Why Marketing Feels Messy Sometimes
Marketing means different things to different people.
For some, it’s a direct driver of sales. For others, it’s the voice of the brand. In some organizations, marketing is tightly integrated with business development; in others, it’s viewed more as content production or event coordination. These differing interpretations often lead to disconnects—especially when teams are moving fast or wearing multiple hats.
If you’ve ever worked in or with a marketing team, you’ve likely heard things like:
- “Why don’t we have a post up yet?”
- “Let’s launch this by Friday—just make it look good.”
- “We need more leads. Can we go viral?”
While all well-intended, these kinds of requests reveal a deeper issue: the gap between how marketing is perceived and how it actually operates in practice.
Through client projects and collaborations with startups, agencies, and enterprise teams, I’ve seen these common frustrations come up again and again. These are not failures or the end of the world.
These are signs that some internal structure, expectations, or workflow needs attention.
In this article, let’s break down each frustration, its root cause, and specific fixes based on the size or structure of your team—this is regardless if it’s a small startup, a growing agency, or part of a large corporate environment.
When the Goals Keep Changing
“How are we supposed to measure success if the target keeps moving?”
What I’ve Observed
Sometimes leadership has ambitious visions, but the marketing team is left unclear on the actual priorities. I’ve been in setups where direction shifts week by week, and it becomes tough to stay focused or even know if you’re making progress.
What the Data Says
According to HubSpot, 22% of marketers say measuring and justifying their work is one of their biggest challenges.
The Mental Health Impact
You deserve clarity. Not just to do your best work, but to protect your peace. When goals keep shifting or aren’t clear, it’s more than a workflow issue. It leaves you second-guessing priorities and questioning progress.
Over time, that kind of uncertainty wears you down. The work starts to feel heavier, motivation fades, and confidence takes a hit. This isn’t just a professional challenge. It’s a human one.
What can help…
Startups
I’ve learned that simple systems like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) work surprisingly well.
OKRs help define:
- What we’re trying to achieve (the Objective)
- How we’ll know we’re on track (the Key Results)
Here’s an example OKR
Objective: Increase brand visibility in Q2
Key Results:
- Reach 3,000 new followers across platforms
- Publish 8 reels and 12 carousels
- Achieve 20% engagement on Instagram
Keep this in a one-page doc and review it monthly. The emphasis will be a focus on outcomes, not just tasks.
Corporates
In larger teams, I’ve seen shared campaign calendars and approval processes make a big difference.
These usually include:
- Campaign goals
- Channels involved
- Timelines
- Owner or lead
- Key approval dates
When this lives in a shared platform like Confluence or SharePoint, it prevents silos and keeps stakeholders aligned.
Agencies
My brief time supporting an agency taught me how powerful a simple job order can be.
Before any work began, there was a document outlining:
- The scope
- The output format
- Timeline
- Who needed to sign off
It reduced the need for follow-ups and helped everyone work with confidence.
When Tools Get in the Way
“Why are we doing the same task in three different systems?”
What I’ve Observed
When teams are growing fast, they often add tools as they go—Trello, Notion, Slack, Docs. At some point, it becomes a mess. I’ve had to manually update three different boards just to close one task.
Did you know?
28% of B2B marketers say lack of team bandwidth is a top content marketing challenge. (Sproutworth)
What Would Have Helped…
Startups
It may be useful to consolidate everything into one or two tools. For example, using ClickUp or Notion as both a content calendar and project tracker. Assigning one person to maintain SOPs also helped reduce confusion.
Corporates
Integration became key. Tools like Zapier or Make helped bridge legacy systems with new tools. And doing quarterly audits of the workflow can help remove unnecessary steps.
Agencies
Standardizing dashboards for each client (like using Asana or Airtable) can help maintain consistency across accounts, reducing handoff errors and saving everyone’s time.
When Teams Aren’t Aligned
“We promoted something that wasn’t even ready yet.”
The Observation..
Marketing, product, and sales often operate on different timelines. I’ve seen campaigns launch with heavy promotion and press releases before the actual feature was ready. It usually wasn’t anyone’s fault—just a lack of alignment.
Reports show
Misalignment between sales and marketing leads to inconsistent messaging and missed opportunities. (Salesforce)
Suggestions
Startups
There are usually different departments in charge of product development and sales. A simple group channel with seeing early updates can make it easier for the marketing team to plan accordingly
Corporates
Commitment to regular planning sessions, let’s say quarterly with cross-functional teams would help catch potential gaps before they became public errors. Shared dashboards in CRM tools also created more visibility.
Agencies
With clients, we made it a rule to confirm product readiness before launching campaigns. This prevented miscommunication and helped build trust.
When Creativity Is Treated Like Admin Work
“Can we get that three-minute video by tomorrow?”
In my perspective as someone who has worked in the creative industry for years, one thing remains constant—creative work is often underestimated. I’ve been asked to turn around full sets of assets overnight.
But strong content—whether it’s a campaign visual, a social caption, or a long-form article—takes time. Time to think, sketch, write, refine, test, and revise. It’s never just plug-and-play.
Even with the rise of AI, that truth hasn’t changed.
There’s a lot of noise about AI replacing programmers, writers, designers—even CEOs. But let’s be real. AI is a tool, not a replacement. It can streamline work, yes. It can help a writer double-check grammar or suggest structure. It can help generate mockups or spark ideas.
But it can also make mistakes.
With the recent Ghibli-style trend, I saw people say “goodbye to artists.” But I’d challenge anyone to generate a prompt that reliably creates professional assets sized at 800 DPI or formatted with consistent ratios. Right now, even the best AI tools still struggle with things like accurate proportions or following specific technical instructions.
What does this tell us?
If you don’t understand the fundamentals of your craft, AI won’t save you. Whether you’re a designer, writer, or strategist, your foundation is still your greatest asset. Knowing how color, layout, rhythm, voice, and timing work gives you the edge. It helps you use tools more effectively. It helps you troubleshoot when things break. And it gives you the confidence to guide your clients, teams, or collaborators.
Yes, tools evolve. But mastery doesn’t come from automation. It comes from experience—and from understanding why something works, not just how to make it faster.
If you’re building a creative career—whether you’re starting out or pivoting—focus on your foundations first. The tools will always change.
Your craft is what stays.
The stats on struggle…
65% of marketers struggle with creating consistently engaging content. (Sprout Social)
Suggestions
Startups
Introducing tiered timelines: quick, standard, and premium, helping stakeholders choose based on urgency and quality.
Corporates
In corporate settings, especially when working with busy executives, feedback can be delayed or unclear. Adding production schedules to campaign plans and using simple request systems like forms or tickets can help manage approvals better and keep workloads balanced.
Agencies
Productizing services—listing what’s included, how long it takes, and revision limits—gave both the team and clients a better framework to work within.
When things become reactive (instead of strategic)
“We need to post something—anything.”
Personal Experience
I’ve been in situations where we were just reacting to urgent requests, with no space to plan or think long-term. It’s exhausting and unsustainable.
Here’s what the data shows…
84% of B2B marketers outsource content to stay consistent. (Drip Digital)
Suggestions
Startups:
Creating a rolling 30-day content calendar gave us structure but left space for unexpected updates.
Corporates
By splitting teams—some focused on execution, others on strategy, it allows people to have a trained ‘muscle’ on their tasks at hand so they can deliver today’s content without losing sight of future campaigns.
Agencies
Start batch-planning with clients quarterly, reducing last-minute pressure and allowing for more creative lead time.
Final Reflections
The longer I work in marketing, the more I realize it’s not about having all the answers. It’s about building systems that support the work. Whether you’re in design, admin, strategy, or ops, how a team communicates and plans together makes marketing feel manageable or overwhelming.
One pattern I’ve noticed in many teams is that unclear leadership or shifting priorities can quietly derail even the most well-intentioned marketing efforts. When ownership is not clearly defined and direction lacks consistency, teams often end up reacting instead of executing with purpose. Even the most skilled professionals can be set up for failure under these conditions. What helps is creating alignment early by clarifying who leads what, setting measurable priorities, and revisiting them regularly.
Strong working relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. It’s important to not only bring in skilled people but also create space to consider their insights. When teams feel heard and supported, they are more likely to stay committed and perform at their best.
Reciprocation matters.
Across every department, people thrive where their input is valued and their work is respected. Trust isn’t automatic. It’s earned through open communication, aligned goals, and consistent action.
About Naomi
When content feels scattered or operations slow things down, it’s often a sign that a bit of structure and support is needed. Naomi Fellizar works with teams and independent professionals to help simplify those moving parts—whether that’s through consistent content creation or practical day-to-day support.
With experience in outsourcing, executive assistance, and brand communication, she brings flexibility and focus to fast-paced environments. Her skillset includes brand identity development, copywriting, long-form content, multimedia design, customer support, and task automation.
Naomi has quietly supported leaders across different industries—including Forbes 30 Under 30 nominees, blockchain advocates, and members of the World Economic Forum—by helping turn ideas into clear, actionable outcomes.
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