There’s power in following a less-is-more strategy in marketing, especially during lean times. You might be tasked with doing more with fewer people on your sales team, or you may be feeling stretched thin as you try to reach new markets.

According to John Hall, CEO of Influence & Co., you don’t need to do more in order to reach new people. In fact, when you scale back your marketing, you can boost your efficiency and maximize your time. Wondering how to adopt a less-is-more approach? Keep reading this issue of Promotional Consultant Today for Hall’s thoughts on five marketing areas that work better when you do less.

1. Managing people and campaigns. When it comes to managing people and campaigns, there are many ways to do more with less work. Hall encourages managers to explore and properly use all the tools in their marketing stack. It’s even better when you can use an all-in-one-tool that keeps employees from switching windows and exporting data, he says. In terms of people management, you get a lot more out of your team by giving them autonomy. Instead of wasting your time micromanaging, empower your employees to make their own decisions but come to you with any questions.

2. Scheduling your time. Hall says a less-is-more mentality works in how you schedule your calendar and how other people book meetings with you. Try the “big rocks” system, in which every morning you and your team members share the three or four big items you plan to accomplish that day. Stay flexible and squeeze in smaller tasks when it makes sense rather than rearranging your calendar every hour.

3. Creating content. Whether you’re drafting a blog post or an email, keep it succinct, recommends Hall. Search engines prefer shorter sentences and paragraphs, and when you use short, snappy copy, it’s easier on both you and the reader.

4. Holding meetings. One smart way to boost productivity is scaling back the number of meetings you conduct. Think about how much it costs to have a one-hour meeting with a dozen of your employees—that’s 12 hours of company time. While meetings are certainly appropriate for certain topics, they can also drain your employees’ energy. Hall suggests holding meetings only when necessary and for only as long as necessary. If you only need five minutes for everyone to get together in person or via Zoom, then so be it. Keep it short and let everyone get back to work.

5. Brainstorming sessions. Great marketing relies on great ideas. Instead of wasting time in multiple brainstorming sessions, consider getting out there and trying your ideas. That’s the only way to gauge the success of a campaign, title or image.

When you’re trying to secure more sales, it seems counterintuitive to do less. However, doing less is a wise way to get further ahead. Think about how you and your team can reduce the time you invest in the five marketing areas above.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence through thought leadership and content marketing programs.