This is important.
The dedicated marketer reads plenty of blogs, listens to podcasts, and has a collection of books they refer to time and again. The most diligent attend conferences and webinars.
The vast majority of these are highly undisciplined marketers. What?
Too many marketing professionals spend their time chasing the next tool, next theory, next tactic or platform — all with very good intentions. Most are looking for an edge. One way or another, they want to overcome the challenge in front of them and if they could just find that one silver bullet…
These forward-thinking spells doom for a lot of them because it interrupts the most fundamental marketing rule of all: Discipline. (Now, sometimes when we say “marketing discipline” we mean a particular subject matter expert, say, GEO or copywriting. What I am referring to is discipline as a behavior). It’s what we value in those who hit the gym at 5 a.m. without fail, those who journal every day, and the people who drink 100 ounces of water daily.
Marketing discipline is different: It is committing to doing the research and exploration that leads to your objectives, strategy, tactics, and messaging.
Marketers that fail at discipline, fail at marketing. They don’t do the difficult, often boring work that is necessary to develop a strategy. They only think tactically. They chase shiny objects. They defer to their friend, wife, child (who is on TikTok all the time). They second guess what they know to be true.
Being a disciplined marketer is simple yet challenging.
You must have a clear picture of the marketplace and where your brand exists in it.
You must be committed to very specific objectives.
You must uphold a well-defined strategy.
You must execute tactics that align with the strategy.
You must choose messages best suited for both the strategy and channel.
You must monitor and only tweak as necessary.
I said “tweaked,” not “revised.”
The effective marketer understands that the important work happened upfront, even if it was tedious at times. Nothing was done for vanity or ego. They entered the market with confidence, which gave them patience. They were not reactive. They were disciplined- confident enough in their strategy and skills that the latest “must-have” vendor pitch didn’t send them back to square one.
The lack of marketing discipline has brought down many a CMO. They earn attention through boldness, then lose it the exact same way. Bold for the sake of bold is no better than consistency for the sake of consistency.
The disciplined marketer respects the data when it continues to prove what works but is willing to adapt when the story genuinely changes. That balance requires restraint, patience and confidence.
Marketing has a reputation for being fun and flashy. More often, it is analytical, strategic and, at times, repetitive. Long-term success rarely comes from chasing every new trend or platform. It comes from having the discipline to ignore most of them.
