If you are reading this, it’s likely that you already have a clear understanding of what your marketing goals are and the appropriate strategy needed to achieve them. However, the reason you are probably here is to find out how you can get more done in less time and effort.
The good news is we have answers for you in this post! Inside, we share 10 actionable tips to help you maximize your productivity and achieve your marketing goals in the shortest possible time!
Tip #1. Reduce the number of meetings
Meetings form an integral part of working, but how much work gets accomplished there? Not a lot, unfortunately.
According to recent surveys, 50% of meetings are nothing but a waste of time. But that’s not all; the average employee spends at least 4.5 hours in meetings every week – time that could be going to better use.
So what can you do to change this in your business?
icon-angle-right Allocate specific times for meetings
Unless it’s an emergency, don’t just attend a meeting whenever it comes up. Instead, meetings need to be planned during their allocated time.
icon-angle-right Reduce the lengths of meetings
Most people start to lose attention after the first 30 minutes of the meeting. So try to keep meetings short and direct-to-the-point. If they can last 20 minutes or less, the better!
icon-angle-right Set an agenda
Be sure to have a clear agenda to be discussed during the meeting and email it to each attendant beforehand.
More and more professionals start to feel that meetings aren’t solving the issues they are meant to. Consider this an excellent opportunity to start this trend in your office; you might be surprised at how workers will approve of it.
Tip #2. Leverage marketing tools
What’s the point of working in this digital age if you don’t take advantage of the different marketing tools available?
There is plenty of software to automate nearly every imaginable marketing process. You just need to choose the right one for you to speed up your marketing tasks.
A few useful tools we recommend include:
icon-angle-right Mention
This tool alerts you when your company is mentioned anywhere on the web. Whether it’s on social media or blogging platforms, Mention can help you connect with customers in real-time. It’s also a great tool to help you create backlinks by leveraging the unlinked mentions.
icon-angle-right Notion
If you want to ‘hoard’ an interesting bit of content that can be useful later, Notion saves it for your future reference. The tool is also mobile-friendly, allowing you to save items anywhere, anytime.
icon-angle-right Python
This is a programming language that every modern marketer needs to learn. You can use python to create web scrapers, SaaS products and SEO tools. And no, the language is not difficult to understand. As with anything, start with the basics such as python comments, interpreters and variables.
Tip #3. Learn to delegate
It’s normal for a business owner or marketer to feel the need to control everything. However, this not only makes you ineffective; it can also lead to burnout. Instead of trying to do everything, take an inventory of mundane tasks that take a lot of your time and assign them to more able professionals.
Once you know which parts to outsource, you’ll find it easier to complete your to-do list without compromising the quality of your work. In fact, you almost always achieve more by delegating.
Tip #4. Manage your emails better
Email is arguably the most critical communication method for most businesses today. However, it can be a massive distraction and take up a huge chunk of your time if you let it. Do you ever stop doing your work just to reply to an email you just received?
Well, here are a few things to do to manage your emails much better.
icon-angle-right Have a separate newsletters folder
Newsletters can be a huge distraction every time they pop up in your inbox. Even if you file to check it out later, it has wasted a few seconds and could ruin your train of thought.
You don’t have to get rid of the most important newsletters; you can just use some inbox rules to put them in a separate folder. Also, unsubscribe from emails you no longer need.
icon-angle-right Set aside some time for email
You can set two or three email management sessions per day. For instance, you can check anything urgent in the morning, have a reply session at lunchtime and one more email session at the end of the day.
icon-angle-right Set expectations
You can come out clear and let people know that you are only looking at emails twice a day. If it’s urgent (define what urgent means), they should call you.
Tip #5. Set your goals and deadlines
When you decide which goals to achieve, you also have a clear idea of the activities to accomplish. We are big fans of the popular SMART goal system.
Not sure what that means? Put simply, your goals need to meet the following criteria:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
This system will make your goals more manageable and inspiring. Likewise, be sure to set strict deadlines on your activities to achieve more goals in less time.
Tip #6. Take regular breaks
Stepping away from your work regularly enhances your creativity. These can be as little as 15-20 minutes to meditate, read, journal, take a walk or talk to a friend.
Particularly, a brief change of scenery can help to recharge your batteries and get you refreshed when you resume work.
Research shows that regular breaks enhance your well-being, boost productivity, promote health habits and improve creativity. As such, don’t be so mean to yourself that you cannot afford time to relax, talk to your colleagues or rest.
Besides, you may encounter something during your break that will flood your mind with brilliant ideas.
Tip #7. Develop a morning routine
A morning routine sets the tone for your day. It also allows you to control your schedule instead of the schedule controlling you. By starting your day fresh and right, you will be more focused and productive throughout.
So, how do you develop a solid routine you can follow? Here are a few things you must consider;
icon-angle-right Get enough sleep
Research shows that sleep enhances concentration and cognition, which then improves your overall performance and productivity.
icon-angle-right Get an early start
Give yourself enough time to meditate, exercise and enjoy a cup of coffee by waking up early. Enjoying some peace and quiet in the morning is relaxing and prepares you for the busy day ahead.
icon-angle-right Exercise
A morning workout helps your brain stay energized and alert throughout the day.
icon-angle-right Plan your meals
The type of food you eat determines your energy levels and productivity. Avoid junk food at all costs and instead have a meal plan that you follow strictly. Besides helping you to eat healthy, it removes the stress of deciding what you should eat.
Tip #8. Find effective ways to deal with social media distractions
Over the past decade, social media has grown to become an important marketing tool for many businesses. When used appropriately, it enhances your brand awareness, helps you connect with customers and increases your sales.
However, social media also comes with a lot of distractions if left unchecked. Recent studies show that the average adult spends at least an hour every day on social media. This is a lot of time that could be put to good use.
A few tips you can use to avoid falling into this pitfall include:
- Disable all social media sites notifications during working hours.
- Avoid sending messages while you’re working.
- If you can’t refrain yourself from looking, keep your smartphone out of the way.
Tip #9. Use templates
Templates are an effective way to save time when dealing with projects that share similar processes and activities. This way, you don’t have to start every project from scratch. Templates are also valuable when beginning new projects. They provide you with a starting framework that details your execution strategy.
There are different types of templates that serve different functions. Three of the most useful ones include:
- Marketing templates to help you develop different marketing plans.
- Email templates to save you time during emailing.
- Timesheet templates to help you track how much time your team spends on various tasks and projects.
Tip #10. Write everything down
Trying to remember everything will only set you up for failure. As a marketer, you have a million things to accomplish every day which is why you just can depend on your memory.
If you are like me, you could go the old-school route and use physical notebooks to capture notes and ideas. There are also plenty of note-taking applications today if you prefer going digital.
Applications like Trello allow you to develop lists based on role. For instance, you can use it to list every team members roles and duties or distinct topics like clients.
Other alternative note taking tools you may consider to boost your productivity include:
- Evernote
- Notion
- Apple Notes
- Google Keep
Wrap-up
You don’t need to implement these hacks all at once. Pick one and see how it works for you. The last thing you want is to alter too many aspects of your daily schedule; doing this leaves you confused and inefficient.
Be patient with yourself. We guarantee that you’ll soon have a seamless routine and productivity-enhancing habits that enables you to achieve more in less time!
About the Author!
Kyle Anderson is a Tech and Digital Marketing journalist whose typical day is spent scouring the web for the latest developments in the world of Marketing and tech automation. He loves any type of new marketing software! For his pastimes, he is an avid lover of travelling, gadgets, and travel photography.