Six ways to avoid digital marketing burnout
Back-to-back meetings, never-ending to-do lists and missed lunch breaks – these are just some of the things that can add up to cause burnout.
Throw in the need to be constantly in the loop on the latest digital marketing algorithm updates and trends, to be up-to-date on the current memes and social media news, to wear 101 different business hats, and to be the go-to-person for creative brainstorming and online optimisation, and you’ve got yourself the ingredients for digital marketing burnout.
Burnout is a real issue that needs to be tackled within the workplace. That need to tackle burnout is amplified for the marketing industry where 83.3% of marketing and communication professionals report feelings of burnout.
I should know – I’ve been there before. When working in-house at a start-up company, I experienced severe career burnout. I was well and truly exhausted.
My pylon light was totally extinguished.
After going through burnout, I vowed that I would never let myself experience burnout again. I’m much more aware of the factors that can lead to burnout for me personally and what to do when it’s time for me to take proactive action against burnout creep.
At Fika Digital, we want to put a stop to digital marketing burnout for good. We want to make sure that you never have to endure the soul-destroying, self-doubting-instilling feeling of burnout.
So, what can you do to avoid digital marketing burnout?
Digital marketing burnout: explained
There’s no one single cause of burnout. And the factors that add up to cause burnout for one person may differ for the next. But that doesn’t make your experience of burnout any less real.
In fact, burnout has been classified as an official medical diagnosis according to ICD-11. So, if you need something to let you know your feelings are valid, let it be that.
Burnout can be characterised by the following symptoms, as per ICD-11:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
- reduced professional efficacy
The culture of marketing is one that can contribute towards a culture of burnout. It’s a culture that we need to change if we really want to prevent digital marketing burnout from happening.
With it’s ever-changing landscape, rapid growth, high demands and expectations, quick project turn-arounds, and dog-eat-dog competitiveness, digital marketing is a multi-faceted and fast-paced industry that inevitably can cause burnout if not addressed early on.
Getting to the heart of digital marketing burnout lies with the industry and company leaders. Our duty as marketers is to make sure our employees and partners are not being set up to frazzle and burn out.
However, I appreciate that addressing the issue at that scale is a whole other conversation.
Right now, I want to focus on the ways that you can protect your own energy and well-being by taking steps to avoid digital marketing burnout.
6 ways to avoid digital marketing burnout
If you feel like you are on the cusp of digital marketing burnout, let this article guide you through some of the ways you can put a stop to your digital marketing burnout.
Summary:
- Focus your attention on one task at a time
- Outsource work to other marketing professionals
- Set distraction-free “Power Hours”
- Learn to say No
- Keep work-life and personal-life separate
- Find ways to improve your workflow
Focus your attention on one task at a time
Marketing professionals typically wear several business hats. You may find yourself having to flit between being an SEO specialist to a Social Media Strategist, Graphic Designer, and PPC expert in a matter of minutes.
It’s like a game of Buckaroo – you keep piling the tasks on until eventually you buckle under the pressure.
We recommend getting organised with your to-do list so you can focus your attention on one task at a time. This will help you tackle the weight of a heavy and diverse workload.
Traditionally, your to-do list will contain a list of everything that’s on your agenda for today. One great big list without any rhyme or reason. As a result, chances are high that you will flit between the tasks on your to-do list as you do your best to get through everything you can.
Doing this will only lead to more internalised pressure and stress.
Instead, you should timeblock your to-do list and group similar tasks together. By using a time- and task- blocked approach, you will be able to sink into more focused work and you’ll find that you tick your tasks off a lot quicker than when you try to complete everything at once.
Stop trying to juggle everything at once and just focus on one task at a time.
Outsource work to other marketing professionals
Telling you to outsource your work to someone is often easier said than done. But it will help.
If you are struggling with your workload, please speak up about it. If you are an employee working for someone else, please tell your senior leaders that your workload is too large and they need to help you reduce it or outsource it to somebody else (either someone in your team, someone new, or someone external).
If you are a senior leader or the owner of your company, remember that you do not have to do everything. Owning and running a business is hard work but you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to a trusted marketing professional to outsource your marketing work and reduce your workload.
It’s okay to admit that you have more than you can possibly manage. By outsourcing work to other marketing professionals, you will be able to free up some of your time to be more attentive to the other tasks on your to-do list.
Set distraction-free “Power Hours”
Power hours sounds very hustle culture-esque but stick with me.
Setting distraction-free “Power Hours” can be a great way to knuckle down and whizz through your tasks. Let your team know when you plan to take a Power Hour and that you can’t be disturbed during this time. Turn your phone on silent and close down your emails to avoid temptation to check your social media notifications, answer phone calls or reply to emails.
The purpose of having a distraction-free Power Hour is to give yourself the chance to get stuck into some deep work. So use this time to focus on a large task that requires your full attention.
It is believed that one hour of focused time equals four hours of distracted time. By working Power Hours into your weekly work schedule you might be surprised to find how much quicker you manage to get through some of those deeper tasks that take up time.
Power Hours are also a great way to set boundaries with people and let them (and yourself) know that you aren’t available 24/7.
Learn to say No
Saying “No”, especially in the workplace, can be terrifying.
But it can also be liberating.
By saying “No” to new opportunities, tasks or requests, you will be able to set healthier boundaries and reduce the risk of taking on more than you can manage.
Before you straight up start shouting “No!” at someone the next time they ask you to do something, start saying no by:
- Reminding people know what your work expectations are
- Letting people know what your boundaries are
- Explaining your reasons why you’re saying no
- Proposing an alternative
By exercising your right to say no, you’re also protecting your energy and well-being. Saying no can be one of the hardest things to do. But it can also be one of the most powerful ways to reduce your likelihood of getting burnt out.
Want to take on more and don’t want to say “No” to potential opportunities? Then hire additional resources to help with the additional workload.
Keep work-life and personal-life separate
Sometimes, our work-life can blend into our personal-life. In the marketing industry that crossover between work- and personal- life is even easier.
If you work in social media marketing, you may find yourself feeling the need to be active on social media all hours of the day. Outside of work, you may listen to marketing podcasts, read marketing articles, follow all the greatest Marketing folk on Twitter… it can be easy for our work responsibilities to creep into our personal lives. Especially when it’s something that we are passionate about.
When working from home, you may also find yourself slipping into the unhealthy pattern of checking your emails at the weekend or perhaps you start work early and finish later than intended.
Stop whatever is happening in your life that is causing your work and personal life to get mixed up. Be strict with yourself and think about what steps you can take to keep work and personal life separate.
It is important that you take time away from work. You need to give yourself time to mentally decompress and unwind from the working day. You need to leave work when the working day is finished and not work into your personal time.
As for weekends and holiday days – take them. Please! Your mind, body and soul will thank you for it – trust me. By taking time off, you will be able to return to work feeling more mentally prepared to tackle your workload and more creatively refreshed for upcoming marketing campaigns and ideas.
Find ways to improve your workflow
There’s a great choice of tools and software that can help you improve your workflow and reduce bottlenecks.
By investing in tools that improve your workflow, you can help reduce some of the work pressure that builds up when burnout is approaching.
Some marketing tools that can help ease your process include:
- Social media schedulers
- Project management tools (we love Asana and Basecamp!)
- Analytical tools
- SEO and Keyword research tools
- …and more!
There are thousands, if not millions, of tools out there. Whatever you are looking for, there’s likely a tool for it! We also love using automation tools like Zapier and IFTT to automate processes that we frequently do manually.
Make note of all the processes that you frequently do or that take up a lot of your time, then research what tools you can use to effectively automate those tasks and improve your workflow.
Free yourself from digital marketing burnout: Conclusion
Digital marketing burnout is about more than just having an impossible to-do list. It’s also to do with the unrealistic expectations to work long hours, feeling underappreciated in your role, and feeling the need to keep up-to-date with the latest marketing news.
But, it’s also more than that. The causes of digital marketing burnout are unique to each individual.
By taking note of the above actions, you can start taking steps towards protecting your energy and boundaries in order to avoid digital marketing burnout.
Remember, you are not alone. We are here to help you find joy in your social media and content marketing. Together, we can help you reduce your risk of digital marketing burnout as you harness the power of purposeful marketing. Get in touch to learn more about the ways we can work together.