While marketing is an incredibly diverse field, the most successful practitioners share some common habits.

Carpenter Group has worked with thousands of marketers in the financial and professional services industries for decades. Here are some of the things that we’ve found the best marketers do consistently.

1. Read. Good marketers are avid readers (and video viewers and podcast listeners). They consume content voraciously to keep up-to-date on marketing and financial and professional services industry trends. However, they don’t limit themselves to job-related content. Some of their best ideas come from learning about art, culture, sports and other topics. You never know what will inspire you.
2. Network. It takes a LOT of different types of people to bring marketing campaigns to life. Writers, designers, strategists, media planners, web developers and social media experts can all play a role. Good marketers must build a broad network. You never know when you might meet someone who can take a campaign to the next level.
3. Communicate. Marketing is all about explaining things, and not just to prospects and clients through advertising and other types of content. Marketers must be able to convey information about plans, strategies, campaigns, creative concepts and results to their peers, managers and people at agencies. The best marketers are able to explain complex concepts to virtually anyone — people who are experts in marketing, finance and professional services — and those who aren’t.
4. Plan. Marketing campaigns are complicated. They just don’t happen. It takes careful planning and checking to make sure everything comes together as intended. Good marketers review every step of every plan regularly, even if they work with a project manager.
5. Explore. Marketers never know where the next great idea will come from. It could be anywhere — a trip to a museum, the latest movie, a sporting event, a meme — maybe traveling somewhere new. The most advanced marketers we’ve worked with over the years are always open to novel experiences. Doing something new helps them see the world in fresh ways. Never shut the door to trying different things. It will limit your thinking and career.
6. Seek balance. Work can dominate the lives of marketers. For many, this leads to burn out. They simply can’t handle the incessant pressure over the long haul. Successful marketers seek balance between work and everyday life. Find activities outside work that you’re passionate about that will help you refresh and renew yourself.
7. Analyze. Analyzing data is the only way marketers can prove whether their campaigns are succeeding. Good marketers track data provided to them by others. Great marketers are more hands-on and take the time to get into the weeds. They learn how to navigate data systems on their own. It’s the only way they can get the granular information and insights required to find ways to optimize their campaigns. If you want to be a great marketer, interact with the numbers.

Our team at Carpenter Group has worked with some amazing financial and professional services marketers over the years. We’ve learned a lot from them. And we enjoy sharing that knowledge with the people we work with today. Give us a call to find out how you can tap into our vast knowledge base to take your marketing efforts to the next level.