Blog Post #2: The Show Must Go On
Our latest blog series – The Show Must Go On – chronicles how marketing teams across the globe can make informed decisions on how they best can adapt to the “work from home” revolution as they continue to execute their brand story.
Project management + spreadsheets = 😱
If you’re finding that spreadsheets and project management tools aren’t enough for you right now, this blog provides you with some insight as to how you can replace these tools with an online solution that can instantly virtualize your operations and take control of your brand.
To meet expectations in the fast paced world of modern marketing, it’s necessary to have the proper tools for effective project management. More content is being created than ever before, for multiple markets, a range of products and segmented audiences. With so much to consider there are too many spinning plates to successfully execute planned activity without technology to help.
Marketing Resource Management (MRM) Software also known as Marketing Operations Software, provides the framework that supports marketing project management, helping you track, manage and report on creative production and marketing output. It is a unified system which streamlines processes, allowing you to manage brand compliance, marketing workflows, ROI on creative production and budget tracking all within the one platform.
Online Creative Briefs
Having an effective briefing system at the beginning of creative workflows is the first step in streamlining project management. It not only provides the outline for projects and tasks being completed, but also indicates which workflow it will need to go through to final sign off. Online creative briefs ensure that all information including dimensions, creative direction and messaging are provided prior to kick off, so that quality work is produced from the beginning and there is less back and forth later on.
Briefs can also be used to capture information about tasks and projects, giving you the ability to not just manage creative production, but your entire marketing plan. Link tasks, projects and assets from within your DAM. Then, enrol them in workflow and request approvals on certain criteria such as budget spend, managing your marketing from end to end.
Workflows and Approvals
Workflows and approvals are a key part of MRM Software, moving work through a process to completion. Prior to MRM, moving from step to step using email and spreadsheets left significant room for error and slowed everything down. Building your processes and approvals into workflows, gets your team out of these legacy systems and working dynamically within your MRM platform.
Creative Project Management
Advanced MRM software offers multiple ways to view and manage work. By using Kanban boards you can get a snapshot of where in the workflow your marketing tasks are. This gives you insight as to whether they are on track to meet deadlines or if they may become stuck in a bottleneck. For example one of your designers may have 5 projects briefed in and the increased workload is too much. Some of this work can be redirected to another designer when the brief is approved, spreading the load. Calendars can also be used for a holistic view of projects planned for the day, week, month or year.
This agile way of working helps manage staffing and resource allocation. Briefs inform how many design hours are needed, if external agencies need to get involved, or if brand, legal and compliance teams need to sign off on final work. Then, kanban boards give visual indication as to when those resources will be needed. By understanding these requirements for each of your current projects, you can effectively manage your marketing resources, work to budget and meet important deadlines.
So, while Marketing Resource Management Software has several creative project management capabilities, many of its other features also increase productivity and transparency in marketing production. It helps businesses track, manage and report on marketing operations to streamline creative production and marketing processes.
For those marketing teams who are not yet armed with an online marketing operational capability and are grappling with the fallout of losing brand control and managing a remote workforce, we would be happy to stage a virtual demonstration. Please feel free to connect online or over the phone.
