There’s an infographic for WR Digital – a single infographic – that I’ve been working on for months and months. And months.
When it’s finished, I feel like it’s going to clearly and concisely convey a core marketing concept that is both one of our central tenets and a huge mistake we see many small businesses making repeatedly. Plus, it’s an evergreen concept, so it’s something we’ll be able to use for a long time, and I plan on featuring it prominently.
But I know full well that at this point in the creation process, I’m guilty of violating one of the biggest marketing principles I believe in. Quite simply, that being done with a piece of content and putting it out there for the world to see is far better than noodling with it forever to make it “perfect.”
I tell you this story for a few reasons:
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- Because it’s something we see small businesses doing all the time. When a piece of marketing material is going to represent your business, it’s completely natural that you want it to be incredible. You need people to understand how amazing what you do is, and this flier (or blog or email or social post or whatever) could be the thing that does that!
- To show you that I get it. As the title of this post implies, it’s hard to let go when you think something is good, but it could be better. All you have to do is tweak that part. Maybe change those colors. Shorten that paragraph by a word or two. Hmm. No. Perhaps it was better before….
- And to tell you that I know I’m wrong when I do this. (Even though that doesn’t make it any easier to let go.)
Why am I wrong? Why is doing this wrong? Let’s count the reasons together.
Why Trying to Make Marketing Content “Perfect” Is So Problematic
First things first, I want to make it clear that the idea that “done is better than perfect” is not about settling for mediocrity. The point is to recognize that speed and action often outweigh flawless execution.
Here are some specific issues that come with attempting to be “perfect” in your marketing.
Perfectionism Risks Competitors Improving While You Stay Stagnant
It’s easy to fall into the trap of overanalyzing every detail, from social media posts to ad copy. But while you’re tweaking, editing, and revising endlessly, your competitors are launching, testing, and improving based on real-world data.
Perfectionism Can Lead to Loss of Market Share
Simply put, if your competitors take action quickly while you’re wrestling with perfection, they’re going to get in front of your audience first. That allows them to start capturing market share – with less competition – while you “tweak.”
Perfectionism Can Result in Missed Opportunities
Trends change quickly, and waiting until something is “perfect” to launch it can mean losing relevance – and audience interest.
Perfectionism Really Hurts Your ROI
The more time you spend fine-tuning a campaign, the more money that campaign is going to cost. And that’s true whether you’re paying a marketer to keep making changes or doing it yourself, because your time is valuable.
Perfectionism Is a Good Way to Experience Burnout
Endless revisions and unattainable standards create frustration and stress. Team members – and you – may start to feel like the work is never good enough, leading to burnout and lower productivity.
Why Getting Things Done Helps Things to Get Better
Marketing is an iterative process. The most successful brands craft what they believe to be a strong strategy, then they execute that strategy and adjust as they go.
When you embrace “done is better than perfect,” you:
Move Faster. Speed allows you to capitalize on trends and respond to market shifts.
Gain Real-world Insights. Instead of guessing what will work, you can launch and refine based on actual performance.
Build Momentum. Continuous action creates consistency, which strengthens brand presence and engagement.
How can you convince yourself to follow through on this mantra? Essentially, you need to adopt a growth mindset where you look at marketing as a learning opportunity with the goal of continual progress and growth.
No one’s marketing efforts are ever perfect, because you’re always going to be chasing the wants and needs of your ideal customers, and those evolve over time. But you can keep getting better by prioritizing action and improvement and refining your strategy based on real performance.
Want to start getting some real performance so your marketing can improve over time? Get in touch for a free consultation.
