Marketing and PR are critical functions for any business, but it can be complex and time-consuming. With so many different target audiences, campaigns, goals, channels, tools, and strategies available, it can be difficult to know where to focus your efforts and how to measure your success. This is where professional process management can make a significant difference. It assist companies in achieving their strategic objectives and increasing operational efficiency resulting in higher productivity and profitability for the company.
At its core, process management involves creating a structured and systematic approach to achieving a specific goal or objective. In the context of marketing or PR, this means creating a step-by-step process for planning, executing, and measuring campaigns. By implementing a professional process management approach, businesses can ensure that their marketing efforts are focused, efficient, and effective.
"We often experience that clients in marketing and PR do not use clearly defined or efficient tools for program and campaign planning, as well as for success measurement, performance analysis, and reporting," explains Ariane Poschner, founder and owner of Swordfish PR. "For us as an agency, this means a significant amount of extra effort, especially when it comes to qualitative reporting of media coverage. But also, the planning processes are often not designed for efficiency, which leads to us investing up to a third of our monthly hours in briefings and reporting - sometimes even more. During this time, we would of course prefer to do our actual work and talk to the media, place articles and interviews, initiate collaborations, and so on."
If you require a more substantial basis to advocate for the implementation of tools, here are some of the key benefits of professional process management in marketing:
Consistency and Standardization: By creating a standardized process for marketing, you can ensure that your campaigns are consistent and aligned with your overall strategy. This helps to build brand recognition and reputation, as your customers come to expect a certain level of quality and messaging from you.
Improved Efficiency: With a structured approach to marketing and PR, you can streamline your processes and reduce waste. This can include automating certain tasks e.g. in reporting, eliminating unnecessary steps (also maybe in planning or reporting), and creating cross-functional workflows that ensure tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner.
Better Collaboration: With a clear process in place, your marketing team can work more effectively together, as everyone understands their role and responsibilities. This can improve communication, reduce errors, and lead to better results overall.
Increased Agility: By regularly reviewing and refining your processes, you can adapt quickly to changes in the market or your own internal needs. This can help to ensure that your marketing efforts remain relevant and effective over time.
Measurable Results: With a structured process in place, you can more easily measure the success of your ongoing programs and campaigns. This includes tracking key metrics such as ROI, conversion and Click-Trough-Rates rates, and customer acquisition costs, which can help to inform future marketing efforts.
Cost Sensitivity: While professional planning, reporting, and analyzing tools may appear to require additional budget, they can actually result in cost savings for your company by freeing up budget intensive agency resources that can be invested in improving your PR or marketing performance. One essential tool for any PR effort, for example, is a media monitoring service, as it saves valuable resources on your PR agency’s end by eliminating the need to dig through hundreds of media outlets.
In conclusion, professional process management is a critical component of your successful marketing spend. By creating a structured and systematic approach to planning, executing, and measuring your campaigns, you will improve their efficiency, collaboration, and results. So, if you’re looking to take your marketing efforts to the next level, consider implementing a professional process management approach with select SaaS solutions that suit your specific needs. Your agency will also appreciate it!
