These days, many of us decide to try on different industries and roles, looking for a perfect match. What are we looking for? Financial security, for sure, but increasingly, we are longing to have jobs that “matter”.
“Meaningfulness” work is a relatively new concept, previously reserved for privileged society wives and missionaries. According to the Work Foundation, the changes have occurred in affluent Western societies and workplaces in the very recent past. So-called “advanced modernity” has been gaining traction since the 1970s. As a consequence, we want to have it all – a perfect job should be well-paid, stimulating, interesting, offer constant learning and growth, and ideally, make the world a better place.
How does that fit in with marketing?
We can find as many definitions of the profession as there are marketers. For me, marketing at its best isn’t about fabricating a need which tricks customers into parting with their resources. It’s meaningfully engaging with them in order to help them solve a problem. Anyone who ever worked for a startup must have noticed the emphasis on customer feedback.
Thanks to social media and “always on”, many-to-many communication, we should no longer have to deal with marketing a product that nobody wants and needs. Unless, we acknowledge that this is just an exploration stage and the company is yet to reach the product-market fit. As the content and context continue to reign the marketing strategies, we have more opportunities to have our own voice while working.
I’ve learned that even creating content for a company’s blog, I am allowed to explore my own thoughts and opinions.
I understood, that personality is a key component of marketing strategy – people communicatewith people, and honest, approachable and informative beats “sleazy” and “salesy” every single time.
When you have the right marketing objectives and strategy, you are on a mission. For instance, my mission at Open Energy Market is to make businesses aware that they can significantly reduce energy costs with smarter procurement.
How does my work matter, how do I make a difference? Energy costs deeply affect country’s entrepreneurial potential. Many businesses struggle to grow due to rising energy prices – for industries such as leisure, the energy cost can account for up to 30% of total running costs, only second to labour costs. Helping businesses make informed procurement choices, we can contribute to business growth and new job openings.
Would I be less enthusiastic is faced with a prospect of marketing tires? Let’s see… the right tires will increase security of a vehicle, reducing the risk of an accident – in fact, I am practically saving lives!
Remember that the core of the good service or product is the benefit to the consumer. If you’re stuck as to why your work matters, go back to your company’s core values and the mission statement (or create one!). Still not convinced? If you’re working at a startup perhaps it’s a sign that the core team should take another look at the product-market fit. Otherwise, perhaps it’s time to move on and find a persuasive mission statement on your own.