Out of control e-mail chains. Confusing shared spreadsheets. Files carelessly strewn about multiple cloud storage accounts. If your marketing team isn't using project management software, you've probably encountered these problems at least once...if not every day. E-mail, while a go-to for convenience, is not agile when it comes to keeping a team of employees on the same page. And trying to manage the unpredictable situations that crop up in marketing - like a client's change of mind about details of a project - can quickly turn into a nightmare without a central hub to get the word out to the whole team fast.
That's where project management software comes in. This kind of software reliably tracks progress on tasks and projects, hours spent, budget, reporting and allows teams to communicate in one central place.
How Software Helps Your Marketing Project Management
- Communication: Fluid communication is crucial to a successful marketing collaboration, whether it's simply your team members talking about what they're doing and getting their questions answered fast, or if you choose to let your clients interface with team members in the software too. In the case of client communication, clients can check on progress, share new ideas or ask questions all from one centralized location without the need for long e-mail chains that often don't go to the right person in your agency, anyway. Also bear in mind how fast things can change in marketing, especially digital marketing and public relations. Having a centralized place to make an important announcement so that everyone knows what's going on is pretty vital.
- Collaboration: Project management software makes it easy for your team to collaborate on projects, primarily through better communication. But most project management software suites also allow for tracking workflow, sharing files and other tools that help your team and your clients keep up with each other.
- Professionalism: Project management software looks and feels good to clients, provided you've chosen software that's easy to use (this should be a major criterion when shopping for the best project management software for your marketing). Instead of sloppy e-mails or rainbow-colored spreadsheets, you're offering a streamlined, even branded portal - a one-stop-shop for their needs that clients will appreciate. Clients also like when they can see the status of a project, something most project management software allows them to do at any time.
- Training: If you're onboarding new team members or clients and want to bring them up to speed on the processes your company uses, or introduce them to a new project, you might have a need for training or orientation. Because project management software makes it easier to visualize what's going on at-a-glance (e.g. a project timeline or tools commonly used for the job), it's more ideal for training than forgettable screencasts during conference calls or e-mail chains where questions may get buried.
- Productivity: All the time that's usually spent catching up on e-mails or tracking down necessary files could be spent more productively. With project management software, because communication is made easier and tools and files are at your team's fingertips, they work faster, smarter and just plain better. Staying organized is key to ensuring work isn't duplicated or details missed, and project management software is all about organization.
If you feel like your marketing projects are disorganized and lacking flexibility, or if you're experiencing any chaos with team or client communication, consider investing in project management software. When you consider how costly wasted time, serious mistakes and client mistrust can be to your business, the fees you may pay for project management software are small in comparison.
