Daily Lab: Marketing must be fun
Why marketing stops—and how to keep it going.
Do you want to know what usually makes marketing slow, stall, or simply stop?
Well, to give some context for my answer, I’ve gotten to create strategies for some of the world’s most recognized brands, as well as solo entrepreneurs starting their first businesses. I’ve led dozens of marketing professionals directly, and helped countless business owners build and lead their teams.
And across those varied experiences, here’s what I’ve learned about why marketing stops:
When the cause isn’t simply running out of money, it’s usually running out of patience.
People just don’t like doing things that they don’t like doing—especially when it seems like what they’re doing isn’t working.
But if we want consistent marketing, the answer isn’t to get more patience.
It’s to require less of it.
By making our marketing easier and more fun to work on. By making it internally rewarding because we like doing it, so we’ll be more likely to give it time to work.
The truth is, when it comes to marketing (and everything else), if we can’t stick with it forever, we won’t stick with it for long.
Marketing results are delayed—they lag behind our efforts. So we can’t count on monetary rewards for our work to keep us motivated.
We’ve got to like the work we’re doing, absent anything external.
That’s how you stick to your marketing long enough for it to work:
By wanting to stick with it.
By making it easier and more fun.
That way, you don’t require any more patience—only time.
Make that time fun to spend. So you keep spending it.
