Ease vs. Easy: A Marketing Lesson I Keep Learning
I've been thinking about what I call the Struggle Bias.
It's the belief that if work isn't hard, it isn't worth doing. That real value only comes from effort that leaves you exhausted. That ease is a red flag, not a green light.
I see it everywhere in marketing. Smart people who second-guess their best ideas because they came together too quickly. Leaders who reject perfectly good marketing strategies because they seem "too simple." Teams who equate complexity with sophistication and smoothness with superficiality.
And I know it intimately, because I spent years living it.
For a long time, I operated under the assumption that if there wasn't some inherent struggle, a difficult decision to make, or a triumph to claim at the end, then I must not be pushing myself enough. I wore exhaustion like a badge of honor.
This mindset didn't just affect how I worked—it shaped what I thought good work looked like. If a project came together smoothly, I'd second-guess it. If writing felt natural, I'd assume I was missing something. The struggle became the point, not the outcome.
But here's what I've learned: that's not how great work actually happens. And the Struggle Bias keeps us from recognizing something important. There's a difference between something being easy and something feeling like ease.
What Easy Marketing Strategies Look Like
In my work with clients, I see two versions of this confusion play out.
Some gravitate toward easy: the quick-win tactics, the template that promises instant results, the social media hack that will change everything overnight. I get it. When you're wearing seventeen hats and marketing feels like one more thing on an impossible list, easy sounds really good.
But others, especially the high-achievers, fall into the trap I did. They think marketing strategy should feel hard. That if it's not a constant struggle, they must not be doing it right. They'll reject perfectly good strategies because they seem "too simple" or came together "too quickly."
Both paths lead to the same place: exhaustion and work that doesn't actually serve them.
Easy is the performance of hard work: the late nights you don't need to pull, the overcomplicated content strategy that could be simpler, the constant pivoting because you don't trust anything that feels straightforward.
The problem? Both versions of easy create more work down the line. You end up with disconnected content that doesn't sound like you. Messaging that confuses your audience. A brand presence that feels forced instead of authentic.
And then you're back where you started, only more tired.
What Are Easy Content Marketing Strategies
Ease is different.
It took me time to recognize it, because I was so used to looking for the hard parts. But over time, I started noticing the signs.
* Ease is when a strategy practically maps itself out during a conversation.
* It's when the words come quickly because you're clear.
* It's when a project moves forward without constant course corrections because the foundation was strong.
Ease is what happens when a client tells me, "That post you wrote sounds exactly like something I would say." When the content marketing strategy writes itself because we know what we stand for. When engagement goes up not because we're gaming the algorithm, but because people recognize themselves in what we're sharing.
Here's what I've learned: ease doesn't mean effortless. It means the effort is going in the right direction.
And critically, ease creates better work. When I'm not fighting against myself or forcing something that doesn't fit, the work is clearer, more authentic, more effective. The clients feel it. Their audiences feel it. The results prove it.
I see this with Affiliated Advisors. Growing their LinkedIn following more than tenfold wasn't easy. It required strategy, consistency, and a willingness to show up authentically week after week. But once we found the rhythm, it started to feel like ease. The content flowed. The engagement followed. The growth became sustainable.
That's the goal. And it's better than any hard-won struggle I used to chase.
Why This Marketing Mindset Shift Matters
In a world constantly selling you easy, choosing ease can feel like rebellion.
But for those of us taught to equate struggle with value, recognizing ease might be the bigger shift.
I had to learn that work flowing smoothly doesn't mean I'm being lazy. That finishing a project without drama doesn't mean it lacks depth. That when something clicks into place quickly, it's often because the thinking was clear—not because the thinking was shallow.
Now I actively look for the signs of ease. When a strategy session ends and the path forward is obvious. When client feedback is "yes, exactly that" instead of rounds of revisions. When I can articulate a complex idea simply because I actually understand it.
These aren't red flags. They're green lights.
Here's what I tell clients now: if marketing feels hard all the time, something's off. Either the strategy doesn't fit who you are, or you're trying to force something that isn't ready yet.
The right approach shouldn't feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill forever. There should come a point where things start to click. Where the work still requires effort, but it doesn't feel like you're fighting against yourself anymore.
That's ease. And it creates better work than struggle ever did.
What This Means for Your Marketing Strategy
If you're in the thick of it right now, if marketing feels overwhelming and you're caught between chasing easy solutions or grinding through unnecessarily hard ones, I understand both impulses.
I've been the person who thought struggle was the price of admission. And I've watched clients exhaust themselves chasing quick fixes that never quite fix anything.
But there's a third option.
Before you buy another template or commit to another late night convincing yourself that hard work always wins, ask yourself: is this actually moving me forward? Or am I just performing effort?
Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop. Take a breath. Get clear on what you're really trying to build. And then move forward with intention.
Learn to recognize the signs of ease when they show up. Trust them. They're not a sign that you're cutting corners. They're a sign you're finally on the right path.
That's not the easy path. And it might feel strange if you're used to struggle.
But it's the one that leads to better work. Work that's clearer, more authentic, more sustainable.
And in my experience, that makes all the difference.
