Lessons from my Dad for Marketers

This Father's Day, I wanted to pay tribute to my Dad by distilling the lessons he's taught me and how I've brought them to my work ethos. He’s not much of a small talker so I’m going to get straight into it…

Actions, not words

My Dad has never been a man of many words, often responding to my essay-long texts with a 'K.' or 'Nice.'

As I got older, I began to understand that he often said a lot, just not in words. His gestures of love were all in his actions - taking me out for lunches and quietly listening while I talked at him, surprising me years ago by purchasing a ukulele I was handling in a shop and was hoping to save up to get, believing in me enough to let me go to university overseas. These were all things that made me understood that he was the kind of parent who would do anything for me.

I've tried to bring this pattern of behaviour into my working life as much as possible, especially within the marketing space. Marketers often get branded with being professional bullshitters, and not without reason. However, with all of the major changes to do with privacy and tracking recently, it's become more important than ever to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

The best way to build trust with your audience is not just to talk a big game. Show your authenticity and integrity in your actions - when collecting data, be mindful of how you use it. When scheduling your content calendar, don't overload your subscribers with a neverending barrage of marketing when they're expecting to receive helpful and relevant content. And for god's sake, don't use dodgy tactics like using Re: and Fwd: in subject lines!

Do fewer things well

My dad is the kind of person who's always known who he is. He has a carefree demeanor and has never much cared for what people think of him. I used to get embarrassed when he'd take out a bag of cut chillies he'd brought from home because the food we ordered out was never spicy enough. I've also never seen him in clothes that aren't purely functional.

With that, he knows his passions - he's a fantastic cook and has utterly spoiled my sense of taste. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting down and enjoying his home-cooked meals, or going shopping at the supermarket for ingredients. He's cultivated his passion over the years, and he does it well.

As marketers, we are inundated with the sheer amount of tools available to us, and it's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to try everything. With this can come a crippling sense of FOMO which I've experienced. Should I be training in SEO? Should I learn web development? Should I be going to more conferences??

Time is a finite resource, and apart from work, there are a ton of responsibilities that the average working adult has. When I began making peace with this, I started honing in on the things that I found fulfilling. I realised I loved the unique challenges and opportunities within email marketing and I began carving out my niche and walking away from being a general digital marketer. While I'm thankful for the past overall marketing experience I've had, I've been able to allow myself to be a grow, and not get pulled in too many directions. That being said, there are still many niches within the email industry itself, so I'm still working on it. 🙂

This is also great advice to take to stakeholders. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to maintain visibility on too many platforms. Whether it's social media platforms, email, PPC, there are myriad ways to be present - but the key is to pick just a few and make them work hard enough to make the returns count. Even though I'm an email marketer, I would be to first to say that if your team doesn't have the resource to make email work, then don't do it. Either look to outsource it, or hire an expert - this goes for all marketing channels.

Work hard & enjoy the work

Facts are facts, my dad is incredibly hardworking. I remember him dozing off halfway through dinner because he'd just come straight from work as a flight engineer for Japan Air Systems, having been away for days at a time on domestic flights. Even after, I remember him putting in the time doing nights as a taxi driver.

In recent years, I've seen him working his hardest cooking at a stall in a primary school. I puzzled over why he would do this especially at this stage in his life, but when I saw him in action, it all clicked. Food is his passion, and he loves being around kids, often remarking on which kids reminded him of my siblings and nieces when we were younger. While doing a fantastic job at making delicious food, he has fun too - sometimes making up silly names for food on the menu, or using comically large cutlery. You know, goofy dad humour.

I love hearing his stories of joking around at work, especially since he's not much of a talker. Having inherited my parents' propensity for being a goofball, I've tried to bring this to my working environment. I'll always do my best to do a good job, but I want to have fun doing it too. It's probably why you've seen my past articles comparing email templates to burgers and my #emailgeeks design work.

In marketing, this mindset can be reflected in the output. Some of the most memorable campaigns I can think of are from brands that are clearly having a lot of fun - (hello Innocent Drinks, Burger King).

That's not to say that everything at work should be treated as a joke, but a little levity and perspective can make your working days feel less like a slog. After all, if you're going to be spending 8 hours working, you might as well have fun doing it.

Parting thoughts

As I said earlier, time is a finite resource, and this sentiment is even more keenly felt with the ones we love. I choose to cherish my dad by bringing his lessons forward, so I hope you've found some nuggets of wisdom to bring to your life.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Love, your goofball daughter.