The marketing field moves fast. To succeed, marketers must commit to staying on the leading edge of changes. This means wearing many hats, including keeping up with the latest strategies for web content and SEO.

While it can feel overwhelming adjusting to constant change, writer Mary Kearl says there are steps you can take to adapt and juggle the many responsibilities today's marketers must manage. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Kearl's eight tips marketers can use to navigate the changing marketing field.

1. Turn to your community. Before developing a campaign or pitching a client, Kearl recommends turning to your people for feedback and ideas. These could be mentors, peers or online networking groups. These connections can help you stay current on the marketing landscape and best practices in the field.

2. Develop your resource base. How do you keep up with what's happening in the promotional products industry and beyond? Do you read industry publications? Attend conferences? Participate in webinars? These resources can help you stay updated on what other marketers are thinking about. Consider asking your colleagues what resources they enjoy and spend time exploring various podcasts, magazines and other resources.

3. Check in on the competition. For a fresh perspective and to gain insight into shifting consumer preferences, take a look at what your competitors are doing. Kearl says you do not need to keep track of what everyone else is doing all the time. However, use major events to look at new marketing campaigns, tactics and strategies and note how they succeed or flop.

4. Try new things. Kearl encourages marketers to experiment. Try things quickly, learn from the results and adapt as needed. She says you should have the tools in place, such as A/B testing capabilities and engagement analytics, to promptly assess how consumers respond to your changes.

5. Avoid testing everything. Many marketers fear missing out, whether it's using a new platform or following a new trend. However, Kearl says it's never a good idea to act rashly when it comes to marketing—especially if the marketing tactic does not align with your customers. The best marketers know when to move forward and when to sit something out.

6. Embrace learning. Considering that the marketing field is constantly evolving, professionals should foster a love of learning. Research online training (many are free) and look at certification courses from platforms such as Marketo and HubSpot. While you must be there to support your clients, it's also important to make time for learning. Try blocking off a set amount of time in your calendar to become familiar with a new marketing platform or concept.

7. Remember Marketing 101. What works today will change. However, while marketing trends come and go, the basic rule remains the same: You only have a product if you have a customer. When you remember this, Kearl says you can stay focused on what matters most, even with changing platforms and evolving metrics.

8. Give yourself some grace. Marketers often face intense pressure to be the expert for their team or company. It can be overwhelming to try to keep up with all the slightest changes in Facebook, Google and beyond. Kearl encourages marketers to go easy on themselves by taking breaks from their tasks and asking for help when they need it. It's oaky to not have all the answers. After all, you don't learn marketing all at once. It's a skill you're constantly developing.

Navigating the ever-changing marketing field can feel daunting. Instead of trying to figure it out once and for all, start by accepting that marketing will always change. While there's no definitive road map, you can use many resources to adapt and succeed.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Mary Kearl is a professional writer with 15 years of experience. Her work has been published internationally by Forbes, HuffPost, Business Insider, and others. Kearl has worked with brands such as Adobe, Pinterest and Target.