25. T-shaped expertise: why you don't need to be an expert at everything
Michelle asked a great question that I think applies to most people in this group.
She asked:
“Do I need to know the ins and outs of PPC advertising or can i get away with knowing when and how to figure out if it's the best marketing strategy for my client? I'm a big hands on learner person. I love learning all I can. Thoughts?”
My answer? No. You shouldn't (and can't) learn everything about everything. Like she suggested, you do need to know when it's the right strategy for your client.
Generally, you want to go deep on one thing and be competent in the rest. A T-shaped marketer (because you go deep on one thing and have broad knowledge of a wide range of things).
But you do need to know how to pull it together and where it fits into the overall marketing strategy so you can get business results. That's what you're hired for, after all.
Yours,
—k
