10 Bull$%^& Things Marketers Should Stop Doing in 2025

2025 is a new year—time to leave the bad habits behind.

Marketing often falls back on the same BS year over year.

There's too much happening in industry, AI, and the world for you to regurgitate your old playbook.

Stay curious, stay focused, and stop holding yourself back.

Here are 10 Bull$%^& things you need to stop doing in the New Year.

Working for the Guy (or Girl) Who Says They Don't Need You

I once doubled sales for a product quarter over quarter, taking an underperforming product line from $400k in quarterly sales to $800k in THREE MONTHS.

The thanks I got?

My boss unironically said "anyone could have done this, we just don't have the time."

That's not out of context and he wasn't joking. He really believed that.

If someone hires you and then acts like they’re doing you a favor or your work doesn't matter, it’s time to re-evaluate. You were brought in for a reason—to solve a gap they can’t handle. Stop wasting your energy on people who don’t value what you bring to the table.

Just make sure you're bringing the value.

Am I still bitter about that statement? No. It's what drove me to build the business I have today.

The thing is, most of you won't make the leap to build a business, even though it's easier to do today than it was 20 years ago.

If you're not valued, get off your ass and do something else.

Not Understanding Why You Were Hired

Let’s get something straight: you’re not there to "spruce up the brand." You’re there to create value and drive sales.

No matter what the founder tells you, your one purpose is to drive sales.

(hint: building the brand is code for driving sales).

If you don’t know the specific gap you’re supposed to fill, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Ask the hard questions upfront, learn from your sales team, or you’ll spend your time chasing your tail.

Getting Stuck in Your Comfort Zone

It’s easy to ride the wave of what you already know. But if you’re not learning, you’re falling behind. Marketing moves fast—your comfort zone isn’t a safe space; it’s a trap.

Buying Books and Not Reading Them

Gah — I still do this.

Stop fooling yourself with stacks of books that gather dust. If you’re not going to read them—or better yet, apply what you learn—then you’re just performing productivity.

Not Applying What You Learn

Learning without action is useless.

I HATE when I look at people's work and start correcting them and they response with "I knew that already."

Yeah, well if you KNEW it, why didn't you APPLY it here?

Every insight you gain needs to be tested, tweaked, and applied.

Stop hoarding knowledge like a dragon sitting on gold.

Creating a Graveyard of Ideas

Also me.

Your marketing calendar is a junkyard of half-baked projects and campaigns that went nowhere.

Either finish what you start or stop starting things altogether.

Focus one campaign, one funnel, one anything at a time.

Focusing on What You "Like to Do" Instead of What Moves the Needle

"Do what you love" is possible the worst advice for marketers ever.

Sure, you love a good web redesign sprint, but is that what’s driving results?

Do you know how many marketing leaders get hired, redesign the website, and bounce after 18 months?

Data says most.

Marketing isn’t about what makes you happy—it’s about what gets the job done.

Prioritize impact over preference.

Not Selling

At the end of the day, marketing IS sales.

Marketers hate to hear this, because real sales is measurable.

AND your boss doesn't have you on a crazy comp plan (that needs to change).

If you’re not driving leads, conversions, or whatever metric matters, you’re just creating noise.

Step up and own your role in revenue generation.

Talk to sales—they're the ones closest to the BUYER.

Taking It Personally

Rejection, criticism, or campaigns that flop—they’re not about you.

Marketing is about experimentation.

Take the feedback, adjust, and move on. Leave your ego out of it.

Not Doing Something Creative in Your Life

If you’re not fueling your creative side outside of work, your professional creativity will suffer.

Plus, your job isn't to be creative, it's to be EFFECTIVE.

Whether it’s writing, painting, or picking up an instrument, find something that inspires you and make time for it.

Happy New Year. Stay Safe and Sane.

— B