5 Reasons Why There is No Such Thing as a Marketing Emergency

I used to be the marketing and community engagement person for a sweet little food co-op in Portland, Maine.

We had just joined this organization called National Co-op Grocers, which is basically a co-op of co-ops that increases the buying power of these little stores so they can charge less for their products.

As part of our onboarding, I had a call with the National Marketing Coordinator.

She gave me this long powerpoint presentation about the in’s and out’s of all the new signage and sales and products and messaging.

Somewhere during the presentation she said, “And, remember, there is no such thing as a marketing emergency.”

My first thought was, Wait. Could this be? Or is this just some silly crunchy co-op platitude?

I had been doing marketing in various forms for years at that point and urgency was always the name of the game.

So, when she said this I kind of short circuited.

But I was willing to try on the concept as an experiment and see if it rang true for me.

Over the years, not only has it become a tenant in my personal gospel of marketing, it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve been able to pass down to my clients.

I’ve used it to talk them off the ledge, plan better, and move their businesses in a direction that actually supports their happiness instead of draining their life force.

So, here are 5 reasons why there is no such thing as a marketing emergency:

1) Most deadlines are arbitrary.

There is no rule that says you have to launch a program in two or six weeks, get your posts on social media by 9am, or send your newsletter by Tuesday.

Every decision you make about your business is yours.

You can time things in such a way that gives you space to plan, breathe, and execute at a pace that makes sense for your business, your team (if you have one), and your life.

I’m an avid diviner. The main source of divination I use is a pre-Confucianist version of the I Ching known as the Zhouyi.

One of my favorite lines from the text is, “If you feel ‘cornered’ it is reasonable to assume that you put yourself there.”

Good timing is all about self-responsibility. Ask yourself:

• What do you actually have the bandwidth for?
• Where have you overcommitted?
• Where can you cut back?
• How long does it actually take you to do certain tasks?
• Given that, how much time do you need to plan and execute?
• Most importantly, what’s a pace you actually enjoy working and how can you create a business plan around that?

There are no rules. There are only best practices.

2) Postponement is always an option.

Let’s say you took your time, ran a 3-month launch, and you didn’t quite get the number of people you were hoping for.

Good news! It’s totally okay to push it back a few days, weeks, or even months and give yourself more time.

This is actually one of the best ways to increase attendance.

You can even sweeten the deal, extend the sale, or whatever you need/want to do.

3) Urgency and emergency are not the same.

Yes, shortening the timeline in which people can sign up for something creates urgency and that inspires action.

But urgency and emergency don’t mean the same thing.

Urgency comes from the word “urge”. It’s a force that pushes and propels.

Emergency, on the other hand, implies that there is danger or disaster afoot, the stakes are high, and something must be done immediately to avoid certain doom.

The only reason this should be the case in your line of work is if you’re a first responder, not a small business owner.

Your cortisol levels don’t know the difference between a stressful deadline and being chased by a bear.

So, why would you manufacture that kind of synthetic crisis just to make a buck?

In my opinion, it’s just not worth it.

4) It’s okay to get a side job.

If you are self-employed and the only thing standing between you and bankruptcy is an event selling out or a client signing on, it might be time to take the pressure off and get a side job.

When I was getting my business off the ground, it was definitely a feast or famine journey.

One time, when I was between clients, I decided to find something that wouldn’t take me away from my desk so that I could still work at my business but make some extra cash.

I chose dog boarding on Rover. I set up my profile, and before I knew it, people were contacting me to drop their dogs off at my house while they went out of town.

It was great because the dogs would just hang out while I worked and I would pull in an extra few hundred dollars a month.

Anyway, there are options and there is no shame in finding alternative low-skill labor cash flows to keep you going.

5) Word-of-mouth is the real MVP.

Good, effective marketing that sustains for the long-term is all about building relationships and trust and the fact is that this just can’t be rushed.

If you deliver your services with excellence and generosity to people who actually need what you offer and benefit from what you do, they will tell their friends, family, and colleagues about you. It is inevitable.

And, if you want to better ensure that that happens, give them incentive to do so. Offer something in return for spreading the word — a free session, a gift, a discount, whatever works for you.

My hot take: not only is it okay to slow down, it’s completely necessary for a happy, healthy business and life.

Do some exploration and see if the deadlines you’re setting are contributing to or distracting from your overall goals. You might be surprised what you find.

Thanks for reading. My name is Rebecca and I’m a marketing consultant for social change visionaries. You can check out my work at rebeccavandamm.com.

Originally published at https://www.rebeccavandamm.com on January 17, 2022.