About a year ago I decided to create a test Instagram account just to follow every ad I could find, like and click.
It’s been an interesting experiment.
I see ads for so many different things now.
It’s been a great way to collect ad ideas and see what people are doing in many different spaces.
Successful marketing is not about stealing (funnel hacking or swiping ads), it’s about being an original who collects ideas for inspiration.
As marketers, we never know how or where we’ll find out the next game-changing idea.
Two things that my friend Brian Kurtz says always stick with me (at least this is how I remember his lessons):
1) There are no original ideas. We all learn and iterate from the masters who came before us.
2) You need to decide what matches your ethics and your values and style.
Marketing is a fun and funny profession.
At the end of the day, we need to be proud of our work and we need to remember that relationships are the currency of life and success.
We will fail and we win, but in the end, what matters most is how people feel when they are in our orbit.
Whether it’s our ads, or presentations, or our work, we have a responsibility to do great work so that as many people as possible can benefit from our contribution.
While I don’t always deliver perfectly or achieve every goal I set out to achieve, I do always give it my all. At the end of the day, showing up honestly for my family, my friends, team, and my clients is what matters most.
I think that’s the best way to sleep soundly at night and do our part to make the world a better place.
So as you pursue your dreams and work at being a marketer and entrepreneur, remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Don’t take shortcuts.
Do the work.
Be patient and forgiving with yourself.
If you’re faithful on the journey you’ll have a life that you can be proud of at the end of each day.
Cheers,
Gabe
P.S. The September session of my exclusive Simple Marketing Method workshop is openings its doors for a short time end of this month.
If you want to learn the principles that will help you grow a business for a lifetime, type “marketing” into the comment box and I’ll share the details with you.