What I’ve Learned From 20+ Years In Marketing & What Still Surprises Me

I’ve worked with start-ups, scale-ups, and global brands. I’ve seen fads come and go. I’ve sat through launches, pivots, and “big idea” meetings that could have been emails.

And here’s the thing… the tactics change; the fundamentals don’t.

Every year there’s a new channel, tool, or algorithm to master. But the real wins, the ones that actually move things forwards, come from getting the basics right.

Here are a few truths I’ve learned (and keep re-learning):

• Most teams don’t need more marketing. They need focused marketing - the right activities in the right order, done well.

• The best campaigns start with the right messaging and answering some simple questions. Who’s this for? What are they looking for? Why now? (You’d be surprised how often these get skipped.)

• Everyone’s chasing growth, but few actually define what that means - is it revenue, market share, profitability, retention? Without clarity, “growth” becomes a moving target. Marketing needs to be measured like sales.

• Martech is only useful when someone owns it. The tool is never the strategy. And “set and forget” is where ROI goes to die.

• Strategy isn’t a slide deck. It’s the decisions your team makes every day about what to do, and what not to do.

And the biggest surprise after all these years? It’s usually the basics that are broken, not the big stuff.

Get those right, and the shiny new tactics start working a whole lot better.

That’s exactly what I do at Tight Lines - fix the foundations so your marketing is clear, consistent, and built to grow.

If your marketing feels busy but not effective, maybe it’s time to go back to basics. And maybe a Fractional CMO like me can help...