Marketing can be stressful. Really stressful.
Results are the name of the game. If you’re not producing an ROI, then you’re a liability and not an asset. The constant pressure from management to drive sales and produce results can take its toll on your sanity, mental health, and motivation.
So what can you do about it?
Change your mindset
If you work for a company that is hyper-focused on results, then it’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because you’ll be learning quicker than if you worked for a company that took a relaxed approach. For some companies, if you’re publishing two blog articles per week, you get a gold star and a raving performance review. Even though these companies are “easy” to work for, it’s not fulfilling and can get mundane rather quickly.
On the other hand, some companies won’t even notice you until you quadruple the number of leads generated every month.
Now, if you’re constantly stressed because of the pressure to produce results OR you’re always overwhelmed from the massive work you’re required to do, then you’re in the right place.
You’re in the right place because they challenge you to be better.
- Are you really as efficient as you could be?
- Is your time being spent where the most results will be generated?
- Do you have all the hard skills necessary to do your job effectively?
- Are there tools you could be utilizing that will increase your performance, productivity, etc?
- Are you on top of your game when it comes to your marketing skills? Do you need to do more reading, buy a course, listen to some podcasts, go to a conference?
If a company truly wants results, they will invest in YOU. Oftentimes, you’ll gain access to resources you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford.
Take advantage of it!
You’ll probably learn more in 1 year working at a company that pushes you than 20 years at an “easy” company that doesn’t care what results you produce.
Ask Your Employer for Tools & Resources
Just ask!
If you think a software is going to increase your productivity by 20%, then tell your employer to buy it. If there’s a new marketing conference across the country that you think you’ll get a lot of value from, tell them you want to go.
For the most part, these are small expenses for a company, and it’s usually worth the cost as long as you sell it properly.
What happens if they say no?
It depends on what their reasons were. If your employer/boss says, “That’s a great idea, but we don’t have the budget for that right now. Ask me again next quarter,” then that’s not really a no – it’s more of a “not right now.”
But, if they say, “Absolutely not. I’m not paying for that,” then you’ve got a problem on your hands. Perhaps you didn’t sell it properly. Or, perhaps it was an unreasonable proposition considering the value you’d actually get out of it.
Or – and this is the worst-case scenario – you’re working for a company that isn’t willing to invest in their employees, even for their benefit.
If the latter is true, you may need to take a hard look at the company you work for to determine whether or not the stress they are putting you through is worth it if they’re unwilling to help you succeed.
If they are willing, then here are some software programs and resources that will make your life as a marketer less stressful:
1) Software to help graphic design
Marketers often spend the majority of their time designing marketing material: social media posts, LinkedIn posts, advertisements, flyers, etc. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and frustrating.
Some people opt to use software like Adobe Photoshop, Indesign, or Illustrator for any design tasks. However, to someone who isn’t a bonafide graphic designer, it’s often a huge time-waster. You might spend 45 minutes figuring out how to export a file a certain way, or how to remove one of the effects you accidentally added.
You may prefer to use design software that’s more intuitive for beginners, like Design Wizard or Canva.
2) Software to help with proposals
Depending on the size and type of company you work for, you may be heavily involved in the creation of new proposals, contracts, payments, etc.
Using templates or old proposals/contracts in Microsoft Word is tedious – and even risky if you accidentally leave out a [FirstName] field. Yikes. Using software to help with this type of paperwork can dramatically decrease the time it takes to get the signature. Plus, it’ll virtually eliminate the risk of making errors that make you look unprofessional. There are plenty of options out there, but a great one is PandaDoc.
3) Hire help
If you’re in the position where you’re wearing far too many hats, then you might want to convince your employer that you need help. Perhaps the help is a freelancer from Upwork, an entire agency team, or another employee.
It never hurts to ask!
Reflect
It’s human nature to blame others for our shortcomings. Because of this, it’s important to rule out ourselves as a reason for why we’re feeling stressed or on the verge of burnout.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I enjoy the work I’m doing?
- Do I like the team I’m working with?
- Do I feel fulfilled in my work?
- Am I making it more difficult for myself by procrastinating on certain tasks that I know are important?
- Am I too distracted at work (social media, socializing, etc)?
- Am I getting enough sleep?
- Am I eating too much – or too little?
As hard as it is to admit, sometimes the problem is yourself. And if it is, it doesn’t matter how much your employer tries to help you, it won’t amount to much.