The three Cs of Cucumber Marketing. How to Stay Productive, Organized and Fulfilled in Your Job.

Posted by Cucumber Helen |

Happy February, and welcome to the new theme for the month – CLARITY – the first C of Cucumber Marketing! (You will have to come back in March and April to learn about the other two). 

During this month, we will be discussing different ways how you can gain, implement and keep clarity in your marketing consistently across your customers’ sales journey. So, keep your eyes peeled, if clarity is something that you would like to have more of in 2020.

And no, I am not going to make any 2020 jokes related to vision and clarity. But let me start with this quote that we shared on our Instagram feed yesterday. 

Being busy, hustling and feeling over-overworked are some of the topics you might see being discussed over on LinkedIn or in the Inc. magazine. These are, of course, just symptoms and may not be the actual state of your mind. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you don’t have the clarity as to where you are heading and why you do what you do. Without a clear vision, you will only be spinning your wheels but not moving anywhere.

What a waste of your time, isn’t it? 

The worst part? 

You might feel and think that you are moving and shaking, but you are not. This self-deception only furthers the confusion, leaving you empty and unfulfilled.  

Good news? 

We all have been there, and this is a (relatively) easy fix if you are willing to commit to the process. 

Here are the three symptoms of being stuck in the “visionless vicious circle” and how to break this negative pattern:

Symptom #1. You are unable to pinpoint your most significant wins or losses in the last week/month/quarter. 

Let me ask you first, how often do you sit down to review your week/month/quarter and to reflect on what happened? No plans, no goals to look at, but sit and think for a moment with a pencil and a piece of paper in front of you. When did you do this last time? Have you ever done it? 

If you are having trouble articulating your wins and losses for the week, this could mean that you are too reactive in your work. You might be moving from one task to another without strategically analyzing and learning from every digital marketing campaign or every advertising promotion. 

Solution: Set aside some time to review and reflect on your work. 

Symptom #2. You are having trouble prioritizing and identifying meaningful goals you should focus on next.

While clarity is a simple concept, it may seem like it’s slipping through your fingers. It sometimes feels like you are looking at one of these optical illusion images (below). The picture is there, but you don’t see it, no matter how hard you focus on the image. And only when you relax and don’t try to look – there it is! 

Are you seeing an old woman or a young one?
Are you seeing faces or a vase?

Your marketing goals could be slippery, too. With the plethora of marketing tools and metrics available for a modern marketer, it’s so easy to get lost and not see what the most crucial number is, how to track it, and what to do to improve the results. 

Solution: After you spend some time meditating and reflecting on your work, identify consistent patterns (in marketing results and in your own behaviour) and then set priorities based on what the patterns and trends are telling you. This will help you to be less reactive and more proactive and organized in your work. 

Symptom #3. You are not excited or fulfilled by what you do daily.  

Clarity doesn’t just happen. It needs to be cultivated and nurtured consistently and regularly. Digital marketing is such a diverse field that it can be a blessing and a curse. It could be confusing where to put your focus and if you don’t do it strategically, it will be hard to see the results of your work, which in turn could be discouraging. Keep yourself motivated by regularly feeding your brain with fresh ideas! Track your progress consistently to see where your work has the most impact and then replicate that. 

Solution: Consistently review, discuss and adjust your problems, priorities and processes. Keep your marketing strategy fresh by regularly reviewing business goals and what is being achieved. Stay on top of marketing trends to inspire fresh ideas and tactics. 

Did this article strike a chord with what’s going on in your organization? Do you have your own tips and tricks on how to keep clarity in your marketing? Do share with us on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. 

Would you like to discuss how we can help you gain clarity in your marketing strategy? Give us a shout at 604.559.7509 and set up a discovery meeting, or stop by our marketing agency in Vancouver – we always have chocolate! 

P.S. Did you know we have a podcast? Check out our latest episode!