How Can You Enjoy Your Marketing More?

TLDR:  Many entrepreneurs feel pressure to “get marketing right,” which often leads to stress and overthinking. In this extract from Marketing Like We’re Human, Sarah Santacroce explores how bringing more playfulness and experimentation into your marketing can make it more enjoyable and sustainable.

This article is an extract from my book Marketing Like We’re Human, a book about ethical, humane, and human-centered marketing. In this chapter, we explore a different way to approach marketing. Instead of striving for perfection, we look at how curiosity, play, and experimentation can transform how you show up in your business.

The hidden pressure to get it right

Marketing can quickly start to feel serious.

There are strategies to follow.
Rules to apply.
Mistakes to avoid.

And slowly, without even noticing, you begin to believe that there is a “right way” to do it.

You start editing yourself.
Second-guessing your ideas.
Holding back until something feels perfect.

But perfection is a moving target.

And chasing it often leads to paralysis.

Why perfection blocks your progress

When everything needs to be right before you begin, you don’t begin.

Or you begin, but with hesitation.

You overthink.
You delay.
You abandon ideas too early.

Not because they are wrong.
But because they are not perfect.

Perfection creates pressure.

And pressure makes it hard to create freely.

A personal shift

There was a moment when I realized that I had taken all the joy out of my marketing.

Everything felt like a task.

Something to optimize.
Something to improve.
Something to measure.

And while I was doing all the “right” things, something was missing.

Lightness.

It wasn’t until I allowed myself to experiment again that things began to change.

To try without knowing the outcome.
To share without overthinking.
To create without needing everything to be polished.

And suddenly, marketing felt different.

What if marketing could be a space to explore?

Instead of asking:

Is this good enough?

Try asking:

What happens if I try this?
What do I learn from this?
What feels interesting to explore next?

This shift changes everything.

You move from judgment to curiosity.

From pressure to possibility.

Small experiments lead to clarity

You don’t need a perfect plan.

You need small steps.

A post.
A conversation.
A new idea shared.

Each experiment gives you feedback.

What resonates.
What doesn’t.
What feels aligned.

And over time, clarity emerges.

Not from thinking.
But from doing.

Why this matters for your business

When you allow experimentation:

You become more consistent.
Because it feels lighter.

You become more creative.
Because you give yourself space.

And you become more authentic.
Because you’re no longer trying to perform.

A question to sit with

Where in your marketing are you holding back because things don’t feel “perfect” yet?

And what would change if you allowed yourself to experiment instead?

Continue Your Humane Marketing Journey

This article is an extract from Marketing Like We’re Human.

Read the Book
https://humane.marketing/marketing-like-were-human/

Download the 1-Page Marketing Plan
https:///www.humane.marketing/1page

Explore 1-on-1 Coaching
https://humane.marketing/conscious-business-coaching/

Join the Group Program
https://www.humane.marketing/program

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