Blog titled 'Are you tired of the marketing treadmill? Here's how to escape content fatigue'. A picture of a content treadmill.

What do you do when your marketing feels like you're on a constant treadmill?

This is a bit of an honest one. I have to admit that I'd let some of the content I produce slip for most of this year. Why? Because it stopped being fun, because it started to feel like a chore, because I simply didn't have the bandwidth to keep churning stuff out.

With my content, I always want to enjoy what I do, put passion in my work, and give something back by sending out stuff that I'm proud of. And yes, I am a perfectionist, but I guess with all marketing, there's so much that you can do.

As a marketer, I probably do more than most, because I truly believe that I can't really advise my clients effectively to do things if I haven't tried them myself. When there are new approaches, different ways of doing things, or more direct ways to try things, I like to test them. After a while, you just find that you're doing a lot and yes, perhaps too much.

Is it time for a marketing reset?

If you're feeling like you're just churning stuff out, if your content feels lacklustre and a drag, or if you simply want to re-evaluate your approach, here are some ideas to consider when your marketing is starting to feel a bit heavy, ineffective, or you're just not feeling inspired by it anymore:

1. You don't have to keep doing the same thing

You are in control so don't have to maintain the same posting schedule or push your marketing out in the same way indefinitely. You can pause. You can stop, even.

I think we all try to do way too much, but it's really about looking at what's actually working now.

Top tip: Examine where your leads and work actually come from, and then home in on what's really working from the evidence. That's where you should focus. Everything else might just be noise.

2. Look at your stats, then make the call

Examine your analytics carefully. Which content is performing? Where are your leads coming from? Where are your conversations coming from? What’s helping you you’re your wider objectives? Which platforms are driving engagement? The data doesn't lie, and it might show you that some of your marketing efforts aren't worth the time you're investing.

Top tip: Use the evidence to tell you what you should be doing. What could you drop, and see if anyone really notices?

3. Consider dialling things down

Does everything have to be on broadcast? Can you do things in a smaller way? I love the concept of seasons whereby you have periods where you’re full on visible and others where you are resting, regrouping and gathering your thoughts. I guess it’s really all about balance.

Top tip: Perhaps post less frequently but with higher quality. Not everything has to be new or groundbreaking. Maybe don’t grab every opportunity that people throw at you? It’s ok to say no sometimes and stick to what you can mentally cope with and your own priorities.

4. Repurpose more of your content

I think one thing I always see is that we're constantly creating new content, which is where you start to feel like you're on a treadmill. In reality, most of us have a whole back catalogue of material that isn't being fully utilised.

I'm quite lucky as I actually have a database of every post I've made for the past five years, on LinkedIn so I can easily search for a topic and repurpose content.

But looking back at my own content, I could share:

Old podcast episodes and interviews I’ve done too as well as my own podcast the Built Environment Marketing Show
Previous blog posts where the information is still highly relevant or could easily be updated
Existing carousels or presentations repackaged in a different format

But there's nothing stopping you from looking back at your work – those livestreams, projects, competitions you've entered, pieces of work, conversations you've had – and repurposing some of that material.

Top tip: Look at your top performing content on LinkedIn or your website. Those blogs that performed brilliantly a year ago? Change the headline and publish them again or update them with more new graphics and perspectives or . They'll likely still resonate with your audience.

5. What's the minimum effective level?

Be kind to yourself and ask: what's the minimum amount of marketing you can do to keep your business ticking over? You don't have to do everything. Sometimes the minimum is more than enough. We can't always be operating at maximum capacity all the time.

For me, I paused my podcast for most of this year, mainly because I wasn't enjoying it as much. I also had some client podcasts to create that were paying me, so it made more sense to focus my energy on those and deliver them with enthusiasm rather than trying to manage multiple podcast productions simultaneously. Sometimes you have to balance your energy, and that's absolutely fine.

6. Consider going deep rather than wide

Another approach is to decide you're going to focus intensely on just one marketing channel instead of trying to be everywhere. For example, you might go all-in on LinkedIn and make that your primary platform, allowing everything else to take a backseat.

I know marketing consultants who are remarkably successful and they're no longer active on LinkedIn or social media at all. Instead, they're focusing on podcast interviews and targeted adverts to drive traffic to those podcast episodes. Their online presence is concentrated in marketing areas they can control and where they excel, and that works for them and their lifestyle.

Finding a marketing rhythm that sustainable for you

At the end of the day, your marketing strategy needs to work for you, your business, and your life. It's about finding that sweet spot where your marketing efforts are effective but don't leave you feeling burnt out or uninspired.

What's worked for me is periodically stepping back, assessing what's generating results, and not being afraid to pause activities that aren't serving my business goals or that drain my energy. Marketing should be sustainable, and that means different things for different businesses and at different stages of growth.

So what now?

I'd love to know – have you ever felt like you're on a marketing treadmill? What did you do to break free from it? Did you discover that less is sometimes more?

If you're currently feeling overwhelmed by your marketing efforts or struggling to maintain consistency, I'd be happy to chat through some practical strategies for your specific situation. You can book a call with me here. After all, the built environment sector has its own unique marketing challenges, and sometimes an outside perspective is just what you need.

For more practical marketing advice, do check out my podcast, The Built Environment Marketing Show, where I discuss these topics and many more with industry experts.