Your Skill Alone Isn't Enough To Make You A Great Marketer
yes I said what I Said!
I know you’ve been working hard, learning SEO, mastering ad campaigns, optimizing landing pages, and creating engaging content. And that’s great. But here’s the thing you should know: your skills alone won’t make you a great marketer.
Wait, what?
Yes, technical skills are essential, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle. What separates a “good” marketer from a great one is a mix of strategy, adaptability, and soft skills.
A great marketer sees beyond the tactics. They understand the bigger picture, anticipate trends, navigate challenges with confidence, and communicate ideas persuasively. That’s what makes the difference.
So, let’s talk about the real skills that will set you apart.
1. Strategy > Execution
Knowing how to run Facebook ads is a skill. But knowing why you’re running them, who you’re targeting, and how they fit into the bigger marketing funnel? That’s strategy.
A good marketer doesn’t just do things, they think ahead, analyze data, and optimize based on results.
Ask yourself:
Do I know the real business goal behind this campaign?
How does this tactic fit into the customer journey?
Am I focusing on vanity metrics, or am I tracking impact and conversions?
Great marketers don’t just execute tasks, they connect the dots.
2. Curiosity & Continuous Learning
Marketing is a moving target. Algorithms change, consumer behaviors shift, and new platforms emerge. What worked brilliantly six months ago might be completely irrelevant today. The best marketers don’t just rely on what they already know, they constantly ask, “What’s next?”
When was the last time you experimented with a new platform?
Have you challenged a “best practice” to see if it still works?
Are you learning from industries outside of marketing to find fresh ideas?
If you’re not actively learning, you’re already falling behind.
3. Communication & Persuasion Skills
No matter how good your ideas are, you need to sell them, to your boss, your clients, or your audience.
Can you:
✔ Explain complex marketing concepts simply?
✔ Create a strategy and present it in a way that gets the buy in of the ‘leadership’?
✔ Build relationships that lead to partnerships or brand growth?
Last week, we discussed how to manage expectations of stakeholders, these are attributes a great marketer has over a good marketer.
Marketing is psychology in action. You need to influence people’s decisions, whether that’s getting a customer to buy, a CEO to approve your budget, or a team to align with your vision.
Pro Tip: If you want to level up in marketing, invest in public speaking, copywriting, and storytelling skills.
4. Resilience & Problem-Solving
Marketing isn’t always sunshine and high conversion rates. Sometimes your campaign flops. Sometimes engagement tanks. Sometimes an algorithm update wipes out your organic traffic overnight (smiles @ google updates).
What do you do when that happens?
🚨 A good marketer panics.
✔ A great marketer analyzes, adapts, and pivots.
Marketing is full of unexpected challenges, and your ability to troubleshoot and problem-solve is what will set you apart.
Your resilience will determine your longevity in this industry.
If you want to stand out in marketing, focus on more than just skills. Develop your strategic thinking, communication, adaptability, and resilience, because that’s what will take you from just another marketer to a highly sought-after marketing expert.
Now, let me ask you: What’s one soft skill you know you need to improve as a marketer?
Book Excerpt
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
"Whether the decision is about what to eat, how fast to drive, or how to react in an emergency, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer."
— Chapter 4: Social Proof, Page 116 (Revised Edition)
This excerpt from Chapter 4 of Influence explores social proof, a key psychological principle in marketing. Cialdini explains that when uncertain, people look to others for guidance, whether choosing a restaurant based on reviews or buying a product because it's popular.
He illustrates this with real-world studies, like how laugh tracks make TV audiences perceive jokes as funnier or how bystanders are more likely to act if others do. The same applies to marketing: people trust and follow the crowd. Marketers leverage this by using testimonials, influencer endorsements, and social engagement metrics to build trust and drive decisions.
Takeaways:
Leverage Testimonials & Reviews
Displaying user reviews, ratings, and case studies reassures potential customers that others have already validated your product or service. This reduces hesitation and builds trust.
Use Social Proof in Advertising & Landing Pages
Phrases like “Join 50,000+ happy customers”, “Trending now”, or “Best-selling product” tap into the psychology of social proof and create urgency.
Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)
People trust real experiences over brand claims. Sharing customer photos, videos, and success stories boosts credibility and engagement.
Showcase Real-Time Social Activity
Platforms like Amazon and Booking.com highlight how many people are viewing or purchasing a product at a given time to trigger FOMO (fear of missing out). You can use similar strategies in e-commerce or digital marketing.
Influencer & Community Marketing
People trust peers and influencers more than direct brand messages. Collaborating with influencers or building a community-driven brand can create organic social proof and long-term brand loyalty.
Cialdini’s principle of social proof is more relevant than ever in today’s marketing space.
Meme of The Week
Marketing AI Tool Review - Napkin.ai
Napkin.ai is a great tool for marketers who need quick, professional visuals without design skills. It turns text into infographics, flowcharts, and diagrams in seconds, great for making content more engaging.
Pros:
✔Super easy to use, just type and let AI do the work.
✔Saves time, no more struggling with design tools.
✔Free plan available, good for testing before committing.
Cons:
❌ Limited customization, might not fully match your brand.
❌ Struggles with abstract concepts, manual tweaks may be needed.
Verdict: A solid tool for marketers who want eye-catching visuals fast, but advanced designers might find it limiting. Worth trying, especially for content creation on the go!
P:S - If there’s any marketing tool you would like me to review, send a message and I will try it out.
P.S. If you found this helpful, share it with a fellow marketer who needs to hear this today.
If you still haven’t grabbed a copy of Planning Your Marketing Career, you must have an impressive resistance to peer pressure! 😆 Get Your copy now!
See You Next Thursday at 13:00 WAT
Best,
Success Lawal
Your Marketing Buddy.
Incredibly useful and well-written piece.
Couldn't agree more on the art of soft skills. How do you talk about marketing? How are your storytelling skills? Storytelling is hugely underrated. So, for everyone who has read this article, use soft skills to your advantage.
Miss Success wowed me with the title.
So insightful!