Total honesty here... I landed in marketing completely by accident. I majored in graphic design with no real idea of what I wanted to do with that degree. Shortly after graduation, I was offered a job as a designer for a marketing company creating banners ads.

I learned the ins and outs of marketing and expanded my skillset from design to copywriting, funnel building, offer creation, and marketing strategies - and eventually landed myself where I am today.

And in the spirit of true honesty - I spent a lot of time along this journey pretending to have answers to why I chose to do things a different way, when in reality, I just didn't want to do things "the way they were always done" ... because I like making a difference. Not just doing the things.

So anyway... here's my totally non-traditional marketing tips from a girl who has simply learned along the way.

1. The marketing that works the BEST is the marketing material that you enjoy creating.

If you don't believe in your message, your audience will feel that. No surprise... they'll disengage.

However - when you connect with your messaging and your purpose on a personal level - your audience will feel that - and they'll be more likely to get emotionally involved. (And people buy based on emotion!)

Take it from a girl who tried to mimic every single "proven strategy" she was presented with. They worked for tons of people - but they just were NOT working for me. It didn't come down to not nailing the strategy, it came down to not having fun with the strategy.

I didn't like what I was creating, and the audience could tell.

So, yes, simply put... the marketing that works best is that in which you enjoy creating. It might start out clunky. You'll fumble over your words while finding your voice. You'll learn what your audience enjoys reading and engaging with - and you'll adapt to that while still finding ways to get your message across and have fun with it.

Imagine every single piece of content you put out emotionally resonating with your ideal clients?

(Okay, let's be real for a second... most pieces. You're human, you'll still put out a few duds.)

The impact you'll begin to make is ASTOUNDING.

It won't be this magical "proven system" that works right away... but once you figure it out, it's marketing that becomes so powerful that doesn't just create awareness and promote products and services. No, it's much more powerful than that - it builds relationships.

And relationships = clients.

2. Simple is best.

People often try to use fancy words to make their products and services sound better.

But the truth is... using the language that your clients use is what helps them connect.

Stop overthinking it.

You know your message inside and out. You're familiar with ALL the terms and you can fill in the gaps with your own knowledge and experiences. But your potential clients (likely) cannot do that yet.

It helps to have someone from the outside come in and read what you wrote.

If they have to read it a few times to understand what you said (or if they still don't understand it at all) - it's too complicated.

Ask someone who doesn't currently know what you do if they can tell what you do by reading your homepage or most recent social media posts.

If they can't - it's time to take a step back and reevaluate your message.

3. There's no one right way.

Experts will tell you all the things that work. They'll sell you their secrets and give you a blueprint for success. They're all different - and they all work. The method that works for you is the one that you believe will work for you.

This goes back to my first point. That the marketing you have the most fun with is the marketing that works best.

You'll try 10 different strategies from the experts and 9 of them will be total flops (even tho everyone else swears by them) - but that 10th one. It'll hit you different. It will work. You'll love it. You'll have fun with it.

It'll be the strategy you tell everyone about because it's MAGICAL.

But it's not the strategy itself that's magical. It's the way you implement the strategy and the connection you have to the process that makes the difference.

4. Unfollows, unsubscribes, getting blocked... it's all part of the game.

This one hit me hard. I used to take it so personally when someone blocked our business account, when our number of followers went down for the week, or when our email subscribers plummeted after sending a controversial email.

What have I done wrong? Did I make a mistake? I need to fix this...

Those were all thoughts that haunted me every time I saw numbers drop.

But... repelling the wrong people is just as important as attracting the right ones.

Don't let a decrease in audience make you feel like you're doing something wrong. You're simply weeding out the people who will never buy from you to make room for the ones who will. An email list of 2500 who are actively engaged is more valuable than a list of 10k people who never open your emails.

An Instagram or TikTok following of 2,000 people is more valuable than going viral to people who have no idea who you are and are going to forget all about your viral video within a few weeks.

Stick to your message. You're not losing people, you're finding YOUR people.

5. And my personal favorite... a best practice is only a best practice until a better practice comes along.

It used to drive me INSANE when a manager would tell me to change the headline color to red instead of yellow because "best practice says red gets more engagement."

I see the importance of best practices. I really do.

But, I view them more as great starting points and as opportunities of things to test against.

Another one I've always hated was being told to always use whatever Adobe labeled as their annual design trends because we need to "stay on trend".

Isn't the entire point of marketing to NOT blend in? I feel like not using the trends is more disruptive than trying to look like everyone else who is trying to be trendy by using the exact same list.

My best advice? Know you might fail. Embrace it. Keep breaking the rules, and try new things - because that's the only way you'll create something better than whatever "best practice" you're putting all your faith in.