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How to Develop Action Plans and Project Manage Strategic Digital Marketing

In this blog post we will look at the role of the digital marketing project manager in more detail. The project manager is one of the first people to add to the digital marketing team and will be key to excellent results. The project manager is the glue that holds all the action items and team members together so the website marketing strategy can be realized. Don’t take this position lightly. This should be an internal position in the company and you must give them the tools and responsibility to properly project manage strategic digital marketing priorities.

Digital Marketing Team Selection

It takes time to find the right people and build your strategic digital marketing team. Digital marketers are in high demand and their skill sets and experience can vary greatly. The project manager plays an important role in this area. He or she should be tasked with implementing the legwork and developing a process to find, interview and recruit digital marketing team members. This includes both employees and contractors.

Because strategic digital marketing work is easily measured and results are very transparent, develop a test project for new team members to assess their work ethic, skills and job performance before they are hired. The project manager should cover the details needed to make this happen and help build the team. The project manager should also make recommendations regarding replacing poorly performing team members.

Digital Marketing Meetings

A key job function for the project manager is the scheduling and organizing of strategic digital marketing meetings. He or she should help prepare the agenda, determine who needs to attend, and track the action items coming out of each meeting. Over time, the project manager may even run the meeting and keep team members on track. One of the most important outcomes from strategic digital marketing meetings will be action item assignments and due dates. These are managed and tracked by the project manager.

Reviewing Priorities and Measuring Results

The project manager may not have the final say on website marketing priorities and action plans, but should be involved in reviewing those areas and understanding how to measure results. This includes organizing and following up on action plans. Not all the action items are of equal importance, and the team can’t do everything at once. This is where the project manager comes in to keep the action items prioritized by their impact on strategic digital marketing goals and implementing the digital marketing strategy. It is important to keep the project manager aware of the big picture and the ROI of strategic digital marketing efforts.

Oversight of the Digital Marketing Team

The project manager is the taskmaster for communication between each of the strategic digital marketing team members. This includes communications with contracted team members and other subcontractors as well as employees of the company. The project manager looks for inconsistencies in team member action items, and because the project manager has access to all the action items, this person is in a unique position to make sure things stay on track. This includes feedback on the performance of each team member.

Website Updates and Content Reviews

The project manager should also spot-check the work of the website marketing team. This includes checking the website for broken links and other technical and design glitches, along with other things, such as grammar and spelling errors. The project manager should also work with the team to organize the timing of website content and placement of content on the website and in social media.

Summary

The digital marketing project manager is a key position on the strategic digital marketing team. Without this position, website marketing projects can go haywire very easily. Lack of proper project management is a critical factor in the failure of many website design and development projects. This position manages action items and processes and does not necessarily supervise team members. The project manager can report on team member performance, but it is not this person’s role to manage those individuals. Put in place a strong project manager as the key driver of the company’s strategic digital marketing projects.

Action Items

  • Determine a project manager for the strategic digital marketing team.
  • Provide the proper web-based project management software and communication tools needed for this person’s success.
  • Spend time reviewing projects and team member performance with the project manager outside of strategic digital marketing meetings.
  • Share this blog post with the project manager to help him or her better understand the big picture and strategic nature of digital marketing.

Thomas Young

Thomas Young is the CEO and Founder of Intuitive Websites. He is a consultant, award winning Vistage speaker and author of “Winning the Website War” and “Sales and Marketing Alignment.” Tom has helped thousands of companies succeed online and has over 25 years digital marketing experience.