Have you seen NBC’s show Parks and Rec? If so, you may remember the episode where Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and Donna Meagle (Retta) spend a day pampering themselves to miscellaneous goods and treatments. The show’s self-proclaimed day was called “Treat Yo’ Self’.While the show itself is fiction, this idea of pampering yourself is a good, very applicable one. As a business, you need to “Treat Yo’ Self” by spending the time necessary to changing content, updating websites and rebranding. It’s crucial to be up-to-date and look the part.As a business, especially with agencies, you’re focused on meeting deadlines and making customers happy. After all, it’s what drives business. You may have the intention of modernizing your business, but stuff gets in the way. Client work needs to be done. Deadlines need to be met. Life happens.So here are a few tips on how to better balance working to improve the business internally while completing client work (without sacrificing quality or time to one or the other):
Business run according to deadlines. If you don’t meet client deadlines, it’s going to be a problem (obviously). Due to this stresser, internal deadlines slowly become soft, an after-thought. Fight this mentality by sticking to deadlines you’ve created pre-project! Arrange a meeting with your company to ensure everyone recognizes the importance of the project and what tasks they need to accomplish in order to finish the project. It’s best to set up an Editorial Calendar, weekly goals, or other timely reminders for you to look at and analyze progress regularly.
This is the step that many businesses get to...before sloughing off their internal deadline. The rationale for stopping self-promoting projects is that workers are busy enough with client tasks. The solution? Stop waiting around for their schedules to free up. Assign little projects to them and watch as it builds up. Honor your deadlines. If your workers with the applicable skills are too busy, consider hiring a part-time worker or freelancer to help accomplish the task. Remember: you’re a client. If you need to hire extra help to finish a project, do it.
Watch over your project’s deadlines. If you’re ahead of schedule, congratulate yourself and your team. But if you’re behind, don’t get discouraged. You can still catch up by putting in extra work. And soon! You’re your own client now, so take care of the project lest you fall back into the rut.To encourage staying on schedule, have someone to report to. By discussing the progress of the project, you’re holding yourself accountable. It’s also easier to stick to deadlines and you’ll find you have more motivation than if you were simply reporting to yourself.As you set goals for treating your company as a client, realize that this is not a one-and-done situation. Depending on your business, this may become an everyday, monthly or yearly routine. To stand out in this industry, you need constant attention provided by making yourself look modern and up-to-date. If you’re struggling to find time to update, turn to Content Supply. Our video, audio, copy and design services will have your company looking top-notch in no time.
