8 ways to motivate marketers
Productivity begins with motivation.
Any organization can offer perks, like flexible work schedules, employee benefits, and opportunities for future growth. But let’s get a little more specific. I’ve categorized 8 ways marketers will kick even more ass at their job.
In a time where marketers have the highest turnover rates in the world, it’s important to hire marketers that can align with any (or all) of the following principles. If your job is to hire marketers, the same principles apply.
If you’re a marketer and you’re deciding which direction to bring your career, it’s super essential to pay attention to what motivates you to wake up in the morning.
Today, let’s play Family Feud. Topic is marketing.
So, what motivates marketers?
Pay. An obvious one. Money, and more of it, is a big-time motivator. And yes, a higher pay unlocks more options in life. However, more cash isn’t always the best long term motivator. I remember as a young adult being so excited to make $12/hour - double digits - at a travel call centre. I thought I was filthy rich! For many, life debt will eventually pile up, and a mortgage, car payments, child care costs, and RRSPs begin to take hold of the income. It’s easy to start thinking $70K per year just doesn’t cut it anymore. Pay has a ceiling, and even if you’re making truck loads of it, it can be easily overwritten at a later time by other motivating factors.
A love for work. Love and passion go hand in hand. If a marketer is passionate for the work they do, they’ll do better at it. I personally love to solve problems, so marketing strategy and growth hacking has become my love for work.
A love for the industry. If you’re a marketer and one of your favourite hobbies is scuba diving, working in any area of scuba diving would be considered a win, with serious bonus points if it has to do with marketing. Shifting to fintech and cryptocurrencies in 2017 literally fuelled my career in marketing, as I finally found a niche that gave me the perfect balance of challenge, scale, and interest.
Power. Having some level of control in your career offers power. Power means having a louder voice in the boardroom (not literally, don’t yell). Power means leading a community as they praise your every post. Power means intimidating others with your presence. Heck, power can be seen as simply being able to work independently. When it comes to actual power, there’s a slight bit of narcissism involved, but there’s something engaging about gaining and retaining power in the workplace.
Respect. For some, a job title that makes one proud will command a form of respect that motivates marketers. Working towards a title can give marketers a sense of purpose, direction, and understanding of when to hit the eject button when the plan isn’t working. Remember this conversation in The Office?
Dwight: “…and that’s why you have an Assistant Regional Manager.”
Michael: “Yes it is…Assistant to the Regional Manager.”
Dwight: “Same thing.”
Michael: “No it’s not. It’s lower, so….”
Dwight: “It’s close.”
Good team. You might have assembled a great team. Maybe your colleagues are your best friends. Your boss could be in the running for best boss ever. Having a good team to work with compels people to not only stick around longer, but it makes them look forward to come into work. The opposite is true too: in my earlier years, I dreaded heading to work because I couldn’t take the continuous belittlement from one of the store managers. I literally quit because of it. Good team culture makes for happier employees.
Purpose. I’m not trying to say that marketers should align their self-identity with their place of work. In fact, doing so can have serious negative implications to your mental health (see HBR). It helps marketers to know that the work they’re doing adds to the bigger picture. Imagine if all of the work you do gets burned up and forgotten at the end of each day. Having no purpose in your job kind of feels like that.
Helping others. If there’s an avenue somewhere for a marketer to feel like their work is helping the greater good, that alone is a stronger motivator than most of the above. We could be talking about people in need, wild animals, or the environment in general. If a marketer is bringing good to people’s lives - especially those that need the help - that alone acts as a motivator since most people enjoy doing nice things for other people. Those who work in areas of charity, social good, and changing standards of inequality are motivated by more than money. Especially if it’s something that is truly cared for.
Motivation. Look for it in your job and who you hire.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
—Thomas Edison
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Find your motivation today,
Reggie