We’ve said it before - speed is greater than perfection. Marketers are tasked with the impossible, to create one-of-kind campaigns on a daily basis. Unless you eat, breathe, and sleep marketing, this is a challenging task. We need time to brainstorm, look at what other brands are doing, etc. There has to be a balance between taking the time to be creative while getting it out to market as quickly as possible.
How should marketers prioritize speed-to-market and creativity? Lucky for you, Lisa Vielee, President at Well Done Marketing, had a few ideas during her episode of the Real Marketers podcast.
Where Did the Time Go?
Ask any marketer why their brand is on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram and they’ll all give you the same answer, “Because our competitors are.” We have an endless list of tasks we do simply because others are doing it. I hate to be the one to say this, but sometimes we’re in the business of checking boxes. This unfortunately can make us quite reactive.
We’ve become so busy with putting out fires, many of us feel like we don’t have the time to be creative. In fact, 75 percent of people claim they aren’t living up to their creative potential. But going down a rabbit hole might be the solution to get us out of this endless cycle.
Go Down the Rabbit Hole
Raise your hand if you’re prone to being distracted by a shiny object. I know I’m guilty of it. All it takes is one click-bait article on Twitter and I’ll find myself getting lost in a rabbit hole for hours. Even though it may feel like you’re off-task, I’m here to tell you it’s okay. In fact, you should be going down rabbit holes if you want to exercise your creative muscle.
Bumbling is what Lisa accurately described getting lost in a certain concept. Life (and marketing) is no fun when you walk in a straight line and don’t allow yourself to bumble. Try blocking off the first 30-minutes in your day to better yourself as a marketer. Use it as your time to read articles, see what your competitors are doing, or mindlessly scroll through #MarketingTwitter to get inspired. The best adventures are often the ones where we allow ourselves to wander off the path.
Finding Balance
We’ve established that marketers need to take the time to bumble, but balancing creativity with speed-to-market is its own challenge.
“We’re held accountable to these unrealistic goals and need for instant gratification. And we need everything to launch as quickly as possible to show metrics that drive ROI immediately,” said Stephanie Cox, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Lumavate.
Lisa recommends utilizing the 80-20 rule. She and her team try to operate with 80 percent being planned and leaves room for 20 percent as an opportunity. It’s all about flexibility and managing expectations.
Finding the time to embrace your crazy ideas while being quick to launch is an art. Lisa said it best, to be the best marketer you can’t just know your industry. You need to deep dive into nationally emerging trends, which takes time. Listen to the full episode with Lisa Vielee to hear more insights into what makes the best marketer.
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