r/MarketingMentor

everything was humming along for about 4 months. we had a little outbound engine going, i was pulling leads from LinkedIn Sales Nav, enriching through Prospeo and sometimes Clay for the harder-to-find contacts, sending through Instantly with 6 inboxes on Inframail. reply rates were sitting around 3.1% which for a pre-seed startup selling workflow automation to ops teams... thats not bad. i was proud of it honestly.

then in february i got impatient.

we had a demo pipeline that was drying up and i needed to fill it fast. so i did what any sleep deprived founder wearing 7 hats would do - i skipped verification. pulled a list of about 4,200 contacts, ran them through Prospeo for enrichment (email accuracy has been solid for us, around 82-85% on most runs), and instead of running the output through ZeroBounce like i normally do... i just loaded them straight into Instantly and hit send.

my logic was "Prospeo already validates emails so why am i paying for a second verification step." which, ok, theres some truth to that. but 82% accurate on 4,200 emails means roughly 750 bad addresses going out. i did not think about this at the time.

within 3 days two of my 6 inboxes got flagged. bounce rate on those campaigns was over 11%. Instantly paused them automatically but the damage was done. those domains were cooked. not "let them rest for a week" cooked, like actually burned. i tried warming them back up over 5 weeks and never got deliverability back above 40%.

so heres the cost breakdown of my impatience:

$38/mo x 2 domains on Inframail that i had to abandon = wasted new domains purchased and warmed for 3 weeks before i could send again = $76 plus 3 weeks of zero outbound estimated pipeline loss from those 3 weeks = roughly 8-12 demos based on our normal conversion, which at our average deal size works out to about $5,800-$6,200 in lost revenue plus my time. which as a founder doing literally everything is... a lot

all because i skipped a $30 ZeroBounce run.

the thing i wish someone had drilled into my head earlier is that enrichment and verification are not the same step. i had them blurred together in my mind for months. enrichment finds the email. verification confirms its not gonna bounce. you need both. every time. even when youre in a rush. especially when youre in a rush.

nobody warned me that domain reputation is basically a one-way door at small scale. big companies can rotate through domains like nothing. when you have 6 inboxes and lose 2 thats a third of your sending capacity gone overnight. it took me almost a month to get back to where i was.

my workflow now is dead simple and i dont skip any of it: Sales Nav for targeting, Prospeo for enrichment, ZeroBounce on every single list before it touches Instantly. if bounce rate on any campaign creeps above 2.5% i pause and investigate before sending another email. period.

i should probably hire someone to own outbound at this point. we're at 29k MRR with 4 people and i'm still the one building lists at 11pm on a tuesday. but thats a problem for next quarter i guess.

anyway if youre a small team and you think you can save $30 by skipping verification... you cant. thats basically it.

Hey there, I'm a 22-year-old MBA grad who just started a marketing agency. I've had a few meetings and even landed a client! In my last meeting, they offered me a partnership, and I'm super confused about it (I'll tell you all the details on a call). I'd really love some guidance from a mentor, so hit me up if you're interested in helping me out!

Hi everyone, don’t know if this is an appropriate subreddit to post to about this.

Im currently switching degree paths right now to marketing/business from a biology degree, with the end goal or path of creative director or art director.

Im having trouble either deciding to go with a BA in marketing or portfolio school or any other degree paths that’ll help me achieve this role.

I already have some art directing and social media experience from working with smaller brands and my personal brand in the past. In which I got to experience hands on what it’s like to use and produce decent campaigns that pulled in customers.

(Technical skills learned from those projects:

- Product Photography/videography

- Editing / Retouching

- Photoshop/Illustrator/Indesign/After effects

- UI/UX design

- Blender for mockups and backgrounds

- Copy writing

- Brand design

Im a little bit scared since pushing my self / putting myself out has always been difficult for me and the lesser demand of the role is hard to push through concurrently some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, real question…

Are chatbots actually improving the user experience, or just making things more annoying?

Feels like every website now has that “hey 👋 how can I help you?” bubble popping up almost immediately… and half the time my instinct is to close it (or leave the site altogether).

That said, there are moments where they’re useful.
Like when I just need quick info — pricing, order status, basic FAQs — without waiting on a human.

So I’m kinda torn.

From what I’ve seen:

• Simple queries → chatbot works great
• Anything slightly complex → turns into a loop of useless answers
• If the user is already frustrated → chatbot makes it worse

It also feels like a lot of brands are adding chatbots just because of the AI trend, not because it actually improves UX.

The only setup that seems to work (IMO) is:
bot handles the easy stuff → quick handoff to a human when needed

Anything else just feels like a barrier.

Curious how others see this:

Have you seen chatbots that genuinely improve conversion or user experience?

Or do most of them end up hurting more than helping?

First post here — hope this is the right place to ask!

I've been in marketing for 3 years now and feel like I'm finally starting to see the bigger picture.

I want to find a clear direction — someone to look up to or a role to aim for — so I know what skills to build going forward.

So for those of you who are well-paid and in demand: what's your specialization? Content? Strategy? Something else?

Thank you for your answer in advance.

Hey everyone

Been building MygomSEO for a while now and finally launched it. It's an AI agent that handles SEO audits, keyword tracking, content writing and publishing, backlink monitoring and social media - all in one place.

The idea came from being tired of juggling five different tools and still doing all the work manually. So we built something that doesn't just show you the problems but actually helps you fix them.

Would genuinely love feedback from people who do this stuff every day - what's missing, what doesn't make sense, what you'd want to see.

There's a free scan with no signup if you want to take a look. Happy to answer any questions.

I’m trying to plan out my academic path and would love advice from people actually working in marketing, fashion, consumer insights, PMM, merchandising, etc.

I’ll be doing ASU Online with a Marketing major and a Digital Audiences minor, plus certificates and internships. That’s my current plan, but I’m still unsure if it’s the best long‑term move.

I’m honestly stressed about AI and how many people get this degree. I keep seeing people say they’re struggling to get hired even with internships, and it worries me. I don’t know if it’s because their portfolios are weak, if they didn’t specialize, or if the field is just oversaturated. I’m looking for some comfort and real insight from people who’ve been through it.

A bit about me and what I like:

• I love strategy and problem‑solving
• I’m really into consumer insights and understanding why people buy
• I like PMM, brand strategy, and working with a team
• I’m also interested in consumer insights analyst roles, merchandising strategy/analyst, and e‑commerce strategy
• I prefer behind the scenes roles
• I want to build and maintain a brand long‑term and eventually work my way up to leadership
• I’m NOT trying to be a graphic designer or carry full creative burden
• I’m not a “math equations” person, I like interpreting data and trends, not doing heavy calculations
• I get bored easily if the work is repetitive
• I don’t mind a general structure to my day, but I don’t want a job where I’m isolated doing the same task for years
• I want a role where I’m constantly switching between projects, talking to different teams, doing research, being in meetings, and solving new problems
• I like staying busy, working hard, and actually seeing results from what I do
• I want a job that’s recession‑resistant and not easily replaced by AI
• And most importantly: fashion world in some way this is a non‑negotiable. I want to work in the fashion industry specifically, not general marketing. (I think fashion‑tech roles would suit me really well)

I also like the idea of product management, but I’m worried about the whole “doing 10 people’s jobs” thing. PMM feels more realistic for me since it’s more strategy + consumer insight focused.

My main concern is: is it actually possible to stand out and get hired in marketing if you focus on strategy, insights, and a specific industry like fashion? Or is the job market really as bad as people make it sound?

What I’m trying to figure out is what academic path actually makes sense for someone like me. Should I:

• Stick with marketing + digital audiences and add certificates
• Add a minor like data analytics or fashion merchandising
• Or choose a different major entirely that still leads to strategy/data roles in fashion

Basically, what major/minor/certificate combo gives the best ROI, job security, and helps someone stand out in the fashion/marketing world?

If you work in fashion, marketing, consumer insights, PMM, merchandising, e‑commerce, etc., I’d really appreciate your perspective. What majors/minors actually matter? What skills should I be building? And is it realistic to build a stable career in this space if you’re intentional about it?

Thanks in advance I’m trying to make smart choices now so I can build the career I really want. And if I have the wrong idea about anything, please feel free to correct me I don’t have anyone in my life who works in this world, so I’m trying to learn what it’s really like through the internet.

Hey everyone,

I’m a mobile app developer looking for a marketing-focused co-founder to partner with. The idea is straightforward: we identify valuable niches and real problems to solve, I handle building and shipping the apps, and you focus on getting them in front of the right audience and driving growth.

We split everything 50/50. I bring strong technical skills and execution. What I’m looking for is someone who understands marketing deeply, someone who can turn visibility into downloads and downloads into revenue.

If you’ve got marketing expertise and an entrepreneurial mindset, let’s connect. Send me a DM and let’s see if we’re a good fit.

I am just starting out in digital marketing and I am bit confused about whether I should go deep into one area like SEO or social media, or try to learn a bit of everything first. On one hand, specializing feels like it could help me stand out faster, but on the other, having a broad understanding seems useful too.

For those who have been in the field for a while what worked better for you in the beginning, and why?

The debate between brand marketing and performance marketing is often misframed.

Performance marketing shows you what is currently working, while brand marketing creates the conditions that make performance marketing more cost-effective over time. They are not in competition; one focuses on immediate results, while the other is about long-term growth.

I've observed that companies that struggle the most with this issue are the ones that cut their brand budgets when performance metrics decline. This approach is fundamentally flawed. When your performance costs increase, it typically indicates that brand awareness is low, leading you to spend more to reach potential customers who aren’t familiar with your brand.

The key question to consider is not which type of marketing to choose, but rather: what is the minimum investment in brand marketing needed to prevent our customer acquisition costs (CAC) from rising?

Curious what everyone here uses to reach customers.

I’ve mostly relied on email + some push/social, but recently started looking into SMS more seriously. I used to think it was outdated, but the immediacy is hard to ignore — no algorithms, and it works great for reminders, updates, and simple offers.

The main issue I kept hitting with SMS tools was the friction: account approvals, verification processes, sometimes even submitting business docs just to get started. It always felt like overkill.

So I ended up building a small tool myself that lets you use your own phone/SIM as an SMS gateway via API.

Curious:

What channel works best for you?

Anyone using SMS regularly?

How do you keep it from feeling intrusive?

Feels like we’ve “solved” marketing tools, but not distribution.

Founders today have access to everything. AI content, schedulers, SEO tools, analytics, even full “AI CMO” stacks. Yet most startups still struggle to reach even their first 100 real users.

I keep noticing this gap:

execution is easier than ever, but attention is harder than ever.

So I’m curious from a marketing POV:

- Has distribution basically become pay-to-win (ads/influencers)?

- Or are we over-relying on tools and underinvesting in positioning/audience understanding?

- What are the actual early-stage distribution plays that still work in 2026?

Would love to hear real examples or patterns you’ve seen work , especially for products starting from zero.

I remember years ago (probably close to 10 years) listening to a podcast where a guy would send a full-on cake to his ideal clients/prospects. I don't remember the specifics but probably included some kind of note with it & a follow-up sequence. It worked well for him. For whatever reason, that idea has always stuck me & I loved how unique it was.

What's your most outside the box cold outreach idea (that you've tried or have heard of)?

Hey everyone! Looking for some insight on how to approach my current projects and how to create a strong foundation to build from. I currently have 2 main focuses and a few minor as well. I have little online presence aside from the private personal stuff I have and a decent name within the local construction community from managing a local rental house that I currently still work at

Main focuses:

1. Equipment Broker/Service

I mainly deal in used equipment with a little bit of new (Such as general construction, landscaping, trailers etc.) and I also offer service/repair as well. Most of my business is word of mouth and Facebook marketplace.

2. Newly Licensed Realtor

I’ve recently became a Florida Realtor at the start of the year and so far only business I’ve got is from word of mouth. My main focus with this is for property management and any sales residential or commercial.

Minor focuses:

Web hosting - Not setup yet currently building

Virtual assistant/bookkeeping - only a couple of clients

E-Commerce Equipment parts - Currently building

Bigger takeaways I’d like to hammer out is minimize month to month costs, consolidate emails and phone numbers, and just to have structure into place I can feel confident to build from. If I’m asking too much or too vague just tell me. I appreciate any insight❤️

We have varieties of tools, one for social media scheduling or content via ai, or keyword research platforms to AI CMO type platforms....and thing is 5 years ago everyone would have struggled without such platforms and learning/experience curve mattered a lot and not to forget launching platforms and directories services...

But now despite all these existing tools....i wonder why we aren't able to crack the distribution game for new startups....most die even before reaching to right audience or larger audience, on X once founder figures out the tech part...they learn marketing is the real deal and honestly if person doesn't have budget they do keep attempting in bits and pieces and then they quit....

I do have at least 45 platforms since June ,...i bookmarked coz i felt they were good...but most are non operational....and honestly i haven't even heard about vibe coding tool (started by indie dev) becoming mainstream....

Is it the saturation or is it the fact that there would not be any solution unless person invests heavily in ads/collabs with influencers...is this the way forward i wonder...

Curious what everyone is dealing with currently

• Getting clients?
• Running ads profitably?
• Content not performing?

Drop your biggest challenge. Might help each other out.

Channel selection, content format, posting frequency, ad spend allocation. These take up most of the meeting time in most marketing discussions.

Strategy sits one level above that. It starts with what the business needs in the next 12 months, how the unit economics work, who the customer actually is and what they need to hear to act, and what success means in business outcomes.

When those things are clear, the channel and format decisions become straightforward. When they're not, execution runs with confidence in an uncertain direction.

The structural reason this keeps happening: execution partners are set up to handle channel-level work. The strategic layer above that rarely has a clear owner. So it gets handled informally, or skipped, and activity fills the space.

A team can be fully occupied and still be pointed in the wrong direction. The effort is real. The direction is provisional.

Where does your marketing planning actually start: from business objectives or from the execution layer?

I am considering shifting to independent consulting and looking for original ideas to find those first paying clients. I have no connections.