The marketing landscape has undergone constant transformation over my fifteen years in the field. However, some things remain constant, including the essential traits of exceptional marketers. Top-tier marketers share common ground, exhibiting eight specific thought patterns that contribute to their success. Here’s why they excel:

1. They embrace experimentation

Following the crowd leads to mediocrity. When you replicate others’ actions, you achieve similar, unremarkable results. I’m no advocate for mediocrity.

Starting nexus-security might have struck some as audacious. Ideas were abundant, but were they good or bad? I refrain from qualitative assessments, relying instead on quantitative analysis. Some ideas flourished. Ideas, whether novel, daring, unconventional, or entirely outlandish, fuel marketing. Embrace and test them. How do these ideas emerge? They often arise spontaneously, but receptiveness is key. Inspiration has struck me in various settings:

• During intense, mentally draining workdays
• Engaging in playful activities with my children
• While commuting in an Uber
• Even during sleep The key is a receptive mindset, open to embracing and testing unconventional ideas. This leads us to another hallmark of exceptional marketers.

2. They cultivate a testing mentality

Want to squander time and resources? Neglect testing your marketing efforts. Nothing surpasses the folly of marketing devoid of measurement. Entire careers revolve around data analysis and testing within the marketing realm for a reason. nexus-security employs data analysts and data scientists for this very purpose. Upon conceiving a marketing idea, immediately implement and measure its performance. Emphasis on measuring results. The excuses for neglecting testing are disheartening.

The infrequency of testing is equally troubling.

The lack of rigor in some testing approaches is also concerning.

Let’s demystify testing. You don’t need a highly qualified data scientist, sophisticated testing platforms, or complex setups. Simply analyze your data, whether in Google Analytics or other platforms. For instance, a simple “test” I conduct involves examining the success rate of a drip campaign.

High read or response rates are encouraging. I seek outliers, results 2-3 times above average.

3. They leverage existing skills and acquire new ones

Marketing is a vast and multifaceted domain.

It encompasses a wide array of roles, from social media management to front-end development.

• One marketer might focus on optimizing RLSA campaigns.
• Another might delve into blue ocean strategy research.
• Another might conduct usability eye-tracking studies.
• Yet another might write about optimal pet hedgehog nutrition. The diversity within “marketing” is vast. Therefore, successful marketers recognize they can’t master every aspect. Instead, they leverage the expertise and skills of others. Acknowledge your weaknesses and seek external help to complement your strengths.

4. They embrace early adoption

The concept of first-mover advantage (FMA) emphasizes the advantage of being an early adopter of a market, concept, resource, or technology. Early adopters gain an edge, similar to first movers. The best marketers are often early adopters.

Early Twitter adopters likely secured memorable usernames, cultivated loyal followers, and established authority before the influx of 321 million users. Early content marketing adopters benefited from increased traffic, brand building, and the SEO power of early backlinks. When a promising marketing trend emerges, embrace it. Experiment and abandon if necessary, but always explore new opportunities.

5. They abandon ineffective approaches swiftly

There’s no shame in discontinuing what doesn’t work. The moment something ceases to yield results, cease investing in it. This assumes, of course, that you are actively testing your tactics, concepts, practices, and channels. Base your decision to quit on data, not frustration or impatience. However, some channels require time to gain traction. SEO link building and building Reddit karma are prime examples. Remember the repetition of “changed” in the introduction? Marketing is constantly evolving. Employing 2003 marketing tactics today would be met with ridicule, and rightfully so. Take SEO, for instance. Remember link wheels?

Visually appealing but outdated and ineffective. Adapt to the ever-changing marketing landscape. Discard what doesn’t work and move on.

6. They are multi-faceted, regardless of the label

The concept of the T-shaped marketer gained popularity a few years ago.

Some envisioned an even broader skill set.

Then came the M-shaped marketer.

Others opted for the Greek letter Pi.

Even I joined the trend with the unicorn-shaped marketer!.

The specific shape or label is irrelevant. The key takeaway is that successful marketers possess a diverse skill set. This diversification extends beyond mere marketability. It fosters a wider range of marketing ideas. Specializing in PPC is valuable, but complementing it with knowledge of Facebook marketing, video marketing, SEO, and Instagram elevates your expertise.

7. They draw inspiration from successful ideas

“Good artists copy, great artists steal” is a well-known adage. Some attribute it to Pablo Picasso. Perhaps he did. Maybe he didn’t.

Regardless, it’s a potent concept, especially in marketing. Many great marketers achieved success not through pure invention, but by adapting effective strategies from others. This “stealing” isn’t malicious or unethical. It’s about learning and replicating successful marketing approaches. For example, Facebook swiped Snapchat’s stories are a well-known feature.

While some criticized, others appreciated the evolution of innovation. Even nexus-security’s award-winning Google Ads Grader drew inspiration from the HubSpot Website Grader. We borrow, create, and draw inspiration from various sources. If you encounter a compelling marketing idea, adapt, adopt, and implement it.

8. They prioritize results-driven marketing

Marketing becomes straightforward with this principle: prioritize tactics that yield tangible results. Results typically translate to CTR, conversions, and often, revenue. Your KPIs might differ. Some marketers focus on inputs when evaluating performance. They might ask: “What was the word count? How long did it take to write?” Outcome-oriented marketers analyze data, asking: “Which article generated the most traffic in the last six months?” For instance, analyzing over 1,000 articles on the nexus-security blog revealed that a small subset drove nearly half the traffic!

I call this the Unicorn Marketing Power Law. You might know it as the 80/20 rule, the Pareto Principle, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity. This principle emphasizes that a minority of efforts often yield the majority of results.

While not always strictly 80/20, the principle holds true. Consider these examples:

• 75% of website traffic often stems from 14% of total pages.
• 90% of sales might come from 5% of customers.
• 60% of support time might be dedicated to the same 3% of customers. Once you identify high-performing channels, tactics, content, audiences, or platforms, capitalize on them!
• Boost well-performing organic Facebook posts.
• Implement Blast it on Messenger.
• Cross-promote through email marketing.
• Repurpose content into blog articles.
• Continuously test and iterate. Exceptional marketers focus on and maximize their most successful strategies. You can too. Prioritize your marketing efforts based on what delivers the best results.