Stop Chasing Happiness (ROI)

Hi!

Welcome to my blog!

Have you noticed how the vast majority of social media posts you see from different brands and celebrities are of them smiling and looking happy (or spreading happiness)?

While it’s obvious we’re not drawn to want to see lots of photos and videos of people looking upset and crying, at the same time, the constant production of content (both textual and multimedia) focus on happiness has become an unhealthy obsession in social media marketing.

What do I mean by this?

Well, when you look at those pictures of people (or social media ads) appearing to be enjoying their lives and having fun with products they are endorsing, I’m sure a part of you feels that you’re failing to be as happy as others.

This is how social media marketers trying to gain attention through running ad campaigns to do business for making money.

But I’ve got news for you.

The public face of most people (incl. in those social media ads) does not accurately reflect their true feelings and character.

Just because someone’s Facebook feed is loaded with pictures of them looking cheerful (or endorsing a product) - doesn’t mean they’re a happy person (or use the product in reality). In fact, often the people who look the happiest, are actually just trying hard to hide their inner sadness.

Can I share an open secret with you?

True satisfaction and contentment in life will always involve regular ups and downs. Similarly, if you (as a social media marketer) focus on trying to be 100% profitable all the time, you’ll be striving towards an unattainable campaign goal. One that will eventually leave you disappointed and disillusioned.

Do you imagine that highly successful people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates spend their time and energy trying to be continually happy? No. They understand that to achieve BIG things in life, there’ll always be inclement days and sunny days.

So, my recommendation to all digital marketers as a social media marketer is to stop chasing perpetual happiness (or maximizing ROI), and instead, put your focus on helping others (i.e., the target audience), building your brand, and being the best friend to your loyal clients and partners (search engines) that you can be. These are the authentic pathways to a life of fulfillment if you are in a marketing agency.

Have you been considering conversions the only goal of your campaign always? If yes, then, keep on reading.

When we talk about online ads, in an agency, we often think about generating leads all the time – with zero tolerance level. Many try to pursue this constant state of “generating leads” as their ultimate goal and avoid anything that may take it away from them.

Don’t Assume Other Marketers Are Always Happy

No one runs a perfect ad campaign. Even the most glamorous agencies or the richest social media influencers have their own set of challenges and problems.

As a social media marketer, I’ve had to deal with countless problems (from convincing clients to explaining my BOSS), and some of them felt like real setbacks at the time. But, I got through them; and, weeks, months, and eventually years passed with many more ups and downs.

Looking back now, a lot of those “really big” professional problems at the time now seem like only small blips in a long line of experiences in my online marketing career. Recalling them in my mind now makes me smile!

Stop Trying To Generate Leads

It’s natural to want to be happy as often as possible.

So what can we do as an online ad campaign manager?

First, throw away the belief that a perfect life (read campaign) means happiness (read profit). Personally, I would be miserable if everything was perfect. It’s through experiencing the pains (or customer pain points) of lifelong challenges that drive us to care for others (read target audience) when they are experiencing similar trials. If life was perfect, you wouldn’t be able to empathize. If life was perfect, you wouldn’t grow.

To achieve the goal, focus on optimizing the process.

It sounds like a paradox. But, what I mean is to accept that there will be ups and downs throughout life. Gracefully understand that happiness is a fluctuation of positive and negative events.

Understand the importance of building a process. Instead of focusing on “generating leads”, set your focus on process development. I like to think about my career, for example. When I didn’t have a job to take care of my family, I felt lost and demotivated. I felt like everyone was figuring out their lives but me. But, when I set up this blog and then started a small business venture, I was deeply happy, even before I realized I would be successful! This memory keeps me going when I hit tough spots.

It takes effort to hit the goal consistently.

Success & Failure Exist Together

What it all comes down to is this: your life as a social media account manager will be filled with beautiful, happy, and incredible moments–happy tears and joyous shouts and funny stories. But, your professional life will also be filled with rain and storms that never seem like they will pass while you’re going through them.

But, whether your face is warmed by the sunshine, or your heart is dampened by the rain, know that it’s all part of the job and flow of profession.

Treasure the happy moments and power through the sad ones. Don’t try to avoid “ROI” or “number of leads” generated, but don’t blindly chase “profit”. In the end, you will achieve a true level of contentment in your social media marketing job, based on meaningful experiences and achievements. Being able to create growth and meaning out of both positive and negative events in your digital marketing career – that is the true meaning of “happiness”.

Cheers!

Partha