Efficient teams are one of the most valued assets of any business or organization. They are an unstoppable workforce that can take on tasks of great magnitude and deliver astonishing results. After all, they are the intelligence, skills, and energy of many employees working in unison.
High performing teams are incredibly beneficial in marketing, where many challenges require a collaborative effort. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to give enough motivation to their marketing teams. Consequently, team members end up being discouraged and underperform, yielding low results.
Motivating teams is essential to keep up their morale and performance. Here are seven ways to motivate your marketing team to enhance productivity personally and on the organizational level.
Award Your Employees
Salaries are often not enough to motivate a marketing team, especially for the more challenging tasks they handle. You need to provide them with a greater sense of personal and professional achievement. A sense of recognition for all the hard work they put in. This feeling is bound to keep them motivated to work harder.
Many companies organize annual marketing and sales awards to recognize and honor top-performing individuals and team players. Consider giving them custom awards in the form of trophies or plaques. A traditional approach, but a highly effective one indeed. Receiving recognition in the form of a tangible reward such as a trophy is often a matter of great pride for employees. Moreover, public recognition will help to motivate underperforming employees as well to work harder in the future. So it’s a win-win.
Enhance Collaboration
A marketing team can never function well without proper collaboration. Marketing employees are expected to be highly competitive, which is essential to compete with other businesses. However, such behavior can be harmful to the team if it spills over. Many workers get demotivated due to a lack of team engagement. They are left to work alone on challenging tasks.
Without teamwork, stress can quickly build up and take a toll on individual performance. It is essential to create an environment that encourages collaboration, mentoring, and sharing of work responsibilities. You can designate team leaders who can motivate people to work together in a better way. These leaders can also be the most skilled person in the team so that they can mentor beginners. Your goal should be to make the team collaborate naturally while also having fun.
Give Value To Employees
Alongside awards and money, there are more ways to make your marketing team feel valued. You can give them a higher authority over decision making if the team has shown to be capable enough. It will show them that the company trusts their actions, making them feel motivated to do better. It’s always a wise decision to offer growth opportunities in the form of promotions and training.
Additionally, it’s also a good idea to praise them for their efforts frequently, for example, by giving them shout-outs in the workplace. According to a study, 82% of employees believe that praising them is better than giving gifts such as money. Not being appreciated at work is a major demotivator. If your team feels that they are not being appreciated for the hard work it puts in, they’ll want to quit and look for work elsewhere.
Create A Positive Workplace
Many managers don’t realize the significance of the work environment has on a team’s motivation and performance levels. However, the reality is contrary. An unpleasant work environment can severely demotivate marketing teams, stopping them from working effectively. They spend most of their working hours in these places, so ensure that their time spent at work is worth it.
Workplace ambiance contributes significantly to a team’s motivation and reluctant productivity. This includes simple things like keeping the workplace clean at all times, placing greenery to create a refreshing ambiance, or even allowing employees to customize their desk space. However, surroundings are not the only contributor; employees’ behavior should also be kept in check. Discourage undesirable behavior, and continuously engage the team with activities to enhance their group skills. Time well spent at work will have a profound impact on their productivity.
Avoid Punishing For Failures
Making mistakes is part of human nature. Everyone makes a few mistakes during their careers. However, many businesses fail to understand this and often resort to strict measures that might be uncalled for.
Accountability is an essential part of performance evaluation, and your team needs to be responsible. Not punishing your marketing team does not imply letting their mistakes slip by. Instead, you can identify key areas in which they are underperforming and help them overcome those problems. You can encourage them to work better when they make mistakes. For instance, small talk can sometimes provide more clarity than a heated argument. Employees will feel more motivated to work better for the company when they know that their employers are more forgiving.
Let Them Rest
Marketing teams have to work continuously for hours, taking on many challenging tasks. Inevitably they get exhausted from all the hard work. If you continue to make them work without providing time to relax, they will eventually experience burnout and get demotivated. Therefore, it’s essential to take care of their physical and mental health and give them some time to rest.
If feasible, create recreational spacing within your workplaces, such as a gym or a gaming room, to enhance their well-being. These activities are also a great way to spur creativity during work. Allow them to take vacations regularly to revitalize themselves after months of working day and night. And most importantly, pay close attention to their mental health.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the growth of your business relies on the performance of marketing teams. It wouldn’t be a smart decision to drive the talent and skill of your company away. So, make sure to use the tips mentioned above to provide your employees with value. Not only will you guarantee a successful future, but you will also cultivate a good relationship with your employees.
