As another year starts to wind down, everyone is looking forward to some time off. Christmas and New Year holidays are booked in and projects start to get put in the “let’s look at this next year” basket. It’s a time with reflection of the year that’s been and planning for the year that’s to come - unless you’re a digital marketer.
For marketers, this is a period of high pressure and even higher expectations. Black Friday approaches with targets that are more ambitious than last year and there’s barely time to catch your breath before pushing hard for sales in the leadup to Christmas. Everyone is in the same boat so competition is intense and one bad day can mean disaster for even the most well run account.
There’s plenty of advice on the technical side of this period and how to approach things. Getting a remarketing strategy in place, making sure bid strategies are set correctly and getting your ad scheduling correct has been discussed at length. What hasn’t been touched on is the human side - how can marketers protect themselves and their mental health to make sure that the pressure of this period doesn’t overwhelm them and spill over into their life outside work?
This week, we’ll look at a few things marketers can do to set themselves up for success in an increasingly difficult and draining environment.
1) Setting Structure & Priorities
Losing control and working reactively is a major cause of anxiety for marketers. Constantly being on the back foot means you spend your time chasing your tail and, ultimately, leads to burned out marketers doing work that falls short of their own standards which leads to even more anxiety.
During peak period, it’s critical to approach each day with a clear structure in place. Knowing what to expect and where to focus energy means you work in a proactive way and can be sure you’re tackling the main challenges that come up rather than focusing energy on things that aren’t going to make a measurable difference.
We’ve all struggled with an impossible task list and wondered where to start. This peak period, order your task list by the impact each will have and tune out anything that isn’t going to move the needle. Unexpected issues will always pop up but, by being clear about what you need to accomplish, it’s so much easier to find the space to address and solve these problems as they occur.
2) Using Support Structures
On most accounts we’ll work as a part of a team with skilled marketers filling different roles to drive the account forward. That team isn’t just there to support the client - it’s also there to support each other and step in when things become too much for one person to handle.
During peak period, we should be checking in with our team at least once a day to understand what everyone has on, where they’re at with their priorities and the support each person needs. If things are becoming too much, reach out for support. It’s best to be clear about the specific support and resource that you need so that it can be allocated appropriately. This is a team sport and it’s in everyone’s best interests to make sure all members are supported and motivated by the work they’re doing.
3) Accept What You Can’t Control
At a certain point, we’ve done everything we can. The budgets are set, the ads are updated and the technical side of the account is in place. While there are always small optimisations that can happen, the account is going to perform how it’s going to perform.
With such intense pressure and constant communication, there’s a temptation to constantly check the account and let anxiety and stress spill over into your life outside of work. Every marketer I’ve spoken to has fallen into this pattern before and it’s much easier said than done to step away from the account.
With that said, setting clear boundaries between work and life is so important during this period. A tired, burned out marketer is no good to anyone - particularly themselves. Taking breaks to rest and reset means that you come back to the account energised and with fresh ideas that can help get those incremental gains that you might have otherwise missed. If you do have to check in on the account outside of hours, set a timer and be strict about closing the laptop once it’s finished.
The stress and anxiety from peak period lasts a lot longer than peak period itself so any approach to maintain composure can only help in the long run. Trust yourself, your skills and the work that you’ve done and know that you’ll see the payoff in the account and in positive feedback from your client. Setting priorities during this period is so important but don’t forget the biggest one - yourself and your mental health.
For marketing support during peak period, get in touch.