23 Inspirational Quotes that will Improve Your Marketing Campaign

As Rudyard Kipling wrote, "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." They can inspire, motivate, invigorate...and sometimes they can be just what you need to hear to fuel your next marketing strategy! With this in mind, I’ve collected 23 quotes from all sorts of notable figures to jumpstart your business’ efforts.

Quotes About Public Relations, Marketing & Relationship-Building

1. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

How does your business make customers, business partners, followers and readers feel? Do they walk away feeling positive, optimistic and inspired? Strive for these responses in every interaction!

2. “Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” - Joe Chernov

Do your customers feel good about themselves after working with you? Although you’re the expert in your field, you can always learn more, and your clients are a fantastic resource! Ask them for feedback regarding your products and services. What do they like about them? What can you improve? What about your website, blog, e-newsletter and social media channels? The more insight you’re able to pull from them, the better you can fine-tune your strategy and the better they’ll feel about working with you!

3. "Whether B2B or B2C, I believe passionately that good marketing essentials are the same. We all are emotional beings looking for relevance, context and connection." - Beth Comstock

Regardless of your industry, public relations and marketing is all about the people! It’s about connecting with them, sharing information and using your products or services to help them to the best of your ability.

4. "A brand is no longer what we tell the customer it is; it is what the customers tell each other it is." - Scott Cook

If your customers were to describe your organization to someone else, how would they do it? Is their description the way you want your company to be described? They’ll see the images and words you use to brand your business through your website, blog, e-newsletter and social media channels, and create a concept of your company they use to tell others about you; create content for your brand with this in mind so you stay on point and present a clear picture for them!

5. "Don't build links. Build relationships." - Rand Fishkin

Links coming into your website can be fantastic for search engine optimization (SEO)! But putting your focus on link-building rather than building relationships with other businesses and consumers will end up hurting you in the long run.

6. "Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell." - Seth Godin

As Beth Adan explained, “A great story has four elements: theme, plot, structure and characters. You can think of them this way:

• Theme (Know Your Industry)
• Plot (Know Your Story)
• Structure (Present Readable Content)
• Characters (Include Your Audience)

Read more in her post, 7 Business Uses for Social Media Marketing.

7. "Content is fire, social media is gasoline." - Ryan Kahn

One of the best ways to spread your content is through social media! Whenever you write a blog post, share it across your channels – you can even share it a few times, presenting it in different ways to entice followers to check it out and share it if they haven’t already. Make sure you follow each social media platform’s best practices to pour the best gasoline possible on your content, too!

8. "What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself." - Abraham Lincoln

Does your publicity stink? Think about the message you’re presenting potential and current customers. How can you sweeten the impression you’re leaving?

9. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." - Will Rogers

When a potential customer visits your website, blog or social media channels, what first impression are you giving them? If all they see are typos and improper grammar, not a good one! Make sure every piece of content you create benefits your company’s marketing by making a solid first impression. Share helpful, insightful information and proofread everything before it goes live!

10. "Don't be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing." - Mike Volpe

When’s the last time you tried a new public relations and marketing strategy? Hold a brainstorming session with your team and come up with as many crazy and wild ideas as you can, and pick one or two to try out this next quarter. Then review the results; was it successful? Is there something you can adjust to make it work better for your business?

11. "Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed." - Dan Zarrella

When’s the last time you looked at your analytics? Open your eyes to clearly see where your business is going! At Three Girls Media, we recommend you review your Google and social media analytics every 4-6 weeks. Make note of your page views, click-throughs, engagement, etc. and look for trends that can help you improve your content marketing strategy.

Quotes About Success & Failure / Fear & Courage

12. "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." - Dale Carnegie

Remember, if you have fun, your customers will too. Put a little personality into your PR and content marketing efforts, and enjoy yourself!

13. "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

It can be hard to keep a spring in your step, but staying positive, optimistic and hopeful amidst failure can make a huge impact on your business.

14. "Success is the sum of small actions, repeated day in and day out." - Robert Collier

What small actions are you taking today to achieve your marketing goals tomorrow? Create a 6- or 12-month strategy and break it into smaller daily or weekly tasks you can chip away at little by little.

15. "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." - Confucius

Successful public relations and marketing take time. While you want to regularly keep an eye on results, it takes a slow, steady approach for at least 6 months – if not a couple of years – for some strategies to impact the bottom line. It’s worth the investment as long as you stay consistent and keep at it!

16. "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

What dreams and goals do you want to achieve? Write them down, then create a plan to get there!

17. "Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." - Albert Einstein

What value are you providing to your customers? Instead of focusing on success, strive to provide them with the best value possible!

18. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison

Instead of looking at a mistake as a failure, change your perspective and approach it as learning another way that won’t work. 

19. "Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out."- Benjamin Franklin

When Franklin comes to mind, you likely think of all his achievements; however, how many times must he have failed to have said this? Don’t let mistakes paralyze you! Instead, use the blunder as an opportunity to learn and improve your business’ marketing strategy.

20. "Ideas are easy. It's the execution of the ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats." - Sue Grafton

If you’re like most business owners, coming up with new ideas isn’t the hard part; finding the time and resources to follow through is the challenge. The good news is you’re not alone! Contact us if you want help figuring out how to prioritize which public relations and marketing strategies to employ; we can help take all or some of it off your plate, too!

21. "I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles." - Nelson Mandela

Who do you rely on for advice? Whether you brainstorm marketing ideas with employees, business partners or friends, the important part is that they are engaged and thinking independently.

22. "It always seems impossible until it’s done." - Nelson Mandela

Being a small business owner can be overwhelming at times. As you look at your overarching goals, sometimes they can seem impossible. But by creating a marketing plan to break your public relations activities into smaller to-do list items, you can take it step-by-step instead of all at once.

23. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

It may seem like you see businesses succeed overnight, but what you don’t see are the countless hours they put into their company, and the ways they turned failures into opportunities to learn.

What are your favorite quotes and how do they inspire you? Share them in the comments below! Make sure you also check out these posts for more quotable inspiration:

• Helpful Marketing Lessons from the Best Show Ever: Gilmore Girls
• [International Ideas Month] Adding Creativity to Your Marketing Plan