Project management software includes a range of useful tools, but marketing project management software needs to be an entirely different creature to fit the more complex and specific requirements of marketers.
Why is it different?
Of course, all companies will likely have core elements that are the same. However, marketing companies deal with complexities beyond those of most businesses.
This is because, in a single marketing campaign, there are dozens of sub-projects, all with tens or hundreds of steps and tasks.
Each marketing campaign has to be adjusted for each client and the individual state of their current website and marketing assets.
Digital marketing involves tracking everything from social media campaigns, to pay per click campaigns, creating marketing assets, blogger outreach and so much more. Each element is different and highly complex in its planning.
How do You Keep Track of Marketing Projects?
With all of the above needing to be organized and run simultaneously side-by-side, there is a strong need for project management.
How do agencies manage to track all of these tasks?
This partly depends on size, but will normally include some of the following:
- Sticky notes – you might laugh at this, but a lot of businesses use sticky notes to organize. It can work well, but a gust of wind or someone being absent can really cause havoc.
- File bases tracking – in docs or spreadsheets – reasonably effective for records, but not great for reminders and driving a project
- Using a standard calendar – for very small businesses or self-employed individual marketers
- Process development – setting processes for each stage of a project
- Using apps to assist – using numerous apps to try and employ more accurate tracking and management
- Using general project management software – as marketing companies grow, they will likely try out some of the project marketing software available
- Marketing project management software – specialist software specifically designed to track, manage, and drive forward all forms of marketing.
None of the above methods are wrong, they tend to be the natural progression of any expanding marketing business.
However, why start at the first step when you can jump to the last perfectly optimized approach?
With the internet, there really is no need for marketing companies to stumble their way to becoming organized. A little research shows you the best ways to get ahead using marketing management software.
What is Project Management in Marketing?
It is the planning, development, and implementation of a marketing campaign. Marketing project management tools can help to streamline this process.
As marketing is complex and with many moving parts that are constantly adjusted to performance and data, a marketing project management tool can be used to greatly increase organization and efficiency.
Effective project management needs to include:
- Workflows and clear task assignment
- Clear timelines and deadlines
- Open communication between all members of the project
- Data sharing through reports, conversion tracking, documents and more
- Management overview and tracking
Best Marketing Project Management Tools
Finding the best marketing project management software isn’t easy. Chances are you’ll try a few and then settle on something that ‘mostly works’.
Fortunately, we’ve already been through that and can suggest what we feel to be the best project management system for marketing companies and entrepreneurs.
Why do we think it is the best marketing project management platform available?
Simply because it was built by an SME marketing company for their own use. It was perfected through real-world usage over years of usage and feedback from their customers about what they wanted to see.
Over time, what started as a decent tool for marketers grew in features until it reached such a level of development that managing complex projects became easy, focused and a true collaboration between team members.
The result? Increased efficiency with reduced overhead.
So, here is what our recommendation for the best project management platform for marketing includes:
- Workflow management and automation to ensure steps are completed and the timeline kept on track.
- Multiple tasks and workflows within a single task/project screen to allow for complex steps, such as developing an outreach article from its initial idea to being published.
- Clear overview of a project part of an entire campaign.
- Fully customizable templates to help those with or without experience.
- Inbox integration that makes tracking emails between clients, vendors, and team members easy to track and organize.
- Editorial calendars allow management and conceptualization or data-driven content strategies.
- Integrated SEO tools to track, record, and target keywords in content campaigns and specific metrics.
- Advanced permissions that allow user roles and simplify onboard clients through predefined workflows that can be used for staff and clients with restricted access levels.
This is why we think that Gryffin is the best marketing project management tool available, as it includes all of the above and more. Made by marketers for themselves, and now available to all marketers. Try the free trial today.