Question

Topic: Strategy

Marketing Calendar/project Management Software

Posted by Margaret on 6/12/2014 at 3:11 PM ET 125 Points
My team is looking for a marketing calendar that will give us a visual snapshot of our marketing campaigns that are running across the different digital (and possibly offline) channels. It should be accessible to the whole department and used for planning purposes as well as understand overlap in our campaigns. We also could use some help with project management, digital asset management, workflow, etc. Does anyone recommend any programs or software that you have had success with? It seems like these programs are a dime a dozen, so I'm not sure where to start. I work in banking so if you have experience with these types of programs in a financial services setting, that would be particularly helpful. Thank you for your input.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by telemoxie on 6/13/2014 at 8:48 AM Accepted
    this question has been asked many times on this forum. I don't think there is a simple answer. I don't think there is an inexpensive answer. I don't think you want to hear me say, "it depends".

    I started to get involved with such software in the late 70s. I have known a dozen world-class experts who worked their tails off trying to sell but more importantly to implement solutions. Some are on this forum. But none of them are free, or inexpensive.

    If I were in your situation, I would not begin by spending a lot of money on comprehensive software. I would personally begin by addressing each need with a separate calendar or software package (or whiteboard or whatever) and I would try to nail down the procedures he four searching for a magical silver bullet software package.

    Maybe you can find the perfect product. Maybe you can find it for free. But now the work begins. You will need to get cooperation across disciplines. Some people will feel threatened whatever you do. 90% of your problems will be interpersonal rather than technical.

    One important thing to consider: how much support do you have from top-level management? Are they driving this? Are they allocating time and money and resources? If your project involves changes in procedures in other departments, top-level support will be essential.

    On the other hand, maybe this project is 100% within your department. Maybe you are not trying to restructure the company but just tracking data. I just don't know enough about what you're trying to do, and I'm shooting in the dark. If it was my project, I would spend more time talking to stakeholders and trying to identify the critical needs of people who have power and influence in your organization, and I would spend less time looking at technology and searching for a single comprehensive magic tool.

    Good luck.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 6/13/2014 at 9:12 AM Accepted
    by the way, you can use Google to search previous questions. For example, you might try googling something like this:

    campaign management software site:marketingprofs.com/ea

    (The /ea restricts your search to this forum)

    Many people on this site have recommended Basecamp. I have looked at it a bit, but never used it. I think it is worth a look
  • Posted by Margaret on 6/13/2014 at 10:21 AM Author
    Thank you for your thoughtful response. I apologize, I did try to search the forum for this question before posting because I do realize it's a common problem teams are facing. I agree with your approach. I have spent a lot of time researching solutions and software and presented them to my boss and colleague. Implementation of some of the software that I've looked at would require a major departmental change. So I think you're right. Perhaps I can start to address specific issues one at a time and develop a better understanding of the problems and potential solutions. On the flip side, however, why spend a year fixing problems one at a time and not having implemented a comprehensive solution as opposed to facing a major implementation all at once and take a year to adjust. Just thinking "out loud," and not very eloquently, I realize :). Thanks again for your help. Always a work in progress.
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