Does your marketing spark joy?
That question might be just the key to an effective and streamlined strategy.
Marie Kondo is a tidying expert and creator of the KonMari method. You may have read her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or seen her Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. She inspires people to reduce clutter by removing items that don’t “spark joy.” It might seem like a stretch, but let’s look at a few ways you can apply the KonMari method to help your marketing. (We promise we won’t make you toss that sweet 1980s Whitesnake concert tee.)
Visualize the destination.
If you look at your marketing and you’re doing a hodgepodge of tactics, but a lot of it feels subpar or neglected, take time to visualize your ideal outcome. What do you want most from your marketing efforts? What will it feel like when you get there? Establish a clear vision.
Bring everything out where you can see it.
An element of the KonMari method is gathering every item in a given category (e.g. clothing) and piling it up together. Seeing the total amount you own can be the shock needed to motivate real action. Outsource Marketing founder, Patrick Byers, says “inventory everything before you prioritize anything.” That applies here.
Does it spark joy?
Marketing should be the fun part. Maybe you love making YouTube videos but haven’t tweeted since last year. Ask yourself: Does Twitter spark joy? If working on it is the ultimate chore, it’s doubtful that your account is adding real value to anyone’s life—and it’s sucking energy that you could use to create more of those awesome videos. Consider having another member of your team (or a fun marketing outsourcing company!) handle Twitter or anything else that is bringing you down.
Arrange things so you can find them.
Marie Kondo teaches that you should fold clothing so that everything is visible when you open a drawer. That way, you know what you have. You’ll always know where to find those socks, unless they’re crunched up in your shoe (am I right?). In marketing, this can be as simple as a well-functioning content calendar, regular team meetings, or the right project management system. Take time to assemble the tools you need and the systems that work for you.
Thank the things you’re discarding.
The KonMari method is informed by the Shinto religion and includes actions foreign to some Westerners such as greeting homes, tapping books to “wake them up,” and thanking items that you are discarding. There’s real value in applying this concept to your marketing. Even if you tried a tactic and are now saying “later,” you learned something from it that will help you improve. Thank it, and apply that knowledge in the future. You got this.
In marketing as in life, inspiration can come from anywhere. Tidying and simplicity can inform your efforts to make your marketing deliberate, efficient, and dare we say it, joyful.
If you read this and still think marketing is a chore, give us a shout! We love to make marketing fun while you focus on your core competencies, or accounting, or that next big idea (wherever the joy is for you).
