Why is marketing so much harder now?

I was talking with a client about this a week ago, and the conversation took an unexpected turn into Buddhist philosophy. Specifically, the concept of "no fixed self."

I suggested he think about his marketing the same way.

So bear with me for a moment. I'm going to offer a version of the Buddhist concept of Anatta, adjusted for a marketing context. This is what I asked him to consider:

There is no permanent, unchanging marketing practice. Marketing is a continuous stream of interconnected, constantly evolving processes. When we stop believing there is a fixed formula that should always work, we can focus on adapting, testing, and improving instead of assuming something is broken.

The mistake many companies make is believing there is a version of marketing that should keep working forever.

Later that day, I received an email from David (our Co-CEO) that made the idea even more interesting. He shared a conversation with our other Co-CEO, Vicki, where she asked a simple question:

Why is marketing so much harder now?

And I wondered, is it? Or has marketing simply changed, becoming more sophisticated and nuanced?

If that's the case, then the real issue may be expectations. When the environment changes, what we consider "results" and the actions we take to achieve them must change as well.

Here's my quick take:

1. The principles of marketing haven't really changed. Organizations that consistently invest in marketing still see results.

2. What has changed is execution. Marketing today is more complex, more interconnected, and more dynamic than it used to be.

Which brings us back to expectations.

If marketing is now a system of constantly evolving activities rather than a set of fixed tactics, then the way we think about results must evolve too.

So the questions that remain for me are simple:

1. What do we really mean by results?

2. And when and how should we expect to see them?

Not long ago, we had “quick win” tactics and “long play” tactics. I fear we have become addicted to instant results for everything, and nothing in marketing — honestly in the world — works that way anymore.

What is a quick win? For that matter, what is a lead?

So, I had a conversation with ChatGPT. And this is where it landed:

Modern demand-generation is much more nuanced

Marketing generates visibility, awareness, trust, and engagement — which creates the conditions for leads to happen.

Marketing doesn’t magically produce sales-ready leads. Marketing builds the ecosystem where leads can emerge. Today’s buyer journey is:

• Self-directed

• Nonlinear

• Largely invisible (no click interactions)

• Relationship- and content-driven

• Often captured later by search, referrals, or sales

So, the more accurate statement is:

Marketing creates demand. Sales captures demand.

or:

Marketing increases awareness and trust so more leads can be created — so sales has more conversations to convert.

Why “marketing generates leads” is outdated now

1. Buyers self-educate before they ever fill out a form. According to Eric Gregg at Clearly Rated,  54% of the staffing buyer’s journey happens before a “lead” appears.

2. Most influence happens in the dark funnel. Podcasts, social posts, referrals, searches — where attribution is messy.

3. Demand gen > lead gen. Modern marketing is about building brand preference before the lead is captured.

4. TOF and MOF aren’t “leads.” They’re early signals. Marketing isn’t generating leads — it’s generating:

   
   

   • Attention

   • Brand familiarity

   • Trust

   • Consideration

   • Intent

Leads happen when the buyer decides they’re ready to raise their hand.

5. Strong marketing makes sales easier — but doesn’t necessarily create heavier lead volume. Quality > quantity.

Marketing generates leads.
Sales converts leads.

Use:

✔ Marketing creates visibility, engagement, and trust.

✔ Sales converts engaged prospects into conversations and customers.

✔ Nurturing moves people from visibility → engagement → readiness.

Or even more precisely:

Marketing builds demand. Sales captures demand. Nurturing accelerates demand.

That’s the modern alignment model.

Which raises another question: Do we need to update the language we use to describe marketing and the results we expect from it in 2026 and beyond?

I believe we do.

In reality, what we are building today are ecosystems where clients can thrive. Not simply campaigns designed to “deliver leads” the way marketing used to work.

Clients who are getting "leads" today have likely been engaged in marketing for years. They’ve maintained consistent messaging, built visibility, and have developed a flourishing ecosystem around their brand.

Others simply have not planted enough seeds yet. Or they may be operating inregions where it takes longer for that ecosystem to take hold and break through the surface.

Leads still happen. But they are increasingly the byproduct of a healthy marketing ecosystem, rather than the sole objective of marketing itself.

A closing note from David Searns | Co-CEO at Haley Marketing

A big THANK YOU to Linda for sharing her thoughts on the state of marketing.

I absolutely love the perspective, and I think she did a great job challenging preconceived notions about what marketing is supposed to do…and provided a very real and achievable framework for driving sales results.

Linda shared the content for this article just as we were starting to work on our Building a Staffing Growth Engine series. I thought her input provided the perfect conclusion to that content.

If you missed any of our building a growth engine SMART IDEAS, here’s a recap of the articles:

1. Growth Engine Overview

2. Building the foundation: Messaging that sells

3. Optimizing your website for response

4. Sales enablement: Better process + better tools + better training

5. Buyer enablement: self-service education to get staffing buyers sales ready

6. Employer attraction: Digital marketing to get your company found

7. Nurturing: the always-on systems to keep your company top-of-mind

8. Automation: your growth engine accelerant

Need help building your Staffing Growth Engine?

We’d love to support you!

From strategy to implementation, we can help:

• Analyze current marketing

• Identify opportunities to best support your team

• Manage the implementation of your growth engine

Ready to accelerate your growth?

Reach out to learn more.