite tool for this is Gamma. It turns project recaps into clean, visual decks without the hassle of wrestling with PowerPoint or Google Slides.

These decks have become invaluable for:

• Stakeholder updates – showing executives what marketing actually accomplished

• Portfolio pieces – walking interviewers through real work during job searches

• Team documentation – helping new hires understand what good looks like

• LinkedIn content – sharing wins publicly when appropriate (with sensitive data removed)

The key is doing this immediately after project completion, not six months later when you're trying to piece together what happened.

Step 4: Count the "Non-Work" Work Too

Here's something most people miss: side projects and self-initiated work absolutely count as wins.

That AI tool you built to automate your weekly reporting? That's a win.

The custom GPT you created that your team now uses daily? That's a win.

The internal process doc you wrote that onboards new marketers 50% faster? That's a win.

These examples demonstrate initiative, curiosity, and problem-solving beyond your job description. They're often more impressive than official "responsibilities" because you identified a gap and filled it without being asked.

Document these too.

Why This System Actually Works

Most people operate on one of two extremes:

1. They remember nothing and wing it during performance reviews

2. They try to document everything and burn out from the admin load

This system finds the middle ground.

It's lightweight enough to maintain. Fifteen minutes a week isn't a burden. It's less time than you spend in a single status meeting.

It compounds over time. After six months, you'll have 25+ documented wins. After a year, 50+. That's a powerful arsenal when you need it.

It gives you confidence. When you're negotiating a raise or interviewing for a new role, you won't be guessing about your impact. You'll be pulling receipts with timestamps and metrics.

The Real Shift: Treating Your Career Like an Asset

Here's the mindset change that makes this all click:

Documenting wins isn't bragging. It's not vanity. It's not corporate theater.

It's treating your career like the asset it is.

You wouldn't invest thousands of dollars without tracking returns. You wouldn't run a marketing campaign without measuring results.

Why would you invest thousands of hours into your career without documenting the value you've created?

Your work has impact. But impact without documentation is impact that gets forgotten, undervalued, or misattributed.

Your Move: Start Today

You don't need to overhaul your entire system or create the perfect documentation workflow.

Just start.

Open a Google Doc right now. Title it "Wins & Proof."

Add one thing from this past week. Just one.

• What did you ship?

• What moved?

• What feedback did you get?

Screenshot it. Write two sentences about it. Save it.

That's it. You've started.

Next Friday, add one more.

In three months, you'll have a library of proof that most people can only dream of having when opportunity knocks.

Future you—the one negotiating a raise, landing a dream job, or finally getting the recognition you deserve—will thank you. ;)

What's one win from this week you could document right now? I'd love to hear about it—reply and let me know what you're working on.

“It’s become so hard to find a job right now.”

That’s something I hear almost daily. And as someone who’s been on both sides of the hiring process—applying and reviewing applications—I get it.

Even for experienced marketers, job searching in 2025 feels like a full-time job… with terrible conversion rates.

Most roles posted on LinkedIn get 100+ applications within hours. ATS filters are now just the first boss—beyond that, applications are being scanned and summarized by AI. And even if your resume is “optimized,” it still may never be seen by a human.

But here’s what’s making it especially hard for marketers:

Marketing is one of the most competitive fields to job search in—because creativity, storytelling, and outreach are expected. And most marketers are already doing the “above and beyond” stuff.

Sending a cold DM? You’re not alone. Building a Notion playbook or personal landing page? That’s table stakes. Hiring managers know that marketers know how to market. And their expectations are higher because of it.

I recently saw a post from a VP of Revenue Marketing that stopped me in my scroll. She said:

“1,300+ job applications in 5 days. Every DM follows the same template: ‘I'm perfect for this role because...’
But here's what would actually get my attention:
→ I’m using AI to identify underperforming ad creative before it goes live.
→ I built an AI tool that tracks brand mentions.
→ I automated forecasting using XYZ.
If you're reaching out anyway, why not stand out?”

That’s the market we’re in. AI is reshaping every part of marketing—and hiring managers are looking for evidence that you’re adapting.

So what do you do when creativity is the baseline?

You build a system that addresses every layer of the job search—and lets your originality shine in the right places.

Here’s how I’ve been staying afloat and consistently securing interviews (even when it’s noisy out there):

1. Your resume has to work for both bots and busy people.
   I use modular, ATS-friendly layouts but rewrite each one based on the company’s specific priorities. I look at job descriptions, their marketing vision, website, recent content—then tailor accordingly.

2. Your outreach has to say more than “I’m a perfect fit.”
   I reference something specific. A campaign they launched. A LinkedIn post they wrote. A problem they mentioned. And craft a message that only highlights what matters to them and in a format that catches the attention immediately (like a video intro). I make it impossible for the message to feel mass-sent.

3. I use AI, but I don’t outsource my personality.
   I work with ChatGPT to write faster, think deeper, and prep smarter—but every piece still sounds like me. My voice, my positioning, my experience.

4. I built a CRM just for my job search.
   Roles I applied for, contacts I messaged, what version of my resume I sent, which prompts I used to prep—it’s all there. It keeps me consistent, sharp, and proactive.

5. I treat the job search like a campaign.
   Creative, targeted, data-backed, and designed to convert.

This is what helped me get traction. And because it’s a lot to manage, I turned it into something more structured:
🧠 The Marketing Job Search OS — a playbook I built for myself, now available for other marketers.

It’s not a course. It’s not a silver bullet. It’s just the system I wish I had when I started. And it's the system that I think job searchers need right now to be seen.

→ Steal my framework here

The job market is hard right now. But with the right process—and a dose of creativity—you can still stand out.

School didn’t teach me any of the habits that help me grow in my career, but I wish it did. Here are a few habits that have been essential to my sanity and professional development.

1. Note Taking: Your Second Brain

Choose an app that works for you and treat it as your second brain. I recommend something smart that offers features like timestamps, filing, formatting, and preferably AI (because who doesn’t want that these days?).

This will help you stay on top of your life at all times. You will storm through to-do lists, have data-backed answers in conversations, and become the star of meetings who always knows where you last left off. Plus, you’ll remember details that help you build important relationships, like the names of people’s kids, their favorite travel destinations, or their preferred cuisine.

Use this system for meetings, to-do’s, content drafts, and ideas.

2. Swipe Files: Instant Inspiration

Swipe files are the ultimate hack if you want to get inspired the moment you need that magic in your brain.

Create a dashboard once and dump things you like or dislike that you want to keep in your archives as you browse the internet. A swipe file can be as simple as a folder on your desktop where you add screenshots, a Pinterest board, or something more advanced in Notion with tags, filters, and notes.

I’ve created swipe files for copywriting examples, ad examples, YouTube thumbnails, and several other niche categories. This way, I don’t stare at my computer for 30 minutes when starting a new project because I’ve collected so many inspiring examples over time. It works like magic, and I thank myself every time for having this handy.

3. Templates: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Templates are like the gift that keeps on giving. You put the effort in upfront and use it forever (or update them when things need a refresh).

I create templates for meeting agendas, marketing campaigns, budget plans, analytics reports, YouTube videos, you name it.

Get my toolkit which consists of my four essential templates that I use day in and day out.

If you're doing a task repeatedly, there’s a 99% chance it can be templatized.

4. Wikis: Your Self-Service Tool

If you have team members who work on a project or task with you, or you plan to transfer something to someone else, creating a wiki (aka a step-by-step guide) is incredibly valuable. It serves as a self-service tool to help others onboard to a task you’ve been doing.

Your work becomes second nature to you once you've been in the weeds for a while, and you’re likely to forget every little step you go through. Write it down so you can outsource the work or onboard others without any additional effort.

What are your best-kept secrets and work habits that make you feel like you’ve found a career hack?

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

When I took over a new Digital Marketing Manager role in September 2023, I found myself smack in the middle of the paid media ocean, with a hefty budget to manage and big expectations to meet. Honestly, I needed a crash course in paid ads—ASAP.

What did I do? I started soaking up everything I could from the pros. I read articles, watched breakdowns of successful campaigns, and, most importantly, I started collecting ads. Yep, I created a swipe file (Here's another one).

I’ve pulled together ads that caught my eye, dissected what made them tick, and jotted down notes on why they stood out. It’s been like building my own playbook, piece by piece.

While doing this, I also noticed B2B ad space - where I'm focused on - is an untapped goldmine. B2C ads, understandably, get all the spotlight because they're more fun and creative but B2B can be fun, too.

Here’s what I've learned from studying hundreds of ads, sprinkled with some of the examples I captured:

Storytelling is Key: I quickly learned that ads that tell a story, rather than just sell a product, resonate deeply. They connect on a human level, making the message stick. It’s like finding a friend in a crowd of strangers – that ad suddenly speaks to you, and you remember it.

Talk to People, Not Logos: This was a game-changer. Every B2B ad that stood out did so because it remembered that businesses are made of people. When you speak directly to those individuals, your message lands more effectively. If your buyer is the office manager, do you think your message would resonate better if you addressed her pains and goals, or if you spoke broadly to any job title in her company.

Sell the Dream, Not Just the Product: The most compelling ads didn’t just showcase a product; they painted a picture of a better reality. This transformation – from what is to what could be – is what truly sells. It’s not just about the features; it’s about the difference those features make.

Clarity is King: In the world of ads, confusion is your enemy. The best ads I collected had one thing in common: they made it crystal clear what the viewer should do next. Whether it was signing up, learning more, or making a purchase, there was no room for guesswork.

Emotion Drives Action: Creating an emotional connection turned out to be more powerful than any technical feature or price point. Using the familiarity principle, ads that leveraged something the audience already knew and liked were miles ahead. They felt like inside jokes, creating an instant bond.

Simplicity Sells: In the blink-and-you-miss-it world of ads, simplicity reigns supreme. You have a tiny window to grab attention. The most effective ads didn’t complicate their message. They were straightforward, direct, and impossible to ignore.

Visuals and Words in Harmony: Matching the visual with the message amplified the ad’s impact. It’s like a one-two punch; the visual draws you in, and the words deliver the message home. This synergy makes the ad memorable and powerful.

Experimentation is Essential: My swipe file is a testament to diversity. From before-and-after shots, comparative ads, feature highlights, to leveraging social proof, memes, and illustrations – trying different angles showed me what resonates with different audiences.

Test, Learn, Refine: The ultimate lesson? Don’t get too attached to any one ad or approach. The magic of paid ads lies in the ability to test, gather insights, and iterate. What works today may not work tomorrow, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the journey.

This entire process has been like piecing together a giant puzzle, and every ad I collect adds another piece. I'm really enjoying the process and trying to implement these principles into the campaigns we're working on.

Now, I’m turning the tables and asking you: Got any standout ads or campaigns you’ve been eyeing?

Also - let me know if it's valuable for me to share the ads swipe file I've been building and I might add it to my Marketing Hub.

P.S. I post more frequently on Linkedin - follow to get glimpses into daily insights and marketing tips.

I've been in the B2B space for a while, but in my new role, I'm deep into planning and executing marketing campaigns daily. And here's something I've noticed: B2C ads often dazzle with their vibrant visuals and catchy narratives. In contrast, many B2B ads seem to stick to a predictable script, heavy on specs and often lacking in creativity. Branded, monotonous, and repetitive.

Why this gap? Why can't B2B ads be as captivating as their B2C counterparts?

I believe it's time to shake things up. As I delve deeper into B2B campaign planning, I'm on a mission to bring some of that B2C flair into our world.

Here are four ways I keep myself updated, challenged, and inspired so I can help create better B2B marketing campaigns:

1. Building a Swipe File

Every innovative creator needs inspiration. For me, swipe files have been a game-changer and I recently created a new B2B ads swipe file. Whenever an ad stands out or resonates with me, it goes into this file. To make it even easier for the future me browsing this folder for ideas, I rename the images with a few keywords to remind me what I liked about them and the type of ad.

This collection is a constant source of inspiration and a testament to the evolving landscape of B2B advertising.

2. Exploring LinkedIn's Ad Library

Diving into the LinkedIn Ad Library has been like opening a treasure chest. You can take a tour of your competitor or partners' ad plays, or browse ads by keyword or company. Giant library of ads to browse through, take lessons, and get inspired.

3. Engaging with Contrarian Thinkers

There's a fresh wave of B2B thought leaders out there who aren't just going with the flow. They're challenging, questioning, and reshaping the way we think about B2B marketing. Voices like Dave Gerhardt, Chris Walker, and Amrita Mathur have been instrumental in broadening my perspective and inspiring me to think outside the traditional B2B box. Not gonna lie, their content also makes me feel seen. :) I'm not alone.

I've been following and engaging with their content for years now and would recommend them to anyone who is interested in challenging the legacy approaches in the B2B space.

4. Drawing Inspiration from D2C

The Direct-to-Consumer space is a hotbed of innovation and creativity. By observing and learning from experts like Dara Denney and Aazar Ali Shad, I've discovered that many D2C strategies can be adapted and transformed to resonate in the B2B space. It's all about understanding the core principles that drive engagement and applying them in our unique context. Their breakdown of successful and failed ads have really helped me understand the intricacies of ad creatives.

The B2B Ad Revolution?

It's time we stopped seeing B2B as the less glamorous cousin of B2C. With the right approach, tools, and mindset, B2B ads can be just as compelling, engaging, and effective. As I continue on this journey, I'm excited about the possibility of influencing the launch of a killer B2B marketing campaign.

Your Turn:
I'm eager to hear from fellow B2B marketers. How are you challenging the status quo? What tools, strategies, or insights are you using to craft campaigns that stand out and make an impact?

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates, and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph, and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. - Angela Basset

My Story: Turning a Corner in My Career

I owe my current job to a single, transformative decision: to bring my absolute best to a case study presentation. The hiring team was so impressed they immediately moved on to the offer stage. It was the most straightforward job offer I've ever received, and it all began with a simple choice to excel.

The Crossroads

On an ordinary day, I might have approached this presentation as a mere formality, something to get through rather than an opportunity to shine. After all, it was the third round in a grueling interview process and required a significant time commitment. I was asked to present my work not just to my potential managers but also to the brand managers I'd be closely collaborating with, which added an extra layer of pressure.

At that juncture, I had two options: treat it like 'free work' and give a mediocre performance, or invest the time and effort to stand out. I asked myself, "Do I really want this job, and will the effort be worth it?" The answer was a resounding "YES."

The Decision

Instead of fretting about the workload or complaining about the process, I made a decision that changed the course of my career: I approached the presentation as if I were already an employee. No half-measures or shortcuts; I plunged in headfirst, dedicating numerous hours to researching the brands and analyzing the campaigns I was supposed to evaluate. I wasn't required to create designs or write new content, but I did those things anyway, going above and beyond what was expected. I wanted to deliver a presentation I'd be proud to receive, not just one that would get me through the door.

And the result? Pure fire. 🔥

Why This Matters: The Power of Giving Your Best

You might be thinking, "Well, that's great for you, but how does this apply to me?" Here's the thing: life continually offers us moments where we can either settle for mediocrity or strive for excellence. Whether you're a seasoned marketer like me or at the start of your career, these moments are pivotal. They can make the difference between being forgettable and making an unforgettable impact.

Recognition and Rewards

When you bring your best self to the table, you not only gain personal satisfaction but also attract the attention of those who matter. Your superiors, peers, and clients will recognize the extra effort and this can open doors you never imagined were possible.

Builds Confidence

Giving your best also serves as a confidence booster. When you see the positive results your hard work yields, it encourages you to keep pushing your limits, setting you on an upward spiral of self-improvement and success.

A Lasting Impact

Finally, understand that the extra effort you invest doesn't just affect you; it affects everyone around you. In my case, delivering an extraordinary presentation didn't just secure me a job; it also set the tone for the type of value I would bring to my team and the company at large.

Takeaway: Seize Your Moment

So the next time you're faced with an opportunity, big or small, ask yourself: "Do I want this enough to give it my best?" If the answer is yes, don't hesitate. Dive in, go the extra mile, and bring your best to the game. It could be the decision that changes the course of your life, just as it did for me.

No more excuses. Your best is waiting to be unleashed. Are you ready?

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates, and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

Career paths. We're told they should be a neat map. A linear march.

Job titles. Responsibilities. Salaries. Straight to the top.

But let's face it, life is more a scribble than a straight line.

Are we obsessed with the 'perfect' career path? Maybe. The trouble is, it's a straightjacket. It blinds us. Stops us from embracing life's roller coaster. Makes us care more about the destination than the ride. We fail to listen to what we need in our life in that moment.

Embrace the unpredictable. It's where growth happens. It forces us to adapt. To stretch. To learn. It helps us find new interests. Hidden talents. It's an adventure.

If I had not listened to my intuition and followed my ideal career path blindly in 2019, I wouldn't have started my YouTube channel.

I started YouTube on my maternity leave to build a more flexible work structure. I knew I wanted to be there for Ada and that we wouldn't have other family members to rely on for help.

Result? I uncovered something I'm very passionate about and it brought so many incredible opportunities my way.

Life stages change. So do our needs. Early on, we want to learn. To grow. Even if it means long hours. Low pay. Later? Stability matters. Work-life balance becomes key. Change is good. Adjusting our career goals makes work more rewarding.

Forget about ticking boxes. Success isn't a destination. It's a journey. It evolves. It's personal.

Realize where you are in life now and seek opportunities that align with your needs.

Career isn't a race. It's an experience. Look at it this way, and you'll find joy. Fulfillment.

Where are you in your journey now?

P.S. I make 10x more effort to protect my work-life balance and share thoughts and tips regularly on YouTube. You might enjoy this video where I shared the things I did to have the best first month in a new job in a decade.

Cheers!

I started building a video asset library for work a month ago. I don't know if it converted into leads yet, but I know I'm onto something and I want to keep going.

Here's why I chose to launch a video series as a solo marketer, the results I've seen so far and what you can learn from it...

I needed a content format that:

• I would be comfortable creating myself (I have experience from YouTube)

• is easy to record and required minimal effort to edit

• is versatile and could be repurposed into 100s of different pieces

• would hit many birds with one stone

My goals:

• build brand awareness (we had very little due to being new in the local market)

• give spotlight to founders and businesses in our portfolio

• collect testimonials and have social proof for our program offer

• build a content library to activate social channels, use in marketing and sales assets (emails, newsletters, brochures, outreach)

Why I chose YouTube and an interview format:

• YouTube was not leveraged enough by the global brand

• YouTube is a powerful search engine and I saw an opportunity to leverage searched keywords

• a video can be turned into all kinds of formats very easily: blog, podcast, newsletter, email, social copy, carousel, shorts, etc.

• interviews highlight the guest

• easy to film via Zoom and decent audio & video

• much less effort than producing original educational or entertainment content

• requires minimal editing

Tools I used:

Zoom: Video & audio recording

Descript: for the entire editing process: editing, cutting clips, embedding captions, exporting transcripts

Canva: thumbnails for YouTube and hero image for blog

In 2 months, I was able to create 4 long-form interview videos with our founders and 12+ short-form clips.

Here are the results so far:

🔥 Videos generated 2K+ views on YouTube alone
🚀 Social posts with these videos received 2x more impressions and engagement than average posts
💥 We have 1 video on the first results page on Google for a relatively important brand keyword search
📣 We now have 4 great testimonials which I was able to blast across many channels
🏎️ More engaged founders with our brand who also amplified the message to their networks

We're just getting started. Video is a long-term game and the content is evergreen.

Takeaway:

If you are working with very limited resources or as a solo-marketer like me, interview videos are a great way to build your content library, get bigger return on your time and hit multiple goals with one stone.

Creating videos is a lot of work but as you'll notice... I have high conviction in this. :)

Let me know your thoughts!

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

This might sound insanely boring but having templates and playbooks for work changed my life.

It is by far the best way to save time and hit the ground running when you start a new job or when you're working on your own business.

I've used templates as a consultant, a creator and also in senior marketing roles and have always been asked about them.

In fact, I've also become the designated template creator in my current team! (lol, I don't know how I feel about being the go to person for this)

So here's a brain  dump of everything I think is important to know about creating playbooks for work and 4 templates I think you should create for yourself ASAP.

Let's dive in.

But first... What's the difference between playbooks and templates?

Playbook is a document with a set of instructions or directions for team members to follow when they're working on a particular area of work.  ie. a playbook for planning and executing video interviews.

Template is a document that can be filled in easily when you are working on individual tasks like monthly reporting or content planning. ie. a marketing analytics template.

Why do you need to create templates for everything at work?

Simple.

1) Templates save you time, help you make less mistakes and make you more consistent.

2) They are universal and can be customized to your needs easily for whichever job you're working on.

3) They streamline your work process so you're not left in question marks on what to do next or where to put certain data points.

4) They make reporting to your managers or customers 10x easier.

All are important points but tbh, I think #3 is why I was particularly sold on the idea of creating templates for my work. I hated not knowing where to put different content, data and files and then also not knowing where to look for them when I needed to find them. Such a waste of time.

What can you put into templates?

Pretty much anything that you do more than once. If there are any tasks that you do on a repetitive basis (ie. creating content) and this task has a similar starting point or need every time you work on it (ie. filling in the title, keywords, meta description, YouTube Image, blog hero image, social media graphics, social media copy, etc) for your content campaigns, you can put them in templates.

Or shall I say, TEMP-LA-TIZE them! 🤩🤣

What is the best way to put processes into templates?

The best templates are self-serve. Keep this in mind when designing yours.

How do you templatize a process?

Firstly, layout every step (no matter how small) that you have to do to carry out this task. What is the starting point? What are the resources, people or links you need to refer to in this process? What do you need to fill out to complete this?

Then, using the formatting or text styling options, start creating sections for each item that has to be filled out for this template to deliver a meaningful outcome. If you need instructions or placeholder text for any field, insert these as well.

Remember that your goal is to create this once and use it forever. It has to be applicable every time you're working on this task or area of work.

Tools you can use to create your templates:

Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, Docs, Miro, and many others, depending on the tools you prefer using daily.

I personally create most of mine on Notion and rarely in Sheets.

My 4 essential templates

Now we're onto the juicy part. Among many templates I've created, there are 4 that I use all the time.

Template 1: Content Planner

I don't think any marketer, content creator or a team that creates content regularly would disagree that a content planner is an absolute must.

In a world with so many different content formats and channels for distribution, you can't not have a content planner. You can use it to plan your content, draft it, insert relevant links, identify channels of distribution, get SEO and other details in, link visuals, assign team members to collaborate with you and more.

I use a content planner for my personal channels, as well as for my FT job and I don't think anyone can efficiently create content unless they have a system to track it.

I typically use it in a board or list view and have an optional calendar view to see the bigger picture over the course of the week or month.

A best practice to be consistent with content is to create an ideas section or tag in your planner and fill it up with things that you want to revisit or explore more later on. As soon as I have an idea, I make sure to put it down - even if it is super silly. Better than feeling stuck or forgetting my ideas when they're needed.

Template 2: Analytics Dashboard

This is often the most overlooked thing for marketers and probably the most requested thing from senior leadership.

If you're not tracking, how will you ever know if something is working, right?

Data is a way to see what's working and to determine your next steps, but it is also your chance to show your work to your clients or your boss.

Evidence that things are working, not working and what you plan to do about it.

What I do every month is fill in my analytics dashboard and then write up a short recap to share with my direct manager.

The framework I follow to build the narrative is:

1) overview of what happened last week/month

2) key insights & learnings

3) key stats

4) actions for next week/month

Template 3: Swipe File Template

This is a habit that changed my life forever and for the better. I don't know what I did before I knew I could do this.

I've talked about my love for swipe files many times (1, 2) and even made a video about it.

If you have a bunch of random bookmarks on your browser, Linkedin, Twitter and other websites... Or a bunch of screenshots you took through your internet discoveries... (and who doesn't?) You need a swipe file.

Stop making your digital space a mess and saving things that you'll end up forgetting about anyway.

Swipe file is a central hub where you collect your inspirations and noteworthy resources for a later date. You set it up once, add your inputs there as you come across things you want to keep track of and it gives back to you for a lifetime. OK I'm exaggerating, but only a little.

It will boost your productivity by 10x and this time I'm not exaggerating.

Template 4: CRM

A CRM is a contact database which you can customize for a multitude of use cases. It can be for your partnerships, customers, community members or even team (if you work with a large team I can see this being helpful).

Essentially, it is a tool to keep track of your contacts and your interactions with each contact. Doing this makes you more efficient and intentional with your touchpoints and can help to track the outputs of your conversations.

Most companies have advanced CRM tools to track sales conversations. For this case, I'm moreso referring to CRM database for my contacts and partnerships. This has also been significantly helpful to make sure I'm on top of the last conversation I had with a particular person, action items, and I can take a look at the history of my connection to give me context.

Bonus Template: 30-60-90 Day Plan

As soon as you start a new job or take on a new client, the immediate expectation is to come up with a 30-60-90 day plan.

I created a simple but effective template to enter my goals in January and my boss loved it.

If you're ever in need to create a plan for yourself, having a template should save you from the challenge of how to make it presentable and also useful to track progress.

So... Want to steal my templates?

(Who wouldn't?)

Optimizing these took me a while but that doesn't mean it has to take that long for you.

While you can choose to create them yourself, you can also choose to get access to a ready-made kit that was battle-tested. Up to you!

I packed these 4 templates together in Marketer's Toolkit - an essential template kit for marketers. Plus, I added my 30-60-90 day plan template as a bonus which my team loved and adapted for their departments too.

In the toolkit, you’ll get my templates of:

• Content Planner

• Swipe File Template

• Analytics Dashboard

• CRM

• 30-60-90 Plan

I want as many people to have access to it so I'm pricing it at $20.

Get access to the Marketer's Toolkit here!

Onwards and upwards!

As a marketer, you know how important it is to track and analyze your marketing data. But with so many different data sources and metrics to keep track of, it can be difficult to stay on top of everything.

On average, businesses refer to 12 different data sources for their reporting.

Imagine the time that's required to go back and forth between tools, logging in to each one, applying filters and several clicks to access the right information, copying and pasting into a different tool or sheet to do your weekly or monthly reporting.

Sounds like the process can be optimized, right?

That's where Databox comes in.

In this review, I'll share my experience using Databox, and explain how it can help marketers make data-driven decisions more efficiently.

Favorite Features

Customizable Dashboards: One of the features I love most about Databox is the ability to create custom dashboards that display the metrics and KPIs that matter most to your business. You can connect data from a wide range of sources, including Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and Hubspot, and visualize it in a way that's easy to understand.

Databox also offers a range of visualization options, including charts, graphs, and tables, that help you make sense of your data at a glance. You can customize the colors and fonts to match your brand, and easily share your dashboards with others on your team.

Time-Saving: As a busy marketer, I appreciate how much time Databox saves me. With Databox, I can automate the process of collecting and visualizing my data, so I don't have to spend hours manually compiling reports. This frees up more time for me to analyze my data and take action based on my findings.

Alerts and Notifications: Another feature that I find incredibly useful is the ability to set up alerts and notifications when certain metrics exceed or fall below a certain threshold. This helps me stay on top of changes in my data and take action quickly if needed.

Collaboration: Databox makes it easy to collaborate with other members of my team. I can share my dashboards with other team members, and we can all make decisions based on the same data. This helps us stay on the same page and work more efficiently.

Limitations

While Databox is a powerful tool, it's not without its limitations. For example, some users may find the interface to be a bit overwhelming at first, and it can take some time to get used to. Additionally, Databox may not be the best choice for companies that are on a tight budget, as the pricing plans can be a bit expensive.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I highly recommend Databox to any marketer looking to save time and make data-driven decisions. With its customizable dashboards, alerts and notifications, and collaboration features, Databox is a versatile tool that can help marketers stay on top of their data and take action based on their findings. While it may take some time to get used to, the benefits of using Databox far outweigh any limitations.

For a more detailed review through a screenshare, watch the full video review here. If you're ready to give Databox a try, start a free trial here.

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

If you were asked to layout your life timeline, what would you put down?

This week we asked 55 startup founders to do a life timeline exercise and present it in front of the group. It's something I did a while ago when I interviewed for Shopify and to this day, I reflect on it as the best interview question I've ever been asked.

There's something so powerful about seeing your entire life laid out on a piece of paper.

If you've never done it or heard of it, it's a great exercise you should know about.

So let's unroll it.

Have you ever done a 'connect the dots' activity as a child and appreciated that you were able to draw an elephant within seconds with the help of numbered dots?

I think the life timeline exercise is very similar to this. Once you start mapping out the dots, you begin to see connections between every step and end up painting your own life story.

The activity itself is therapeutic, and the outcome is eye-opening.

Here are some of the benefits I've seen from doing the life timeline exercise:

• Get to know yourself better and tell your story more confidently.

• Make connections between seemingly disconnected events and people in your life.

• Notice patterns and themes (ie. how do you react when something bad happens?).

• Understand why you've made certain decisions.

• Realize which stories and moments shaped your life.

• Resurface forgotten memories or smaller milestones.

• Get closer with others by being vulnerable.

Are you inspired yet?

Well, here's how to do it:

While there are templates that you can find online, all you have to do is draw a horizontal line on a piece of paper and map out years in increments of 2-5 years (depending on how old you are :)).

Next, start plotting the positive memories above the line and negative memories below the line.

Once you've plotted your memories, you can start identifying patterns, themes or stages in your life. We've seen creative timelines where people have presented it as Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, or named the 'seasons' of their life. Some chose to use different colors/lines for family and career too. Once you have the timeline down, the rest is up to your creativity and how you'd like to see your memories.

This exercise is known to also be really helpful in becoming more aware of our emotions and even predict the emotions certain events will trigger for us in the future.

P.S. Someone in our group mentioned that he's considering framing his life timeline to hang in his home and I think that's a brilliant idea! I might just do the same. 😊

Now what do you think, will you give it a try?

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

Most founders don’t think about marketing until they’re ready to launch their product.

They miss out on the power of having a community and being top of mind for potential customers.

If you leave talking about what you’re building to the day of the launch, you’re more likely going to stress about it and find it challenging to get the word out. It will be a day you have waited for a long time but one that hasn’t created the big impact you hoped for.

In this post, I'll share the reasons you should start your marketing now and 5 guiding questions to help you come up with a communication plan.

🧠 Here’s why marketing should be top of mind as of day 1

1️⃣ Helps to build your community & early fans

The more you share about your journey and what you’re building, the more chance there is for people to follow along and feel your passion. Highly suggest reading about community first marketing. Here's my detailed guide.

2️⃣ Brand awareness takes time

If you leave talking about your product to the day of launch, that’s essentially day 1 of letting the world know you exist. Even though you’ve been working on the business for a while, no one knew. You have to communicate your value through content for people to realize you exist and to consider your solution. Start early to plant the seeds.

3️⃣ Reduces effort to attract media, investors & customers

The more m content you put out there, the less effort you have to invest for outbound and cold communication. Producing the right content will drive your target audience(s) to you versus you chasing for them when you need them.

4️⃣ Flexes your self promotion muscle

As en entrepreneur, you have to sell your product, your idea and your skills over and over again. Marketing is a way to do that intelligently for the right audience. The more you do it, the better you get.

🚀 5 guiding questions for early-stage businesses  

On a daily basis, I work with startup founders who have spent the past several months or year building the MVP of their product and are now in the phase of finding their first users or customers. They are small teams with limited resources and have to be scrappy with their approach. This is typically the transition from building phase to selling phase and requires some growth hacking. If marketing and selling are not your forte, it may not be the easiest experience.  

(P.S. This would also be relevant if you're a small business owner or solopreneur.)

Here's the quick exercise we did with one of the teams who had recently begun reaching out to companies in their target audience and were not hearing back. You can ask yourself the same questions to come up with your communication strategy.

Who are you reaching out to?

Have you narrowed down your target audience? Can you narrow it down even further and identify 10-20 top clients that fit your ideal customer profile that could really benefit from your offer. The more pain they have around what you could solve for them, the higher chance there is for them to give you a shot. This is especially a good approach if you're doing outbound acquisition.

Which method(s) are you using?

Are you doing an outbound or inbound approach? Are you able to afford creating content and growing an audience to attract attention to your business or is this not applicable for you at this stage? If you can grow your following through content, you'll need a focused communication strategy that matches your audience's interests.

Which channels are you using?

The number of available channels is incredibly large, so you have to be strategic. Social media, website, newsletter, forums, external communities, third-party media, cold messaging, events and even phone calls could be an option! Which ones make sense considering the skills you have in the team and the timeline you have?

What are you offering?

What is the timeline and level of engagement required from the client's side? Can you make the onboarding easier and faster so they have less objections? Offering a free trial, a discount or sometimes even a giveaway can be good incentives - is this an option for you?

How is your messaging?

Are you doing a long introduction that talks about you and your business and asking for a 15 minute call, or are you using the problem-agitate-solution (PAS) method in your message? Believe it or not, even if you nail all of the above questions, your messaging your make or break it. Research best direct mail practices and experiment with different message copy to test the reactions.

Final words

Remember: marketing is not a magic trick you leave to the last minute and use when you need it. 🎩🪄🐇
The earlier you start thinking about it, the better.

Let me know if you'd like me elaborate on any of the above questions!

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

In December 2022, we used Attest to find out if people are interested in learning about Web3, how they find out about new products/services to purchase/invest in, and how they typically engage with online reviews.

The results were surprising and changed my business strategy.

We all know the internet plays a huge role in our daily lives, and with the rise of web3 tech, it's important to understand how people are learning about and getting involved with these new tools. Having spent a year dabbling in Web3 and working on building a Web3 review platform, I've had some assumptions around how people learn and engage with Web3 communities. But when Attest (a consumer research platform) reached out to partner up on a content project in late 2022, I knew I wanted to explore this subject in depth through a real research study.

We conducted a survey to get the scoop on how Americans are tackling the web3 world and the role that user reviews play in their decision-making process. Here's what we found out.

The survey was carried out with a sample size of 1,000 respondents and covered the demographic group of US-based adults from 18-65 years of age.

Finding 1: Interest in Web3 Communities

It's a close call, but the majority of Americans (54%) said they're interested in web3 communities. Of that group, 23.4% are "very interested" while 30.3% are "somewhat" interested. On the flip side, 46% of respondents said they're not interested in web3 communities.

Takeaway: There is a sizeable portion of the US adult population that is interested in engaging with web3 communities, indicating potential demand for such communities.

Next steps: Consider targeting marketing and outreach efforts towards the 54% of respondents who expressed an interest in web3 communities, with a focus on the 23.4% who are "very interested."

Finding 2: Where to Learn About Web3

We asked people where they would go to learn more about web3 communities and companies to engage with. Unsurprisingly, Google came out on top (63%), followed by YouTube (49%), social media platforms (38%), family and friends (31%), online forums (26%), and podcasts (18%).

Takeaway: Google, YouTube, and social media platforms are the most popular sources for learning about web3 communities and companies, so it may be effective to focus outreach efforts on these channels.

Next steps: Utilize the top sources identified by respondents (Google, YouTube, social media platforms) as channels for education and outreach efforts.

Finding 3: Familiarity with Web3 Communities

We asked respondents to name the web3 communities they're most familiar with, and the overwhelming majority said "none." This could be a prime opportunity for education and outreach in the web3 space. Other names that came up included Google, Coinbase, and Coindesk.

Takeaway: The majority of respondents were not familiar with specific web3 communities, indicating a potential opportunity for education and outreach in this area.

Next steps: Consider implementing education and outreach efforts to increase familiarity with web3 communities.

Finding 4: The Power of User Reviews

A whopping 95% of respondents said they read user reviews before making a purchase or investment for the first time. Of that group, 38% said they "always" read reviews, 30% said they "often" do, and 27% said they "sometimes" do.

Takeaway: User reviews are important to the majority of respondents when making purchasing or investment decisions, so it is valuable to have a strong presence of positive reviews.

Next steps: Web3 communities should prioritize encouraging customers to leave reviews, as they hold significant influence in the purchasing and investing decisions for potential members.

Finding 5: Willingness to Leave Reviews

While a large percentage (80%) of respondents said they would leave a user review for companies or communities they've interacted with, 20% said they rarely or never leave reviews.

Takeaway: While a lot of people are willing to leave reviews, there's still a significant number that aren't, so there might be an opportunity to increase review writing.

Next steps: Think about implementing strategies to get more people to leave reviews, like providing incentives or making the review process easier.

Finding 6: Positive vs. Negative Reviews

The majority of respondents (68%) said they only post positive reviews. Of that group, 20% said they post "very positive" reviews and 48% said they post positive reviews. In contrast, only 5% of respondents said they would leave negative reviews, with 26% saying they would leave neutral reviews.

Takeaway: Most people only post positive reviews, so it's important to focus on customer satisfaction to get more positive reviews.

Next steps: Prioritize giving customers a positive experience to increase the chances of getting positive reviews.

Finding 7: Review Writing Motivations

The top reason for leaving a review was having "a great experience with the product/service" (59%), followed by "a great experience with the community/team" (49%), and incentives like discounts or coupons (27%). On the negative side, 31% of respondents said they were motivated to write a review after a "bad experience with the product or service."

Takeaway: The top motivation for leaving a review is having a great experience with a product or service, so customer satisfaction should be a priority.

Next steps: Implement strategies to give customers a great experience, like addressing feedback and providing incentives, to increase the likelihood of getting positive reviews.

Finding 8: Encouraging Review Writing

The top factors that would encourage people to leave a review were providing incentives (75.6%), communicating changes following feedback (75.2%), experiencing being scammed or "rugged" (74%), and seeing feedback appear immediately on a webpage (69%).

Takeaway: Providing incentives and promptly addressing feedback are the most effective ways to get people to leave reviews, so these should be priorities when seeking out customer reviews.

Next steps: Consider implementing strategies that are effective at getting people to leave reviews, like providing incentives and promptly addressing customer feedback.

Conclusion

This survey gives us a good idea of how Americans are approaching the web3 world and how user reviews factor into their decision-making process. It looks like there's room for education and outreach to increase familiarity with web3 communities, and user reviews definitely hold a lot of weight.

These results definitely helped me validate some thoughts and plans we had for Rugless and busted a few hypotheses we had around the types of reviews people would be more inclined to share. Looks like we'll be revisiting some of our website copy and how we position our collaboration conversations with other communities and Web3 brands.

If you would like to understand how this survey was designed on Attest's self-serve platform) and view the details of the results presented by the Research Lead, Nick White), watch this video. ⤵️

You'll learn why consumer research is essential for businesses, how to learn more about consumer profiling and see a walkthrough of how to interpret the data in the survey dashboard.  Plus, you'll also be able to get a discount code for a subscription with Attest if you wanted to carry out your own research.

I've had the best first week in a new job I've ever had in my career. As I prepare for the next week, here's a recap of why this week was amazing so you can replicate it:

1️⃣ I locked space for things that are essential in my personal life:
- my workouts
- eating healthy
- sleeping 7-8 hours
- journaling
- time with my family
- WFH half of the week

This enables me to be healthy and at my best for work.

2️⃣ I’m following my job onboarding best practices:
- reviewed all documents to get me up to speed on the business, branding, manuals
- got access to all tools I need
- recorded and organized my notes, findings, handy docs, links
- scheduled time with every team member to meet and find out how we can support each other
- came up with my 30-60-90 day plan

This helps to set a strong foundation and gets me moving faster towards my goals and actions.

Getting to this point took me nearly a decade. It can take you much less. Know your priorities, have a plan and take action. That's about it.

P.S. Here's my reflection on managing FT work and a side hustle if you're interested.  

2 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

The number of people with side hustles will only go up in 2023.📈

How do I know this? The conversation around side hustles and solopreneurship seems to be getting growing every single day, starting a business has never been easier and less people want to rely on one primary source of income to reduce the amount of risk they're taking in case of unexpected downturns (ie. layoffs).

Here’s how I plan to find balance between a new full-time job and my creator business.

Using templates & better processes

This approach goes both for my FT job and my solo-business.

For better processes, I'm optimizing the tool stack I use on a daily basis to cover only what's essential, use the easiest and most efficient one vs the cheapest combination, and to cut out anything that I no longer use. I also fine-tuned my to-do list method in my Notion dashboard and updated my calendar to set reminders and make better use of my time.

In terms of templates, the goal will be to reduce manual work as much as possible. I'll make more use of email templates for frequently asked questions in my inbox (ie. consulting requests, brand collabs, service offers), templates for my social media posts to cut down on production time, as well as coming up with video formats to reduce friction of creating.

Save time. Work smarter and not harder.

Stop overcomplicating

The goal is to get to the outcome in the easiest and most available way possible. Want to make a video? Film with phone and do a voiceover versus setting up camera, mic, lights etc. Aim for short content versus longer content. Start writing the newsletter copy instead of thinking about the right platform.

For example, I've switched from Wordpress and Mailerlite combo to Ghost for my website and emails because it helps me get to my goal of having a clean personal website, write more and send emails. Less thinking, more action.

Overcomplicating increases friction and excuses. Simplify and keep moving.

Take yourself less seriously

This is easier said than done for me, as work has always been a serious thing in my life. Being afraid of making mistakes and thinking about what others will think of the results induce anxiety and remove fun from the picture.

Focus on the present, have fun with what you're working on and enjoy the journey.

Celebrate more

There’s always more to do and you can do better but the smaller milestones also deserve to be celebrated. A small deal is just as important to celebrate as a big deal.

I'll reward myself as I accomplish smaller goals and maybe even getting through the week with checked off priorities to acknowledge my progress.

Celebrating often during the journey helps you stay on track and motivated - healthier for the long run.

If you’re also juggling a FT job and a #sidehustle, what have you found helpful?

If you don't have a side hustle yet, are you thinking of starting something new?

3 Ways I Can Help You When You're Ready

1. Be a better marketer with the resources I created, including a kickass course to help you land your dream marketing job, templates and lists of resources to accelerate your learning.

2. Work 1:1 with me to define your career roadmap and get support for your marketing job application process.

3. Get in touch to join Superside, Integromat, Whatagraph and many others to promote your brand or business through partnered content on YouTube and other social media platforms to an audience of self-learner marketers!

I love apps and tools that make my life easy or better and I'm always on the hunt to explore new ones.

As a marketer, I've worked with many tools in the market and get to test out a lot of solutions built for marketers and marketing organizations.

This page is a collection of both my personal tech stack as a creator and those that I've tested for my job and recommend for different business needs.

💡 Affiliate links are used when available and I make a small commission if you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide. There is no additional charge to you. Thank you!

Day To Day

Personal and business dashboard: Notion

Calendar Scheduling: Calendly

YouTube Keyword Search: TubeBuddy

All design needs: Canva

Marketing News: Marketing Brew

Tools I Like As A Marketer

Marketing Reporting: Databox

Social Media Reporting: Whatagraph

Screen Recording: Loom

Video & Audio Transcriptions: Descript

Copywriting assistant: Copy AI

Copywriting assistant #2: Lex

Job Search & Hiring

Finding a marketing apprenticeship: Acadium

Finding marketing jobs: MarketerHire

Personal Finance

High Interest Savings Account: NEO (you will receive a cashback bonus upon sign up)

Crypto Exchange: Ndax

Crypto Wallet: Rainbow

Learning

Online courses: Skillshare

2 things marketers should have on their radar for 2023: AI and community-based marketing.

There's an increasing number of job posts that mention community building experience and an increasing number of marketing leaders talking about this strategy. That's always a sign to pay attention.

Last year I joined a 4,000+ member community as the marketing leader…

Read more