In our last post, we talked about the key components necessary for putting your annual marketing plan into full gear through effective marketing implementation. Today, we’ll share some of the simple, foolproof platforms and tools we’ve found helpful for implementing and managing your marketing efforts.

Communicate and Collaborate

The ability to effectively communicate and collaborate across all facets of your marketing plan is key. Each member of your marketing implementation team should be able to quickly view things like goals, project documents, milestones, and progress. Likewise, staff across different departments will likely need to work together on certain efforts—for example, marketing and sales teams will cooperate in developing new collateral. Having tools in place to manage these marketing processes is essential for streamlining the process. Here are some of the platforms we recommend:

1. Google Docs – This online word-processing system is great for record-keeping and collaboration. When you need to keep track of different files or allow multiple people to work within the same file, Google Docs is an intuitive way to keep everyone on the same page. We like to use it for event and tradeshow planning, developing collateral, and nailing down messaging for new products.
2. Internal Communication Tools – Communication within and across teams is essential for staying on track with your marketing plan. Team communication apps are a simple way for everyone to stay in-the-know about project updates, questions, and issues without reverting to a never-ending email chain. Our clients are fans of Slack, Ryver, and Flock, but it may take some tries you land on one that’s the perfect fit for your team.
3. SharePoint – This Microsoft web-based collaboration system integrates with Office and is a great document management and storage system. Leveraging its tools as an intranet and content management system can help bring teams together and focus on cohesive results.

Project Manage like a Pro

We can’t forget about the marketing project manager, who is key to actually executing on the marketing plan you developed. If you don’t have a dedicated resource to monitor marketing implementation and oversee progress on projects, consider seeking outside marketing management support.

Like with team communication, there are countless project management tools available to help manage your marketing projects. We like Basecamp for small or mid-size businesses: a simple, cloud-based hub that helps track tasks, timelines, and progress. It works well for multi-channel campaigns or product launches, keeping everyone accountable and reducing meeting time and miscommunication. Those who are more visually oriented or are looking for additional features may prefer Asana or Trello.

Need marketing management support to keep your marketing implementation on track? Give us a shout to see how we can work together!