Every marketing team handles a variety of tasks and processes. These processes range from publishing weekly blog posts, product launches, optimizing and updating content and other collateral activities related to marketing.
While innovation and swiftness become necessary for small marketing projects, standardized processes and automation are required in the larger marketing process which involves repetitive processes and high volume marketing.
Now, ideally, most of a marketing team’s time should be executing marketing activities rather than being bogged down by the management of the marketing campaign.
Here are 7 fundamental requirements that can help marketing teams focus on the marketing campaign by making marketing project management simpler and more effective.
Visualize and Organize Everything
Marketing teams row in many boats at the same time. They have to maintain the platforms they are already marketing on, they have to find new and better platforms, they have to keep an eye on stats, they have to strategize as per the changing trends and much more.
In this scenario, there is every possibility of mismanagement and chaos due to several things going on simultaneously. But, in the best interest of marketers, they can organize and visualize all their marketing ventures, their current status, and manage the work of all their team members using project and task management software.
Task management software can make the work of marketing teams a lot easier. They can place all their tasks and subtasks in one central place. They can dive into the status reports with a single click. There remains no chance of missing out on anything as they can see all their tasks in a visual form using tools like Kanban board or Gantt chart. They can take care of everything from planning to the completion of any marketing campaign.
Don’t Shy Away from Experimentation
Experimentation and measuring of various approaches are the hallmarks of great marketing. Since everyone in the marketing team is given a set amount of responsibilities, sometimes new ideas and experimentation take a back seat as no one hustles in that direction.
Regular brainstorming sessions should be a norm for marketing teams so everybody can pour in their ideas and something new can be tested to achieve great results.
Prioritize Content Development
Informing and engaging the audience through content marketing seems to have become the backbone of all marketing campaigns irrespective of the industry you are a part of. But, you cannot write about anything and everything under the sun. You have to shift what your audience wants to learn about into topics that can bring you the required return in terms of engagement and brand building.
So, creating a content supply chain should be an important part of the marketing project management process. Every marketing team should find the answers to some important questions related to content. For example- What kind of content do we need? How much content do we have already? Who will be responsible for creating content? How do we bring that content to the market?
Know Your Audience Well
Noise is a big issue when it comes to digital marketing. Many companies say the same thing without even understanding what their audience cares about, who their audience is, and how should they reach their audience.
What ensures the success of a marketing project is aligning your goals to the goals of your audience. So, here is the tip: in the initial stage, interview your audience, understand their mindset, ask them which answers they are looking for, engage them via social media and then create content relevant to your audience. Ask for their feedback constantly so that you always stay on the right track.
Set a Cross-department Workflow
Often, marketing teams need to communicate across various teams (e.g., development, content, design, etc) within their organization. So, one strategy for better marketing project management is establishing a cross-department workflow to maintain a seamless connection between the marketing team and the rest of the organization.
Setting up a workflow will help teams easily assign tasks, set deadlines, and ask for follow-ups.
Thus, chaos will be reduced and everyone can focus on their work rather than asking for updates now and then.
Analyze the ROI of Your Campaigns
Marketing would be like throwing arrows in the dark if marketing teams didn’t dive into the analytics. Understanding what returns your marketing efforts are generating is vital so that you can make educated decisions about which initiatives are worth continuing.
There are multiple factors to take into consideration when calculating the ROI including your monetary investment and time.
Adopt the SMART Model
That is why most companies adopt the SMART model for goal setting. SMART model refers to setting specific goals (S) that are measurable (M), Achievable (A), Realistic (R) and Time oriented (T).
This way, goals can be clearly defined in the initial stage of a project. It’s the best approach for setting straightforward goals. Small, as well as overarching projects, can benefit from this approach.
Conclusion
With competition increasing everyday, it’s essential for marketing teams to optimize their marketing campaigns and the above-mentioned tips can be fundamental to ensure success.
