Collaboration is crucial to overall marketing success.
Marketing is becoming more multi-faceted than any other
department in a business, and no one knows this better than marketing
executives who manage these teams. This is particularly true for those who work
with not only an in-house team, but with freelancers who work in marketing
departments remotely (something that is becoming more and more common in the
industry). To put it bluntly, collaboration is crucial to overall success.
I spoke with six experts I knew in the marketing industry
to see what their one-tip would be for successful collaboration. As it turns
out, fancy tools were not mentioned nearly as often as one might assume. Their
answers below may surprise you.
1. Make communication easy.
Adam Heitzman, managing partner of HigherVisibility
We strive to make communication between teams as easy as
possible. Utilizing Slack reduces our email and the time used up in meetings
where all of our communication can be stored in a set channel.
We realize that silos can disrupt a business. If a
particular department or set of individuals don’t want to share information
with others in your organization it reduces the efficiency for everyone and the
morale plummets. So we try to keep this in mind when developing the business to
avoid silos as much as possible.
2. Use Google office apps.
Larry Kim, founder and CEO of Wordstream
We use Google office extensively. For example, say
we’re trying to outline a webinar or content marketing project -- a few of us
will just jump in a document and edit/comment on ideas on the spot. It’s so
great because it (a) eliminates countless emails going back and forth (b)
results in a better-finished product.
Bonus Tip: I use the Google office apps to view and edit
these collaborative documents on my phone.
3. Always meet in person.
Kelsey Jones, executive editor of Search Engine Journal
and founder of StoryShout
One of the best things I've done in terms of
collaboration is to meet my team and clients in person. Since we all can work
virtually, it makes it so easy to get clients and employees all over the world,
but I never really have felt truly connected to these people that I work with
until I meet them in person. Once you've spent a few days together, your
communication and time in virtual meetings once you go back home becomes much
easier and more fun.
If meeting in person isn't a possibility right away, do
regular video calls so you can see your colleagues and clients' mannerisms,
which help you better interpret their emails, project requests, and feedback.
I'm an introvert, but sharing a meal or a good video chat with my clients and
colleagues has lead to working longer together, as we known one another better.
Interfacing in person builds trust.
4. Create a slack channel just for brainstorming.
A.J. Ghergich, founder of Ghergich & Co.
Slack is amazing, but it can get noisy. Create a
brainstorming channel where everyone on your team can drop ideas as they come
in -- this helps make things less chaotic. Depending on the size of your team
(or the number of ideas), go through the channel on a regular basis and
formalize all the ideas from the brainstorming channel. Then share them in a
concise format with your team.
5. Adapt processes quickly and step in.
Tara Clapper, content development specialist at Express
Writers
A truly agile and collaborative business (which isn't
necessarily using Agile systems) can make changes on the fly. I'm constantly
impressed by how the small team here at Express Writers can adapt
processes or documentations immediately to ensure the best outcome for the
customer and the most efficient workflow for us. Lots of businesses lose that
in scaling, so it's important to be smart about what software you implement and
whether it applies to every role or department.
We also keep the work hard/ play hard mentality in our
mindset. Most of us are creatives, and we know how important it is to step in
and work so one of our teammates can write that blog post while the muse is
with them.
6. Create relationships before you need help.
Kristi Hines, freelance writer
If you want to grow a strong network in your niche that
will ultimately be able to help you promote your content, promotions, and your
business as a whole, you need to start building relationships long before you
need help from someone. Choose the right people and connect with them on social
media, leave blog comments on sites where the authors are actively engaged in
discussion, purchase products or consulting that allow you to communicate
directly with them and, if possible, attend the some of events they attend so
you can meet face to face. Over time, building genuine relationships with
people will lead to mutually beneficial networks.
Written By: Scott
Langdon
Credit:
Entrepreneur.com
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