Marketing isn’t a chore!
On the weekend my friends were discussing house cleaners; of the group, 3 people had cleaners (two fortnightly and one had hers come weekly).
I don’t have a cleaner – that’s not to say I am better than them, far from it: I don’t have kids nor do I have as big a house (apartment, in my case) and I have a terrible confession to make I don’t hate cleaning – shocking I know – but nearly every Sunday morning I put on some music or a podcast and get to it: vacuuming, mopping, clothes, bathroom, bedroom, windows. kitchen gets wiped down every night after dishes are done. And then during the week I will do some spot cleans here and there to keep it all spick and span. It’s just not a big deal.
My friends clearly still have to do a lot of the things on my cleaning list (e.g. wiping down the kitchen bench for example) but the nitty gritty is done by the cleaners – and that’s fine! They choose to use their hours on the weekend (which are precious and all too few) doing other things and pay someone to clean – and that’s fine.
It got me thinking that there seems to be direct correlations with marketing.
- Many people view marketing as a chore.
- Some people do theirs in-house and some outsource their marketing.
- Cleaning and Marketing make you look good.
On the weekend – they were actually having a laugh about the old trope of cleaning the house before the cleaner gets there to make it look respectable enough for them.
It’s often true that when you hire an agency you will still have to do some of the work. Whether it is provide a brief for us to work to or give some insight into an article we are writing or simply give feedback.
Most clients are great but sometimes we get some push back from clients or they drag their heels on answers. They view approvals or reviewing the stats from the last campaign as a chore.
But it shouldn’t be seen as a chore because it can be fun creating plans to get people excited about your company. And just like cleaning it makes you look good!
There are simple ways to change the perception of a chore
Treat yourself:
Mary Poppins had it right a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down; reward yourself when you do it on time.
Make it fun:
She’s at it again
Allot the time:
We are all busy and you have to prioritise – so choose the time each week/month/campaign when you will sit down and a) do the tasks required b) discuss upcoming opportunities. It will make it easier.
Positive reinforcement
Whilst you have allotted the time review how far you’ve come – it will make it all worthwhile.
And of course, even if you are a little messy doesn’t mean you can’t pretend (we are all messy sometimes)
If you have a mess that even you can’t clean – call in the professionals