Why I like processes for marketing teams

Processes excite me. I know. Lame, right?

Well.

When I began my career, I experienced a lack of process. I was attending college and juggling two internships. Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for every opportunity.

But I struggled with one of the internships in particular.

I was responsible for coordinating an internal newsletter that would reach 30,000+ employees every day. It felt like a lot of responsibility at the time.

And nothing was documented.

I had to dive in, figure out who wrote content, find out how authors pitched articles in a shared email inbox, standardize what was OK to publish, write new content, edit submitted articles, go through edit loops with authors and requesters, import content from a text editor into a CMS, find and add visuals, publish everything, double check my own work, and listen to some Slayer to keep me going when it was all said and done.

It was a lot.

When I look back on it now, I know I loved it. I thrive in uncertainty. I like figuring out problems. I like knowing the destination and drawing my own map.

But when I took on more leadership responsibilities, I discovered that uncertainty is not a house where many people like to live.

Processes remove uncertainty. Removing uncertainty removes stress.

For another college throwback, I remember learning about uncertainty avoidance. If I remember this accurately, the term basically means people like to do what they know and skip the stuff they don’t.

It makes sense.

Doing what we know, knowing the inevitable outcomes from the start, and staying within the comfort of the status quo gives us confidence.

Confidence is power. We know what will happen before it happens, so it feels good. It feels like we’re doing something right. Control feels better than chaos.

Processes set expectations. Expectations enable teams to thrive.

Expectations help teams deliver high-quality work the first time around. Expectations are efficiency.

A process is to a team what a map is to a traveler. A process helps your team reach their destination error-free because they know how to get there.

Setting expectations helps teams accomplish objectives.

Processes create accountability. Accountability creates ownership.

Processes establish expectations for what to do, who will do it, how to do it, and when to do it.

When your team knows these expectations, work progress is consistent. Consistency is efficiency. Efficiency removes uncertainty. Certainty creates happiness.

That’s why I like processes for marketing teams.