How can you use your past experiences to be more adaptable in marketing?

It seems that to be more adaptable, we need to detach ourselves (ego) from our past experiences. We are often so tied to the tools and knowledge we already have, which stops us from taking steps in the new, uncertain direction

My experience has taught me the importance of staying attuned to market trends and customer feedback, allowing us to swiftly adjust marketing strategies to meet evolving needs and maximize engagement effectively. This adaptability is crucial in the dynamic field of marketing, enabling me to respond to challenges and opportunities with agility.

A key for me is following these steps. - always strive to learn - run mini or large tests to prove what works - double down in the success and ensure the lessons spread to your team. It’s key to always learn, but in marketing a key is to prove what works. This mindset will help you be much more adaptable long term.

I believe a person with strong transferable skills can excel across sectors, industries and organizations. Therefore, it is important to continually sharpen these skills.

Marketing is a much wider and broader topic than just creativity. It’s event planning, data analysis, psychology, and so much more. When considering different ways your past experience can be helpful in marketing, don’t limit yourself. Think about what you’ve done in many areas of your life. My Parks and Recreation Mgmt degree doesn’t sound like marketing but I learned: - Project Management (building a disc golf course) - Event Planning (hosting a golf tournament fundraiser) - Copywriting (Creating content to help promote events) - Communication/PR (Speaking at events in the community) …and a lot more that has impacted my career in marketing in a positive way. Marketing is broad and deep. You have more applicable skills than you know!

Leverage past experiences in marketing by learning from feedback—both positive and negative. Gather insights from customers, colleagues, managers, or mentors. Evaluate performance, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate achievements. For instance, use feedback on a social media campaign to measure impact, refine strategy, and test new ideas.

Some of my most meaningful learning experiences have come from personal challenges that pushed me to better understand myself through self-reflection and therapy. By unpacking my thoughts and emotions, I've become more self-aware and able to clearly articulate my needs. This growth has enabled me to connect better with coworkers and customers, approaching them with greater empathy. When we take time to work through life's difficulties, we often gain wisdom and skills that benefit our relationships. What challenges have you faced that compelled introspection and brought new capabilities you now draw on at work or in your connections?

The one thing hindering leader performance most is not understanding personal strengths and weaknesses. Leverage your strengths, and learn to rely on others to fill in for your weaknesses. It takes a team. Feedback, whether explicit feedback from managers and peers or implicit feedback that requires active listening, are both invaluable ways to understand your strengths and weaknesses.

Every aspect of marketing - social, trade shows, paid, etc. - is a chance to learn and grow. Quality feedback, no matter the source, expedites the growth. Good or bad, as long as you approach the feedback with an open mind, you’ll get better as a marketer.

Consistently seeking feedback and adapting skills to evolving business needs is crucial. The focus should be on aligning past experiences with the current context. An event manager transitioning to marketing role might be very efficient in promotional campaigns or can be driving "wow"-events without considering the ROI. Open dialogue and feedback from colleagues, customers, and managers would help to find the right balance.

Eight years ago I moved from a position that required little to no marketing, to one that had a heavy emphasis on recruiting and marketing. The first thing I did was to create and codify a vision for what I wanted the program to become. I was then able to honestly and sincerely create materials emphasizing what we were doing well and where we were headed. These were all new skills that required intellectual and technical muscles that I had never exercised before. This has led to a clear understanding of how marketing works, how to analyze demographics, how to interpret reach, and a load of other skills, including social media marketing.

Marketing changes so fast you need to be able to part ways with old thinking and try new opportunities. Don’t think you are better than change, as you’ll get left behind.

Embracing new challenges in marketing involves leveraging past experiences to navigate unforeseen obstacles. Previous roles can offer valuable lessons on effective response strategies. If an individual previously managed sudden market demand shifts, i.e. in supply chain roles, they can apply similar adaptive strategies in marketing. Additionally, managers play a crucial role in knowing their employees' backgrounds and fostering communication and brainstorming to capitalize on the opportunities presented by past experiences.

I have had many mentors throughout my career and one of the best advice I ever received was to be open to taking on new challenges. Following that advice I have been able to increase my skill sets beyond traditional marketing roles and develop many transferable skills while working on projects that span the full scope of what an organization has do offer: market research, public relations, advertising, training and education, DE&I, customer service, compliance, risk, legal, sales, graphic design, website design, social media, product development, technology intervention, and more. There is something to be said about understanding all aspects of an organization and the unique perspectives it provides to create impactful marketing strategies.

Viver na zona de conforto é dormir todos os dias com o seu maior inimigo, a sua passividade. Precisamos olhar com mais amplitude, tentar enxergar o que muitos enxergam, mas poucos veem, ouvir o que todos ouvem, mas poucos escutam, enfim seja sempre algo a mais, pois de mesmice o mercado está cheio.

Showcasing your outcomes is definitely a great way to build trust. Sometimes it can feel a little uncomfortable taking about your success and maybe feel like you’re bragging. But, it’s important for people who do not know you, to understand your achievements. There’s a lot of achievements and accomplishments you have probably had which you don’t realise would be very helpful for others.

Learning from your past wins and losses helps understand what did and didn't resonate with your audience. Are there specific audience segments that engaged more? Did certain subject lines work better than others? By slicing and dicing this data, it allows you tailor future campaigns, segmenting your audience and making informed, data-driven decisions.

La reflexión sobre experiencias anteriores en marketing se convierte en una herramienta esencial para desarrollar la capacidad de adaptación en este campo. Por ejemplo, al examinar estrategias previas, surge la posibilidad de identificar con claridad los elementos que contribuyeron al éxito, así como aquellos que fueron menos efectivos. Este análisis se traduce en la oportunidad de ajustar y afinar las estrategias, permitiendo capitalizar los aspectos positivos del pasado y prepararse para adaptarse con agilidad a futuros cambios en el entorno del marketing.

Trial and error. I’m willing to try almost anything in marketing once because you don’t know what you don’t know but I need measurable ROI to continue. It’s all about data. If the data after is what you’re looking for keep moving forward. Sign short contracts month to month to make sure they continue to fight for your loyalty.

Reflecting on outcomes has been a cornerstone of my adaptability approach. Analyzing past campaign successes and challenges enables me to discern effective tactics and fine-tune strategies, ensuring a more agile and adaptable marketing approach for future endeavors.

Learning a new skill or just gaining new exposure can come in many forms and can be through a “stretch assignment” or shadowing opportunity. Find ways to help add value to another function or team while also benefiting from the experience yourself.

I agree - you have to keep your brain growing by continuing to add on to your skills. Not doing this as a leader will hinder your growth, but also the growth of the ones you lead, as well as your company's progress.

Yes, learners are earners. BEYOND courses, books, webinars, etc., see my contribution in the following “Share Your Stories” section as to how to learn by getting others to share THEIR stories.

Marketing strategies are forever changing and adapting. The core fundamentals do not change but the techniques, systems and processes do. Keeping up to date with latest trends and what is currently working is crucial. Following experts and leaders in the field is key - to see what they’re doing. Do not just copy - take inspiration and add your personal touch.

The marketing world is full of change! In order to keep up with those changes, you need to be willing to constantly seek out knowledge that will help you evolve. Just taking 5-10 minutes per day to learn something new will make an impact.

Always, always, always look to cross-pollinate. Whether or not you have a success story to share, ask others (for whom you would not be considered a competitive threat) what they’ve done… …how they’ve done it …the quantifiable outcomes …what they would do to improve on that/what they would do differently …what they would do in your specific situation.

More than ever consumers are hyper aware of when they’re being sold something. We continue to see results in authentic and organic marketing, often told through UGC. Real life stories evoke real life emotion, and a human connection to not only the story teller, but the product they’re pushing. Find common ground in the everyday norm to establish trust in you, and your product.

Sharing narratives highlighting your journey, challenges, and accomplishments communicates your value proposition and builds trust. Even prior to presenting ideas to clients, exchanging thoughts with colleagues and managers cultivates a collaborative environment, fostering collective learning and growth. Feedback from peers and managers enriches these narratives, offering diverse perspectives for continuous improvement. The team would only benefit from people with diverse backgrounds, points of view and expertise.

To the STAR method, I discovered recently that you can add L for lessons learnt. Storytelling in my experience is so powerful because people buy stories.

Sharing stories of triumphs and lessons learned has been pivotal. It's through these narratives that I not only illustrate my journey but also exemplify my adaptability. Each experience, whether overcoming obstacles or seizing opportunities, has contributed to my versatility in navigating the marketing sphere. In essence, my past experiences serve as a reservoir of skills and knowledge, empowering me to approach marketing with adaptability, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to achieving results.

Some additional perspectives: 1. Networking for Diverse Insights: Engage with a varied network to gather different viewpoints and approaches to problem-solving. 2. Continuous Curiosity: Cultivate a habit of continuous learning, exploring emerging trends, and embracing curiosity to evolve with the industry's shifts. 3. Agile Mindset: Stay open to change, swiftly adapting strategies and leveraging innovative methodologies. 4. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Understand different business functions, fostering a holistic approach to marketing strategies. 5. Risk-Taking and Experimentation: Encourage a culture of calculated risk-taking, experimentation, and willingness to test new approaches to marketing campaigns.

While using past experiences might be a great way to navigate current work situations, always consider the time element of those experiences as well as circumstances: you cannot be sure of a successful outcome now based on a experience from 20 years ago. Product, users’ age, platform, location are just some factors to consider. Don’t be afraid to provide a fresh out of the oven solution, rather than experience - based one. Past solutions might be an impediment in seeing future ones.

One key point to remember is that within a business, there are numerous other departments that you can learn from, with skills that are transferable to a marketing function, so don't limit yourself to staying in marketing departments or roles. Move into sales, customer support, product development, product management, or any number of other areas. Stay there for a couple years and you'll understand much better not only how all the departments within the company need to work together, but you'll also have mastered new skills and developed new insights that you can apply to your marketing function when you return.

In my extensive experience as a Marketing Manager in Direct Selling, adaptability is key. Drawing from diverse Sales & Brand Awareness Campaigns, I've learned the importance of staying agile in response to market trends. Analyzing past campaigns provides valuable insights into consumer behavior, allowing me to tailor strategies effectively. Integrating lessons from both successful and challenging initiatives, I refine approaches, leverage emerging platforms, and optimize messaging. This adaptability not only fosters innovation but also ensures sustained relevance in the dynamic landscape of Direct Selling.

Try reflective storytelling sessions. Organize team meetings where members share stories of past successes and failures, focusing not just on the outcomes but on the thought processes and decisions that led there. Encourage discussions on how different approaches could have been taken or how past lessons can be applied to current challenges. This reflective practice turns past experiences into a rich learning resource, fostering a culture of adaptability and continuous learning. By narratively exploring previous experiences, the team not only learns from each other’s journeys but also develops a more flexible and innovative mindset, crucial for navigating the dynamic landscape of marketing.