Navigating Time Off
In the two plus years that I've been an independent marketing consultant, I have been blessed to have interesting, engaging work with people and companies that I truly enjoy. A freelancer's dream. I just finished up a six month fractional position where I learned a completely new skill set. However, due to some timing issues, I have found myself between jobs, with nearly eight weeks until my next fractional contract.
This should be a cause for celebration. A summer off! Head to the beach. Learn how to play pickelball. Enjoy quality time with my family. Get some house projects done. There is very little downside. Right?
Yes and no. Intellectually, I know that this time is part of being a consultant. Work is feast and famine and sometimes you're on the bench. But, because I'm someone who derives value out of being both busy and successful, downtime is pretty stressful. To combat my uneasiness, I did some research on how other people navigate work breaks and put together a plan. I hope this guideline can help others feel secure as it's helped me refocus my thoughts on what the next eight weeks can bring.
My plan has three parts:
Organizational improvement
Business development
Personal development
Organizational Improvement
When you're working, some of the nuts and bolts fall off the truck but the truck keeps rolling. Now that I have the time, I can take a look at the little things that will make me more effective. IT is the biggest headache as an independent consultant. You can't just call Bob from Tech Support and have him diagnose the glitches on your business computer. During this time, I am going to get some IT advisement, make some tweaks to my website (2RyeConsulting.com) and update my LinkedIn profile. This stuff isn't sexy or fun but way better to handle now than when I'm back on someone's payroll.
Business Development
Because freelancing can be a lot of solo time, it's important to be proactive about networking, both to secure new jobs and to remain current in the industry. This is a time for coffees and lunches with friends, former co-workers and interesting contacts. It's also a time to build my skills. I've already taken two courses on AI for Marketing and I'm looking for the best new certifications I can pursue without breaking the bank. It's hard to network and learn when you're billing hours but when you're off, there's no excuse.
Personal Development
I'm a big believer in giving back and I will use this time to volunteer as much as I can at Lifeline Animal Project. The shelter pups always need a walk. I'm also planning on dusting off my Spanish with some online chat groups so I can keep up with my daughter who is a Spanish minor. Working moms are notoriously selfless. Work breaks are a great time to invest inwardly.
On top of all of this, I'm going to try my best to breathe. Watch movies without a laptop in front of me. Walk the dogs and go to the gym in the same day. Watch my daughter's softball tournaments without checking email. This break is a gift and I need to use it.
Although, I'd still be open to a short term gig if anyone has a need…
The Two-Day Brief
It all begins with an idea.
When I first started working in brand management, writing briefs was a long and iterative process consisting of many documents, some of them being multiple pages long. Especially for bigger projects like product launches, briefs contained detailed background sections with lengthy summaries of market research, deep discussions of the strategic importance of the initiative and guidance on mood and talent. The briefs were compiled over a month or two with several rounds of reviews and revisions. These briefs involved a lot of manpower and work, but because of that dedicated thinking, they generally resulted in well-aligned launches and excellent creative.
Today’s business environment moves much faster. Marketing managers are operating against shorter timelines and creative talent aren’t allocated hours to read and digest a brief. Briefs need to be created quickly and written succinctly. Ideally, every timeline would include two weeks minimum for brief development, but can it be done in two days?
Yes! Based on my experience, it is possible to complete an effective brief on an extremely condensed timeline as long as the following are in place:
Any research or strategic rationale for the initiative is clear and already documented.
The marketing manager has the mandatory inputs from partners already. For example, if the brief includes media, the marketing manager knows that the media is budgeted and available.
The entire project team and leadership has signed on to the abbreviated timeline and their role in feedback and review.
Given all of these conditions, here are the steps to follow:
Day One AM
Marketing Manager kicks off project with all team members. Ensures alignment to timeline.
Marketing Manager completes Draft One of the brief.
One or two trusted team members read Draft One and provide initial feedback, which Marketing Manager incorporates.
Day One PM
Marketing Manager sends Draft One to the cross-functional team with a short deadline (1-2 hours) for asynchronous review. Using a project management tool like Workfront is perfect for this.
Marketing Manager incorporates feedback and completes Draft Two.
Day Two AM
Full team meeting, led by Marketing Manager, is held to review Draft Two. This time is used to discuss conflicting feedback and clarify direction.
Day Two PM
Marketing Manager completes Draft Three and sends to all parties for sign off with a short deadline (1-2 hours).
Keeping the brief simple and direct is crucial. Every company and industry has nuances that affect their brief format but the elements below are pretty universal.
Background (Why is this project happening now?)
Strategic Goals (What will this project bring to the company e.g., increased revenue, increased share, strategic support for an initiative?)
Insights (What insights do we have that support the importance and direction of the project?)
Target Audience (Both demographics and psychographics. Who they are and what they think)
Single Most Persuasive Idea of the project (This is what the Target Audience will be thinking if the project succeeds e.g., New product X provides me with X benefit solving X need).
Reasons to Believe (These are the main ways that the project can achieve the SMPI e.g., Product X has X benefit that is not yet in the marketplace)
Executional Details (Media, budget, timeline and mandatories like logo placement or talent guidelines)
Is this optimal? No. But it is achievable as long as all of the parties involved are signed on to the process and the importance of the brief. The downside of moving so quickly is that it prevents the richness of thinking that several weeks of discussion can add, but having a disciplined process that all team members have bought into maintains the value of the brief and will prevent misalignment of the work down the road.