By Laney Hitchens ’25

Marketing Doesn’t Stand Still — And Neither Can You

You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

When I first heard that quote, I didn’t fully understand it.
But two years into my career, I think about it all the time.
After graduating from Muskingum University in 2025 with a degree in Digital Media Design, I stepped into the world of marketing excited—but also unsure. I knew what I loved to do. I knew I loved storytelling, design, and connecting people to ideas.
What I didn’t know was exactly how my career would unfold. And if I’m being honest, that uncertainty doesn’t really go away in marketing.
Because marketing is one of the few careers where the landscape changes constantly. Not every year. Not every month. Sometimes every day.
A strategy that worked a month ago might not work today. A social media post you’re certain will resonate might barely move the needle. Platforms evolve, audiences shift, and new tools—especially those powered by artificial intelligence (as we all know)—are changing how quickly ideas are created and shared.

When you work in marketing, you learn pretty quickly that you can’t get too comfortable.

You have to be willing to evolve.

The Lesson I Wish I Knew Earlier

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my first two years is that marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.
That might sound simple, but it’s one of the hardest things for organizations—and even young marketers—to truly understand.
Everyone wants to see immediate results. A viral post. A huge spike in engagement. A campaign that instantly changes everything.
But real marketing doesn’t usually look like that.
Real marketing is showing up consistently. It’s telling stories that matter. It’s building trust with an audience over time.
Sometimes that work is slow. Sometimes the results take months—or even years—to fully show up.
But when organizations commit to it, that consistency becomes incredibly powerful.

Confidence Isn’t Always Easy

Another thing I’ve learned early in my career is that confidence can be complicated—especially when you’re just starting out.
You might walk into a room where people have been working for 20 or 30 years. You share an idea, and almost immediately you start questioning yourself. “Was that a good thought? Should I have said that?”

If I’m being honest, I still feel that way more often than I’d like to admit.
But something I’ve started to realize is that confidence in marketing doesn’t come from always having the perfect answer. In fact, most of the time, there isn’t one.
Confidence comes from being willing to speak up anyway. It comes from trying new ideas, testing what works, and learning when something doesn’t.
Marketing is built on experimentation. On creativity. On curiosity.
And sometimes the best ideas in the room don’t come from the person who has been there the longest—they come from the person who was simply brave enough to share them.

For Students Stepping Into Marketing

If you’re studying communications, marketing, or design at Muskingum University right now, you’re entering an industry that will probably look different five years from now than it does today.
Technology will keep evolving. New platforms will emerge. Audience expectations will continue to shift.
But the core of great marketing will always stay the same.
It’s about understanding people. It’s about telling meaningful stories. And it’s about being willing to keep learning.
Your first job might not be your dream job. Your first campaign might not be your best work. And there will definitely be moments where you question whether you’re on the right path.
But every experience teaches you something. Every challenge builds your perspective. And eventually, when you look back, you realize something important:

You didn’t need to see the entire staircase. You just needed to take the first step.

Personal Bio

I’m Laney Hitchens, a 2025 graduate of Muskingum University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Digital Media Design. I currently serve as the Communications and Marketing Director at the Marietta Community Foundation, where I focus on telling the stories behind local philanthropy and the people making a difference in our community. In addition to my work at the Foundation, I also run my own freelance business, White Oak Creative Studio, where I help organizations bring their ideas to life through thoughtful branding, design, and marketing.