How to Succeed in Digital Marketing: Lessons From 20 Years

Thanks for hanging out with me today , because if you've been trying to figure out the world of content creation , this is the show that will help be your time-saving shortcut . So let's get right to it , shall we ? Hi , I'm Crystal Prophet , a digital marketing expert and content coach , and I am so excited to talk to you about .

If I were to learn digital marketing today , what would that look like and what are the three things that I would focus on ? Number one first and foremost , we have to talk about storytelling . It is the thing that so many people think . I'll learn how to do that one day , and we're going to go into the reasons why .

You cannot put off understand really telling awesome stories . You cannot put off understand really telling awesome stories . The second thing is having a proven system that can work for your business and it's sustainable , so that you can keep showing up on a regular basis . And the third thing is following a roadmap that will lead to success .

So let's dive right in . So most marketing fails because you're trying to be everywhere all at once .

So you're trying to figure out , like , how do I fit into this specific niche or market , wherever you want to show up online but also stand out right , like you want to be in a business , like a business content creator , but how do I stand out and actually get heard by the people I'm trying to reach ?

What ends up happening nine times out of 10 , is you burn out . You aren't targeting the right audience . Therefore , they're not hearing your story and you're not standing out the way that you want to . And , the worst of all , you are not going to reach success in your content , in your business , with your digital marketing because of all of those things .

Now , don't worry , I'm not here just to deliver bad news . I'm here to tell you the good news is that storytelling can help differentiate you from everyone

else . So what is my story ? I have been doing marketing of some sort since 2005 , and I was reflecting on this the other day and here's a clip for you to check out . So I just came to the realization today that I've been studying marketing in some form or fashion for 20 years . 20 years , like .

I started as a freshman in college studying marketing and it just hit me . I'm like that was in 2005 and it's kind of blowing my mind . So , yeah , there you go , there's your reflection tip of the day that , um 20 years goes by really fast .

But , um , it's why I'm still obsessed with marketing today , whether it's digital marketing , email marketing , content marketing , marketing strategy , whatever you want to call it Like , I'm obsessed with marketing and it's been going on . This love affair of marketing , has been happening since 2005 , which is just bonkers .

I think back to who I was in 2005 , as a broke college student trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life . And I look to today and realize , oh , storytelling has been a piece of my journey from the beginning and it's something that I continue to weave through all the pieces of my content .

I talk about it on my podcast , I talk about it on my YouTube channel , I write about stories in my email newsletters and our blog posts and our social media captions , like it is literally everywhere and it is the thing that's going to help you in 2025 and beyond to stand out , especially from all the AI generated content . Y'all , claude and Chad .

Gpt has nothing on those stories , those mistakes that you've made , those big goals and milestones that you have achieved . So make sure that you are weaving those into your digital marketing at every single turn , because it will be the thing that separates you from everyone else in your market . The second thing to focus on is having a proven

system . Now , proven systems will be the thing that takes you from okay I kind of got a handle on this , I think I know what I'm doing to pouring rocket fuel on that little tiny flame , that little ember that you have to create your content and really succeed in your business . And it makes all the difference when you have a proven system .

Now , what do I mean by this ? Well , I have systems and framework in the backend of our business . Let's take , for example , our PREPM method . That's P-R-E-P-M and that stands for plan record , edit , publish and market , and that stands for plan record , edit , publish and market .

Now , our prep and method has been used in every single piece of content that we create , whether it's a blog post , it's a YouTube video , it's a podcast episode , it's our weekly newsletter , it's a post on Instagram , we use our prep and method for literally everything in our business . Why ? Because it's scalable , because it applies to everything in our business .

Why ? Because it's scalable ? Because it applies to everything in our business and it helps us really focus on the things that matter most . And , most importantly because people ask me about it all the time it helps us batch content . Now , when people say , crystal , how do you batch , how do you get so much content ? How do you stay consistent ?

How does this actually work ? My default is a proven system . So the famous quote is you don't rise to the level of your goals , you fall to the level of your systems , and that's why it's so important to have systems in your business , and especially proven ones . So if you don't have one today , then please still mind .

The prep method can work for any type of business , for any content creator , no matter what you're creating in your digital marketing strategies . And if you want to learn in more detail about the prep method and how we use it in podcasting , make sure you check out this video where I go into detail and how we've used it in our podcast .

Also , make sure to like and subscribe this video today . That way you get more content . Just like it , delivered right to you whenever you follow and subscribe . Okay , let's move on to point number three . So the third thing we should talk about is having a simplified roadmap to success .

Now , this can apply to your digital marketing strategy , this could apply to your business , this could apply just to your life , but , at the end of the day , I want you to focus , learn and practice . Now , what do I mean by this ?

I mean that if you are trying to chase all the trends , right , you're like , oh , but there's this new thing out Crystal that so-and-so just started talking about , and then there's this AI tool that I should learn how to use . And then I got this ad telling me that if I'm not doing this , that I'm going to fail at life and I'm a loser .

No , no , no , no , no . We need to focus . I need you to get laser focused on the things that are actually going to move the needle in your business in 2025 and beyond . So what does that look like ? What should you focus on ? Well , I want you to just skip the guesswork , right ? This isn't a pop quiz that you don't have . The answer to .

The focus is what is the most important thing to your customer ? Oh , good question , right ? What's the most important thing to your customer Now ? This could be , what's their number one pain point , what's the problem that you could solve for them today ?

Or what is the thing that they may already be asking you for right now and you're just ignoring them , right , like ? Some of these are so basic , but , at the end of the day , these are important questions if you have not already answered them .

So , if you're looking for a journaling prompt or you want to know what to focus on next , those are the questions that you should go focus on immediately . And that really leads us into learning . At the end of the day , I've invested more than $20,000 .

Yes , you heard me right $20,000 in learning about content creation , online business , digital course , email marketing , even YouTube , and what it looks like to grow and scale my business , because I'm a firm believer that we should all be learning and evolving and continuing to grow in our business .

Now am I telling you to drop 20 grand on your education to learn digital marketing ? Absolutely not , remember , I've been doing this for 20 years . But at the end of the day , I am saying what are you going to learn in the next 90 days , in the next 30 days , like what's the thing that you're gonna put your focus on and really go all in .

What is that thing ? Maybe say it out loud , drop it in the comments . Let us know what that thing is , because whenever you have a little bit of that accountability , it can help you go further faster . Okay , so after we are focusing

, we're learning . You have to practice , and I love the quote from Marie Forleo that is clarity comes from engagement , not thought . Because at the end of the day , if you are focusing and you're learning , you're going to have so many ideas swirling around in your head , but you have to actually practice . You have to get into action .

You have to do something with it .

Because if I had been sitting on all the things that I learned Like let's just stack up all the textbooks that I've read over my 20 years in learning marketing and just not done anything I never created that first website , never launched that very first podcast , never pitched myself to speak on stage Then I would still be sitting here wondering what , if , like ,

what if one day I did that you need to lean on . Clarity comes from engagement , not thought . That means stop sitting around . What are you going to do to get into action in the next 30 , 60 , 90 days . Again , we talked about focus . What are you going to focus on Then ? What are you going to learn ? And then what are you going to put into practice ?

Because this is your proven roadmap to success . It's executing this over and over and over again until you've hit that level where you are the one that is the thought leader in your industry . You are the one that people go to whenever they have questions about your specific topic in your market .

So , because I am all about accountability , I want you to tell me what is your focus . What's your focus Whether it's the next 30 days , 60 days or 90 days ? But what is it that you're going to focus on ? Tell us in the comments .

I would love to hold you accountable or even offer some resources , right , if you decided this one I'm going to focus on now . Crystal's saying I got to learn something . What am I supposed to learn ? Tell us in the comments , and I would love to give you the resources that I've learned from .

That helped me become a better digital marketer , and I really want to give you those go-to guides that have helped me in growing a successful business and scaling my content and being able to hit all the milestones I've been able to hit in my journey . And one final reminder marketing isn't a sprint .

It is a full-blown marathon , one that I have been running for 20 years , and I still love it . I still love the marketing game . I'm obsessed with it . But just remember , you don't have to be everywhere all at once . You just need to be strategic and consistent with the message that you're sharing . So let's recap one more time .

We talked about storytelling , we talked about proven systems and we talked about a roadmap to success . So if you have more questions about that , be sure to drop them in the comments and make sure you hit that bell . That way , you get future notifications all about our content to help you get better with your digital marketing .

And if you need more tips , make sure you check out our playlist called Digital Marketing Tips for Business Owners , because you're gonna find great content in there . And , as always , remember , keep it up . We all have to start somewhere .