If you have ever ventured, even for a bit, in the confusing path of learning Marketing for your business, out of curiosity or just for the sake of it, you might have found consistently the formula “there is no ‘silver bullet’ for [whatever] so you gotta do [A], [B], [C] & [D] if you wanna be successful”.
Well, first of all, in all likelihood and with only a few exceptions, that advice consisting of [A], [B], [C] & [D] is only painting a part of the picture for you. It might happen that it is precisely the part that you need to complete your picture. However, in my experience it will be more confusing, and even misleading, than helpful.
Then, I disagree: there is one ‘silver bullet’, and it’s called patience.
Bear with me for a moment. Why is this “Silver Bullet” not obvious? I mean, why it took me such a jolly long time to learn my jollying lesson, for jolly’s sake?
Being patient seems to be a boring, motionless, and challenging (in)activity. Probably isn’t for you because you always say that “you have no patience”.
I want to share with you the answers to these questions and hopefully, save you some time of your life (and even possibly a few headaches).
I didn’t get started in Digital Marketing, I stumbled into it like a bull in a china shop. It all started because I just wanted to learn the very basics about SEO to apply my shiny new knowledge in the company blog I was working on at the time… I couldn’t have been more misguided.
Of course, you can go to Mr. Google and ask him “hey, how do I get started in SEO?“. Should that be the case he will kindly throw out on you a huge list of results (SERP, Search Engine Results Page) of extremely tempting website articles. So much, that you will hesitate like MailChimp chimp’s finger before sending a mailing campaign.
Once you pick one, you will receive (free of charge!), a bunch of handsome advice on applying basic SEO techniques on your website to increase your organic traffic more than you have ever dreamt of. Even if I would like to say that it’s all cowcrap, it’s not true. Now that I am a Digital Marketer, and after revisiting those resources, I’ve found them even useful.
However, every single website I visited as a beginner (and they were the most renowned) did an awful job at actually teaching me the basics and getting the pieces of knowledge in place.
If you come from any background different from Marketing, you can expect the same to happen to you to a lesser or greater extent.
Look, with so many resources out there you’re going to get lost in your way to becoming a Digital Marketer. It’s just going to happen at one point or another, and that’s fine. You gotta get lost to find your way back 🙂
I have been there (done-that) and the only thing I want is to provide you with the help and guidance that I would have wanted for myself back in the day. That’s why I’ve put together the “Super-Ultra-Mega Ultimate Digital Marketing Beginner Best Curated List of Advice” for you.
Your takeaways. Really, I hope you write them down on a post-it and stick it on your desk or something.
1. My first advice is that you understand and accept that you are stepping into a field that is new to you. This means that it will take you some time to figure out how the pieces of the puzzle fit together so you can eventually start to see the big picture.
2. Secondly, focus, focus focus. If you start something, finish it! Else, you will keep hopping from resource to resource without taking away the full lesson. And if you think it’ll be more efficient, sorry mate, you’re wrong. It will only contribute to get you more confused and deviate you from the path, losing time.
You start a course, finish it. You start a book, finish it. Got it?
3. Try to find someone to walk the walk with. I never had the privilege to go through my journey alongside someone else, but it sure would have made it less uncertain and probably helped me stay on track more often. If not, have the courage to get started on your own, and get ready to continue alone. You’re in for the ride, and you are more than capable to make it to the other side, I know.
Signing off,
Mr. Wherever
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