Marketing Project Management Process: 5 Steps to Follow

Introduction

We all know how difficult it is to run a marketing campaign successfully.

The chaos during the planning process, the consequences of missing deliverables, anxiety of meeting a deadline is lingering upon you...and it can go on and on. 

Well, it doesn’t have to be this and there’s always a way to bring order to all the madness that market campaigns bring along.

You would’ve probably heard of project management in industries like IT, architecture, and logistics. Visualize how great it would be to implement project management into marketing.

When implemented in the right manner, it has the power to push your marketing campaign to success. Below stats just say that: 

According to studies, the most organized marketers are 397% more likely to report success. In another survey, marketers who use project management software were more than 4x more likely to report success than those that don’t. Additional statistics show that project management challenges cost businesses $109 million for every $1billion invested in a project. 

The competition is increasing every minute, thus it is important for marketing teams to manage their marketing projects/campaigns in a more effective manner. 

Let us know more about this concept of marketing project management. 

What is Marketing Project Management?

Marketing project management is the process of planning, overseeing, and delivering marketing-related projects. This process is defined by a framework that is put together by a project manager or head of marketing. 

The specific steps and methodologies of project management varies and that being said here are the basic steps:

Each project progresses through a defined phase from planning to delivery. This depends on a predetermined project timeline and budget. The project is focused on producing project deliverables, which is basically what the client ends when the project ends. The project work is divided into manageable chunks, this includes task lists, tasks, sub-tasks, and project milestones. 

Projects are put into the context of big-picture business goals. For marketing, this might be a part of a business initiative such as a rebrand or content marketing. The work is managed within a project management solution. 

Ideally a project management framework can be applied to any type of marketing activity. This includes PPC, email marketing, SEO, content marketing, product marketing, or brand campaigns. 

For example, in a brand marketing campaign, project management could be used to align the efforts split between different marketing roles. 

Marketing Project Management Process

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to managing marketing campaigns. That said, most marketing projects can be broken down into the five-stage project management process.

Let’s look at the elaborated description of the five steps in the project management process:

Stage 1: Planning 

To kick things off, the C-level to the marketing team will define and agree on the goals and the objectives of the project. Note that 52% of marketing experts face the challenge to communicate strategy with people that are not marketing experts. This helps project managers to figure out what’s needed on a granular level to meet the goals above. The project then moves to its next phase. 

Goals represent big-picture accomplishments and help in increasing customer experience and brand awareness. Setting the goals forms the basis for projects. From here, the project begins and is moved onto the next phase. 

Stage 2: Organization

With goals established, the team can identify the deliverables. Again, a deliverable is anything that is necessary for completion of the project. The common deliverable for marketing projects are campaigns, themselves, as well as crucial pieces such as ads, graphics, or blog posts. 

Once the project deliverables are defined, the team can formulate a marketing project plan that is made up of several tasks. Each task is assigned to a team member. Below is what the project looks like in a project management software, ProofHub. The tasks are then assigned to team members along with a respective due date, real-time feedback, and stay connected.

These projects create a sense of visibility and urgency that are important for moving any project forward.

This phase is where the project scope is defined. Creating a project schedule is another priority task at this point. It can be represented visually through Gantt charts, which is updated in real-time to highlight a project’s process.  

Stage 3: Execution

This is the phase that the team puts its plan into action. While execution, project leaders are responsible for outlining expectations for the team’s task management. This involves tracking and reporting on task progress, creating new tasks, and taking action when projects are not moving forward. 

Here visualizations such as kanban boards are a popular way to track your team’s progress, giving team members and project managers a view of a project’s status. 

Kanban boards are ideal for marketing project management, with this you highlight the stages involved in a campaign, drag-and-drop stages, and so on. Tools like these create a sense of accountability and autonomy for team members. 

This is also a win-win situation for project managers and participants alike: where the project managers have the pulse on the projects, while the team members are empowered to work without being micromanaged. 

Stage 4: Monitor and Control

Now that the project is in motion, all you need to make sure is that everything is on schedule. You have to keep a close eye on the way your project is progressing. Your interventions will make sure that the project is going according to plan. It is critical for you to create project status reports for your clients. 

If the project is behind time or over budget, the project manager is responsible for identifying issues. They should also provide status updates among team members and project participants alike. 

Doing all the above things quickly and efficiently shows the progress you’ve made. There’s an art to create a project status report that keeps your client happy. It is an opportunity to address issues, so you should have necessary conservations about the budget and project scope. 

Stage 5: Delivery

Once the collaterals are completed, we reach the end of the project. This is the final stage so ensure that collaterals are in perfect condition, and that you end on a good note. 

But if you’re a marketing team, the final phase of the project lifecycle will likely involve an evaluation process. This includes not just client feedback, but internal analysis of the project. It involves the entire team going through the marketing collateral with a fine-tooth comb. So you must request any changes with clarity.

After all the requested edits are implemented, it is time for stakeholders to sign off on the project and give approval. This might seem like the end of the project, but a few loose ends need to be tied up before your team enjoys a celebratory drink. 

Conclusion

In the midst of the ever-changing deliverables and deadlines, the idea of adding more tools to your marketing stack might be daunting. And it might hit you that do we really need marketing project management software?

The short answer is Yes! And, that’s exactly why this article focuses on. 

There is a reason why brands and marketing agencies rely on marketing project management software. Poor marketing management will flatline a healthy business and create chaos - leading to low-quality work, unhappy employees, and missed deadlines!