An Introduction to Marketing Project Management

Marketing project management encompasses the tasks required to organize, develop, and administer a marketing campaign. It increases productivity in your business by ensuring each team member can focus on their specific tasks. The team meets the requirements for a successful marketing campaign as it finishes the tasks correctly and on schedule. 

1. What Is a Marketing Project Manager?

The marketing project manager is the person who ensures that all the people and elements involved with completing a project are working in sync. They are part juggler, part coach, and part diplomat in their work. A marketing project manager ensures that all tasks are completed on time, under budget, and by the appropriate people, often coordinating multiple timelines to ensure that deliverables are met.

These managers often work with various departments to complete projects. This can be challenging as each team has different, sometimes competing, demands on their time. The marketing project manager may need to be very diplomatic as they negotiate for other departments’ time to work on a project. 

An example of this could be a customer relationship management (CRM) software to be selected, chosen, installed, and set up at a company. While marketing may lead the project, the IT department has to be intimately involved in the selection and installation portion of the project. This may lead to competing demands on the implementation team’s time. A marketing PM may need to work with an IT PM or others to ensure sufficient time is allocated and schedules are reasonable. 

2. What is the marketing project manager’s role in the company?

It is not always easy to define the marketing project manager’s role. In basic terms, it involves managing projects involving customer experience. The marketing project manager works with the business owner and technical experts to understand the requirements for success in a campaign. 

Marketing project managers may work on specific marketing campaigns involving a company’s product or service offered to customers. They may also ensure that the company’s customer service department is communicating with callers effectively. Marketing project managers may also work with outside agencies as required to promote the company’s products and services. 

Anyone working as a marketing project manager needs to have specific skills to succeed in this role. The following list includes the most important ones.

3. What skills do marketing project managers need?

Time Management

This skill is arguably the most important since the projects they are working on have deadlines. The team must complete several tasks on a specific schedule. A project manager in marketing must see the big picture and track the smaller tasks that make up the marketing campaign. 

Organizational Skills

A marketing campaign comprises many tasks, and team members can work on them simultaneously. Other jobs depend on task completion before they start, much like you can’t start painting the interior of a house before wall construction. In a marketing project, the manager would be responsible for tracking deadlines, managing schedules, and ensuring the project stays on budget. 

Outstanding Communication Ability

Communication is not just about sharing information with others. It’s also (and possibly more importantly) about listening effectively. The marketing project manager will need to lead a meeting with their team. They need to keep the marketing director updated on the project’s status. 

Part of the marketing project manager’s duties may include being the contact point for the client on the project. In this role, they need to understand the client’s needs and then convey them to the team transparently. Suppose a team member is having difficulty with part of the project. In that case, the manager must listen empathetically and then work with the team member to find a solution. 

Goal Management Skills

When talking about goal management skills, we refer to several abilities connected to goals. These include:

• Setting goals
• Identifying objectives that can help in meeting goals 
• Developing plans for meeting goals

Goal management skills are valuable to someone working as a marketing project manager. There will be several opportunities to set goals during the project to ensure the campaign is successful. 

For example, a marketing campaign goal might be to attract a certain number of new customers to sign up for the company’s e-mailing list during a set period. 

Task Delegation

Task delegation is when tasks are defined and divided among team members. The project manager must give the team clear deadlines and a delivery method.

The marketing project manager will need to choose the best team member for each task. Their decision will affect the project’s outcome.

Problem Solving Abilities

Unfortunately, no project ever runs smoothly. There are always some bumps in the road, which means the manager should have good problem-solving abilities. 

When these issues arise, the project manager in charge of marketing stays calm. They need to focus on understanding the problem thoroughly and then deciding on a solution. 

4. Responsibilities and Talents

What types of responsibilities does a marketing project manager take on in their career? What talents would they draw on in their work? Continue reading to learn more.

Negotiation Skills

All marketing project managers deal with deadlines and work with their teams. The project manager also needs to be mindful of deadlines when communicating with the client and external vendors. If the scope of the project changes, deadlines are adjusted accordingly and communicated to the team members. 

Relationship Building

The marketing project manager works with people from many different backgrounds. They act as the client lead and the advocate for the internal team. It takes special relationship-building skills to work with creative and talented team members and clients who want to see their vision translated into a successful marketing campaign. 

Familiarity with marketing Project Management Software

Marketing project management software is a valuable tool to manage projects through their entire lifecycle. Each project is unique in its exact needs and complexity. A software package like Trello or Basecamp helps all team members keep track of their tasks and deadlines. 

The software tracks the tasks assigned to each team member and their deadlines, and the software also registers task completion. The software also allows the team members to communicate with each other and the project manager if they have questions or need help. 

Positive Outlook

The marketing project manager plays a crucial role in their successful marketing campaigns. They are the person in charge of keeping everything on track, after all. 

When things go well, the project manager can share the accolades for a job well done with the rest of their team. If a campaign does not go as expected, it is their job to analyze how to do things better next time. 

Give Your Team Members Clear Objectives

When giving your team members instructions, be clear about how they need to perform the task. If another team member’s work depends on the first task’s completion, let the first person know so that the work continues to flow smoothly.  

Make Materials Accessible to Your Team

Create a folder with photos, videos, and other documents your team can access readily. Mark the folder and upload it to your project management software.

Set Up Automated Notifications

Program your project management software to let team members know when someone completes a task. This option keeps the entire team in the loop about the project’s status.

5. Marketing Project Manager Success Tips

Consider the following tips to help you be successful as a project manager for marketing.

When giving your team members instructions, be clear about how they need to perform the task. If another team member’s work depends on the first task’s completion, let the first person know so that the work continues to flow smoothly.  

project management from seven oaks consulting: quality, customized, affordable

Your business may not have a full-time marketing project manager, or your project managers may have their hands full already. That’s where Seven Oaks Consulting comes in. 

When you work with the team from Seven Oaks Consulting, you are hiring experts in content marketing management. We will prepare a customized plan for your business that fits your vision, your voice, and works with your budget. Our content is designed to attract your audience’s attention and encourage them to take action. 

Contact us today to learn more about our marketing project management services or to request a detailed quote.