I'll see myself out first
Season 5 Finale!
12 weeks really flew by with this season, but we have indeed reached the end!
In case you’ve missed it, or this is your first season, I take an indefinite break between seasons. I know this is going to be a bit of long one because I also have an overseas trip coming up, so I’ll probably be back in your inboxes after mid-august (but might send “intermission” issues when I come across something cool and want to share it). My breaks allow me to keep the quality of Mehdeeka high and avoid content creation burnout.
In the mean time though, you can still catch me in a few places!
I will be the guest on startupdaily’s “How to startup” webinar series, talking about marketing and PR on Thursday June 29. It’s free and only 45 minutes so I hope you’ll make time for it!
I also have a monthly series going with them now, breaking down one marketing specialist role at a time and talking about when it makes sense to hire that role. The first article was on SEO and I also made an appearance on the show! (You can watch the recording here, just search for the June 9 episode, and I’m about 20 min in)
EoFY, working with sales teams, and lead gen
We’re going into a new financial year, which can be really positive (if you’re exceeding targets) or really stressful (if you’re not). Given the tech layoffs, the economic ~vibes~, and general multi-layered crises that are happening, I wanted to share some things that have helped me out.
A bit of a career evaluation
If your performance reviews are aligned with the FY, or you’re doing a quarterly retro, it’s a good idea to get ahead of what you want to highlight from what you’ve done this quarter and what you want to ask for. Pay rises might be out of the question for a lot of people, but you can still (and should) stake your claim to what you want in the next 12 months. This could be:
Getting a title upgrade (e.g. adding “senior” or “lead” to your current title)
Picking your marketing specialisation
Getting budget increases if you hit your targets (e.g. to scale a channel or run experiments)
Taking on leadership opportunities or training/mentoring
Learning and development!!!! I’m a huge advocate for “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”, so go look at courses or materials, or even just a list of books you want to read and want your company to pay for. Often, no one asks for or uses L&D budgets, so get in there!
My favourite career resources are the Red Bull wing finder quiz (you’ll need a solid 45 min of focus to do this, but the resources at the end are so good) and Teal HQ’s work styles quiz. If you want to buy a book, I’ve recommended Listen Like You Mean It by Ximena Vengoechea before, and recently had a mentor recommend The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan.
Working with your sales team in the lead up to EoFY
It’s probably too late to give any advice on reaching your sales target, but you can start thinking about your sales/marketing program for the next 12 months. Run a retro of the best performing lead gen campaigns and channels from this year, the sales team’s favourite materials you’ve made or refreshed, and identify what you put effort into that wasn’t worth it in the end.
Double down on what’s working, abandon what’s not, and start mapping out your next experiments. Tie this in with your end of quarter review with your manager - what did you enjoy working on, and what did you really dislike? If what you disliked aligned with what didn’t work, that’s a great piece of data to take to your boss.
Last piece of advice for your sales team: Sometimes you’re really “close” as two work friends, but not close as teammates. As you head into the social events of this time of year, see if you can expand your work friendships into deeper collaboration on work projects.
I’ve seen a lot of marketing teams get along great with sales teams, and then find out from a work perspective, they’re not really sharing as much as they could be.
The easiest way I’ve found to build this bridge is to tell your sales team members “I really want to understand what you do”, and find some time to shadow them.
Reader survey
I would really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, appreciate if you would fill out a few quick questions on how you’re enjoying Mehdeeka this season.
They’re all optional so be lazy and only do the multiple choice ones if you want.
Links!
Loving this blobby font as part of the MullenLowe rebrand.
More McDonald’s advertising. They’re bringing back the characters for nostalgic effect and it’s so good. The last few weeks have just been hit after hit, and I wonder if it’s all thanks to their new CMO stepping into the role? This Grimace selfie is sublime (the preview cuts off half the image, just trust me and click on it).
From
’s ICYMI newsletter:Creator In Residence Is the Hot Job of Summer 2023
Previously popularized by social networks and tech platforms, the concept of Creators in Residence is gaining traction among diverse institutions and brands. This summer alone, institutions such as the Los Angeles Public Library and The Peabody Essex Museum have put out calls for Creators in Residence and beauty brand Too Faced announced it had appointed actor and TikTok star Sara Echeagaray as its first-ever Creative Director in Residence.
I am keen for this to take off! It seems like a great way for creators (and marketers who work on social) to prevent themselves from getting stale and burnt out, hopefully it’s not just a celebrity thing.
No sappy goodbyes here
Just a big thank you to everyone who reached out to me this season to say they were glad to see Mehdeeka was back, and that they had felt its absence after I closed it. It really meant a lot to me.
And one last ask to take the reader survey!!!!
See you some time in August!