What the Best Marketers Do Differently
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some really talented marketers. Not the loudest ones. Not the ones chasing every new tool or trend. The ones whose work just… lands. Watching them over time, a few patterns keep showing up.
The best marketers I know are paying attention in quiet ways.
They notice how people move through a space, whether that’s a restaurant, a website, or a feed. They notice where people linger. Where they hesitate. Where something feels effortless versus forced. They don’t rush to fill every moment with noise.
The best marketers I know are curious.
Before they decide what to make, they want to understand who it’s for. They ask questions. They listen closely to feedback, to patterns, to what’s changing just beneath the surface. They’re more interested in learning than being right.
The best marketers I know have strong taste.
Not in a rigid way, and not in a trend-chasing way. In a practiced way. They know when something feels aligned. They know when to simplify instead of add. They understand that restraint is often what makes work feel confident.
The best marketers I know think in context.
They don’t treat every platform or moment the same. They think about timing, culture, and audience before execution. They understand that the same idea can land beautifully in one setting and fall flat in another.
The best marketers I know care deeply about the experience.
They think about how something feels to receive. Whether it feels thoughtful or transactional. Whether it respects the person on the other side. That perspective usually comes from being close to the work; from seeing how real people actually interact with what’s been made.
The best marketers I know are comfortable with nuance.
They understand that there isn’t always a single right answer. That good judgment is built over time. Those instincts are shaped by repetition, reflection, and paying attention.
And the biggest thing I’ve learned?
They never forget that there are people on the other side of the work. Not just “audiences”. People.
Being around that kind of work has quietly shaped how I approach my own.