As many companies have decided to switch to remote work, the way we work has evolved.
This is especially true for anyone who needs to coordinate across multiple teams, and no one is like an ever-stretched project manager. In this post, we’re going to focus on the marketing project managers out there (experienced or aspiring) and do our best to give them a plan to overcome this challenge.
What exactly does a marketing project manager do?
Let’s start by defining what exactly this means: The Marketing Project Manager is responsible for planning, managing, and executing projects related to marketing campaigns. It’s an all-encompassing job that requires a high-level view of various moving parts such as stakeholders, deadlines, and budgets while maintaining keen attention to detail.
When you’re working remotely, physically away from everyone involved in a project, you’re forced to adapt your skills quite quickly. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of the top 6 skills marketing project managers need and how to use them when working remotely: 6 skills that marketing project managers must master
1. Strong communication skills
The job of a project manager is just that: to manage projects. This means managing the people involved in the project. From marketing designers and copywriters to developers, you need the ability to delegate tasks and outline clear action items from start to finish. For remote marketing project managers, strong communication skills are especially important when working remotely.
Not only do you have to overcome obstacles such as lack of non-verbal cues, limited accessibility, and technical issues, but you also have to help the people working on the project to communicate with each other. It is important to establish best practices from the beginning. Whether it’s the communication tools you choose to use, a set time for daily check-ins, or proactive contact when needed, you need to ensure everyone is on the same page.
2. Time management skills
A seasoned marketing project manager will know that deadlines are like a house of cards. You know where we’re going with this… one participant missed the deadline and the rest failed. When preparing and executing a marketing campaign, you are not only responsible for managing your time, but everyone else’s time as well.
For remote marketing project managers Without a physical workspace, it is more difficult for project managers to track progress and ensure that the deadlines they receive are reasonable. A remote work environment will require more frequent check-ins, smaller tasks, and softer deadlines, so employees can raise warning signs before they become a bottleneck.
3. Budgeting
Campaign budgeting is an important part of marketing project management. Every expense must be included in the plan to achieve the target ROI. It is your responsibility to deliver the project within the cost limits and manage the project finances wisely.
For many companies, financial processes remain in place even as all other workflows are moved to a remote model. Without the new system, it will be difficult to approve your expenses, track paid campaigns, submit invoices, or purchase much-needed WFH software. To avoid overspending on your projects or underspending on critical campaigns, you need to choose the right budget management tools and explain your remote working methods to all involved stakeholders.
4. Cooperation
In today’s world, companies spend a large part of their marketing budget in the digital sphere. This includes increasing brand awareness online, increasing website traffic, and generating leads and new customers. As a marketing project manager, you need to make sure everyone is sharing their data to keep the whole team aligned.
For remote marketing project managers When working with a remote team, all numbers must remain transparent so that you always know the total cost of the project. When it comes to paid campaigns, putting a shared dashboard in place can help you avoid costly and awkward mistakes.
5. Problem-solving skills
Yes, it goes without saying, but you are the owner of every marketing project you drive. This means that any problem a stakeholder encounters while working on a marketing campaign (and there are many) is your responsibility.
While problem-solving is a skill that is learned over time, we usually recommend that juniors start with a fishbone diagram or what is known as a cause and effect diagram. The left side lists the various possible causes of the problem and the right side leads to the final problem statement. For remote marketing project managers, The challenge of telecommuting is not so much solving the problem, but identifying it early enough to address it before it becomes a bigger problem.
As we mentioned above, if you work from home, you need a no-nonsense collaboration system that encourages stakeholders to raise a flag when something (like seriously, something) goes wrong. However, you also need to pay attention to everything that happens in your domain, which by the way brings us to the last skill on the list…
6. Organizational skills
As a marketing campaign project manager, you’re the one who keeps everything organized. While stakeholders focus on their tasks, it’s your job to ensure the campaign comes together to meet your goals and set KPIs.
For remote marketing project managers controlling and tracking all the moving parts and players needed to run a successful campaign can be a daunting task in a physical workspace, especially if you’re working remotely. Management systems like monday.com provide effective marketing management solutions. This allows you to keep track of what everyone is doing without micromanaging your team.