When to Go the Extra Mile in Marketing: Five Times You Should

You’re working on your company’s marketing day in and day out, but sometimes you really need to go the extra mile in your marketing. How do you know when, though? Is there a time when it’s particularly important?

Holidays are important times to go the extra mile

For networking, holidays are the times when it can be either extremely quiet or dramatically chaotic. It’s good to have a presence during these times so that you can network with others. And knowing what to say and when is also important. You might help out by picking up party supplies or giving a co-worker a ride to the party or home afterwards. Planning ahead a few days or weeks can also give you an edge. And, although it might seem old-fashioned, carry a few business cards. People still use them! You might like this article: Made-up Holidays Social Media Managers Will Absolutely Love.

Anniversaries

By anniversaries, I mean anniversaries of certain dates important to your brand, such as 9/11. Not everyone is keen to express themselves on 9/11, but for some brands, it’s a must. Also, the anniversaries of school shootings in the U.S., or the deaths of key dignitaries or politicians. If you’re working with a lifestyle brand, there may be important times as well. One type of anniversary I’m not fond of? When a brand has reached a milestone, such as number of followers. Unless it’s a huge milestone, like a million followers on YouTube, nobody cares!

Throw in some extras

If you can make your client happy by adding a little extra, that’s a good way to impress. Going the extra mile in marketing means giving a baker’s dozen instead of a dozen sometimes. For instance, what I like to do is add an extra post on a different platform, such as Pinterest, for a client who’s only paying for Twitter and Facebook. Jodie Cook mentions this baker’s dozen strategy in an article for Forbes.

When they need a little extra assistance

For me, since I work for mainly small and medium-sized businesses, sometimes cash flow isn’t what it should be. And although I probably shouldn’t, I’ve worked for free temporarily just to get the small businesses over the hump–especially when I know they’ll be ok in the end and have positive cash flow. Do I have any regrets about doing this? Not at all. I feel good, and they feel good, too.

When there’s a conference

Many small businesses will either attend or throw a conference and being there will be a big deal. If you work for a company that holds conferences, that’s a good time to go the extra mile. If you can’t attend in person because of distance, inconvenience, or Covid, you might be able to attend online. If your CEO attends a conference, you could support them by either doing research into who will be there that they should meet or creating an article about the conference later.