Where’s the Marketing Thought Leadership?

If you work in marketing, communications, digital advertising, SEO, email campaigns, social media, and other related fields, you, like me, may constantly wonder how to improve.

What’s the next brilliant idea? How do I go viral? How do I make this campaign successful? How do I get ahead of the game?

The definition of marketing, to sum up lots of other definitions, is turning potential customers into brand champions. You seek out an audience, and you want them to care so much about the value you offer that they champion it to others. Marketing is that process.

There is no shortage of marketing mentorship and thought leadership. Marketers are constantly pitching themselves as experts to other marketers, businesses, and the public.

There are 7.2 million posts with #marketing on TikTok. Type “better marketing,” “how to be a better marketer”, “marketing course,” or “successful marketing” into YouTube and you will scroll forever. A Google query to learn tips, tricks, strategies, how to grow, how to succeed, what you must know, this and that and everything else will result in thousands of articles. If you search “marketing” on LinkedIn, I guarantee you there will be at least 50 webinars happening… all today.

There’s a lot of ego. I’m not exempt, that’s for sure! There’s great temptation to be bigger than you are, focus on yourself, and avoid the phrase “I don’t know.”

Then there are the events… like a billion of them. SXSW, INBOUND, Product Marketing Summit, Content Marketing World, Ad Week New York, MAICON (AI marketing), ANA Masters of Marketing, Spotlight by Semrush, DigiMarCon, and Social Media Marketing World… to name a few. There are probably 40+ sizable marketing conferences every year, and they are all, of course, “must attend.”

There is no shortage. But is it the right thought leadership?

Who’s the Best Marketer?

Is it Seth Godin? Legends like David Ogilvy or Mary Wells Lawrence? New guys like Neil Patel, Alex Hormozi, or Vusi Thembekwayo? (Not sure how “new” they are anymore, actually.)

Maybe the best marketers are no longer traditional advertising pioneers like Leo Burnett.

Don’t we define successful marketing by money or influence? Those are the most important, right?

So wouldn’t celebrities be the best marketers? Social media stars earning millions a month with millions of readers and followers?

Or perhaps the best marketers are the hidden ones with the creative ideas and the humility to adapt when something goes wrong.

The success of a marketer, I propose, isn’t how much money was made or how many people look up to that person. That’s fleeting success. Worldly success. A lot of people pursue it.

What if we define success another way? What if we ask “Who’s the most successful marketer?” and define success by the purpose of the marketing.

If it’s not sales or prestige, what is it?

What Is Real Successful Marketing?

I’m not saying don’t do a great job. If you’re hired to sell lemons, then sell them. If you’re hired to market at the Superbowl, then do it to the best of your ability.

But so often, we compromise marketing by appealing to humanity’s base passions and trending falsehoods. It’s amazing to me how successful marketing understands human behavior and motivations, and yet fails to grasp the point of humanity.

We’re superb at getting you to click or share because we know what emotional buttons to push. We study demographics, behaviors, psychology, patterns, and then a spark of genius strikes.

I particularly appreciate this when these skills and knowledge are applied to purposeful work, such as helping the needy, peacemaking, educating, and saving souls.

There is a hierarchy of end goals. Selling lemons is often not as purposeful as giving the needy chances to pick themselves up again. But the lemon salesman does his job as a means to a more purposeful end, like providing for his family.

When we think about this kind of purposeful marketing, we’re drawing nearer to real success.

If you are a marketer for a sports team, the fulfilling part should not be how many tickets you sell or how viral your content becomes. Fulfillment comes from a more purposeful end.

The Greatest Marketer of All Time

We’ve come full circle.

There is no shortage of marketers, marketing “wisdom”, and marketing goals. Everyone has success to tout, claims to make, and metrics to stand by.

But the greatest marketer ever, in my view, is Jesus Christ.

Let’s return to the definition of marketing: turning potential customers into brand champions. With Christ, it’s turning sinners into saints. In my view, there is no greater purpose. Plus, it’s hard to argue Jesus wasn’t successful. He freed us from sin, whether we believe it or not. And there are billions of champions who have followed in His footsteps.

What about the process?

He knew His audience. He knew His message. He knew the channels to reach them. He knew how much time it would take. He knew the obstacles and the goals.

He is humble. He does not boast. He’s not interested in being famous, or powerful, or legendary.

He’s not trendy or vain, though he understands trends and vanity well.

It is Him we should learn marketing from. Sure, we’ll need to read articles, use the platforms, and attend the events to stay updated on the latest tech, theories, and behaviors. We’ll need to interact with audiences so we can be tastemakers.

But who is a better storyteller than God? Who is better at reaching hearts and causing action?

The Straightforward Way to Improve as a Marketer

So go to Him. Bring your marketing challenges. The data that doesn’t add up, the campaign that’s not working, the posts that aren’t reaching people, the bosses who don’t get it, the competition that’s burying you. Bring it all!

Retain worldly measurements, but let go of worldly standards. Market for a purpose. For a greater reason. Market what people really need. What brings true happiness.

And when you’re selling something, don’t cut corners or use tactics riddled with vice. Be humble and patient and offer that job to God, that it may fulfill His purposes. 

Have thoughts on who the best marketer is and what real success looks like? Join the conversation! Shoot us an email at info@yellowlinedigital.com and follow us on LinkedIn.