Let’s start by stating the obvious: digital marketing efforts ramp up during the holiday season.
Maybe your creative juices for marketing are already zapped.
But you have catchy copy to write for Christmas promotions. You’re unsure how to make your holiday deals stand out from the rest. You haven’t even thought about a marketing strategy for 2022.
Oh, and you’re on a tight timeline because either you and your team are taking off at different times or you didn’t create a content calendar for the holidays in advance.
If you’re a “solopreneur” or manage a small team, running and marketing a business can easily lead to burnout.
We get it — the holiday season is a busy time for us at Sigl Creative.
Even though you’re working hard to serve your customers right now, you and your team should enjoy the holidays too. Protect your team from holiday burnout and end the year strong with these tips.
#1 Prioritize your team's health.
Food. Sleep. Water. Movement.
You know these are foundational for your team’s health, but the end-of-year task list can easily overwhelm their schedules. A decrease in daylight hours, grief surrounding the holidays, and other factors can also affect their mental health.
Check in with your team. Encourage them to prioritize their health and set boundaries around working hours.
Then practice what you preach. If you’re still getting little to no sleep, skipping lunch breaks, or emailing teammates at 10:37 PM, your actions are likely speaking louder than your words — communicating to them that self-care is not really important.
#2 Throw an office party.
Few things say “I appreciate you” better than an end-of-year office party. It’s okay if you don’t have a huge budget to spend. An office party doesn’t have to be opulent to show your team your gratitude for them and the hard work they do year-round.
An office party is a great opportunity for the team to step away from the demands of work and do something fun.
You’ll likely learn more about one another in a more casual setting, and this can be a game-changer for team synergy. Jennifer Moss, author of Unlocking Happiness at Work, says, “Everyone should have a choice about participating in these types of work events. But community and friendships are important — they can be the difference between loving or hating work.”
#3 Do a weekly brain dump.
Never heard of a brain dump? Here’s a sophisticated definition from TechTarget: “a complete transfer of accessible knowledge about a particular subject from your brain to some other storage medium, such as paper or your computer's hard drive.”
We recommend a weekly brain dump every Monday before your team gets to work. On your computer or notepad, write down everything you need to accomplish that week. Look at last week’s to-do list, and add what you didn’t finish. Then check your project management system. Write down even the smallest task that comes to mind so you don’t forget it.
A weekly brain dump not only gives you a bird’s-eye view of your week but also helps you “leave work at work” once you clock out. There’s no need to stress after-hours, because you know your brain dump will be there when you return the next day.
Once you’re finished, proceed to #4.
#4 Lean on your calendar more, not less.
During the holidays, you’re tempted to sidestep planning out your week to dive into your work. But this is detrimental to your productivity. Melanie Mannarino writes at WeWork, “If you’re feeling overwhelmed by obligations, it’s time to lean on your calendar more, not less.”
You can’t knock out your list in one day. Take Monday’s brain dump and rank your tasks based on urgency.
What needs to get done first?
Second?
What can wait until Friday?
Transfer your brain dump onto your calendar. Write what you plan to make progress on or finish each day. If it helps, create time blocks for these tasks.
You might feel that planning your week takes up time you don’t have during the holidays, but trust us — you’ll be more productive. When you have a plan, you’ll work with purpose and efficiency throughout the week.
#5 Don’t be the office martyr.
Jay, Founder and Chief Storyteller at Sigl Creative, is always reminding us, “Everyone needs a hand sometimes.”
You might have a hard time asking for help if you were the type that hated group projects in school. But everyone needs a little help — especially during the holidays.
Don’t be the “office martyr” this holiday season by tackling everything yourself. Ask teammates for help, and encourage them to do the same.
It’s easy to notice a need and say, “That’s their responsibility — not mine.”
But a team member might be overwhelmed or have extenuating circumstances you don’t know about. Protect your team from burnout during the holidays by filling a gap or meeting a need.
#6 Get a headstart on your 2022 marketing strategy.
Many times businesses are laser-focused on their holiday marketing efforts and forget a new year is approaching. Holiday burnout rolls over into the new year as teams find themselves scrambling for digital marketing content.
Don’t put yourself and your team in this situation. Block out a chunk of time to get ahead on your 2022 marketing strategy.
Get your team together and do — you guessed it — a brain dump! Write down everyone’s ideas for 2022. Then create a content calendar for January or the first quarter of the new year.
Also, don’t try to do every kind of promotion other companies are doing for the holidays. You know your team’s budget and bandwidth for marketing better than anyone. Choose a few marketing campaigns and do them well. Then save the rest of your team’s year-end creativity for the new year!
Marketing is what we do at Sigl Creative. We understand more than anyone the toll the holiday season can take on your team. We hope these tips will help you protect yourself and your team from burnout caused by the holiday grind.
If digital marketing has you stressed this holiday season, we’re always here to help. Schedule a call today, and let’s take your digital marketing strategy from functional to exceptional in 2022.
