Top productivity hacks and tools for marketing teams

5 minutes

13.11.2024

Top productivity hacks and tools for marketing teams

Let’s be honest: working on marketing projects can feel like spinning plates. With so many tasks on your plate, from planning campaigns to creating content, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But here’s the great news — there are simple hacks and tools out there that can seriously impact the way your teams function.

Doesn’t matter if you’re managing a small team or a distributed group of freelancers. Once you start using the right strategies and tools you will notice how teams become more powerful in terms of focus and productivity.

This guide covers some unconventional tips and tools to help your marketing team work smarter, not harder.

Start with planning & prioritization

Marketing teams often have tons of projects running at the same time. This is a great ground for unclear organization and mixed priorities. We don’t want things to fall apart, we want the opposite. A better workflow can be an initial step in achieving this. Here’s how to set up one:

Use Kanban boards for tasks

Kanban boards are a popular way to visualize your team’s work. There are lots of tools like Trello and Asana that let you create boards with classic columns like ‘to do’, ‘in progress’, and ‘done’, or customized ones. With such an instrument, you can effortlessly see the big picture and track your team’s progress at a glance.

Pro tip. Instead of creating just one Kanban board for the whole project, try creating separate boards for each teammate involved in the process. This way, you can quickly see what each person is working on and adjust owners and priorities as needed.

If Kanbans seem like a simple way out, try using different techniques to get more advanced in planning and prioritization.

Set clear goals

Setting achievable goals is something very few people know how to do right. Meanwhile, clear goals help your team stay focused and ensure everyone knows what they’re working toward. Most team leaders and managers start with using the SMART framework to set goals that are easy to track. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Each element defines goals that are focused and actionable.

Experiment with management tools

Tools that we use to manage everything are lifesavers. Especially when it comes to keeping your team on the same page. Remember, that tools should help in getting things done, like tracking tasks, setting deadlines, and communicating simply and quickly.

Boost communication & collaboration

Aligned communication is what makes a marketing team high-performing. Otherwise, you risk missing deadlines, miscommunicating project details, or even duplicating work. To never face these consequences, improve your team collaboration by:

Consolidating communication channels

If your team is constantly switching between emails, chat apps, and project tools, it’s time to simplify. Using a single communication platform is the right way to do so. Slack or Microsoft Teams can bring teammates together to chat and discuss but fail at keeping everyone in sync and in the same context.

For that, try tools like Orchestra. It’s a hidden gem among collaboration tools that bring everything — chats, calls, task boards, project pages — back together, so teams can stay aligned, and focused, and manage all their work in one pleasant app.

Having regular check-ins

Schedule quick weekly check-ins to align on projects and address any roadblocks. Video calls using tools like Zoom, Google Meet, or Orchestra can be perfect for remote teams, helping them feel more connected.

Sharing files with ease

Marketing projects require access to tons of files — images, reports, presentations, and more. Use cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox to keep all your team’s assets in one place, easily accessible whenever needed. Collaboration tools like Slack or Orchestra also allow teams to keep all work-related things in one space.

Delegate routine tasks to a software

Automation isn’t just for tech geeks. It’s one of the easiest ways to free up time so your team can focus on what really matters — like coming up with creative campaigns. Here’s how to get started:

Automate social media posts

Keeping up with social media can be a grind. But scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later lets you plan your posts ahead of time. That way, you can focus on strategy instead of constantly hitting ‘publish’.

Streamline email marketing

If your team spends hours sending emails, it’s time to automate. Platforms like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or Superhuman help you automate email campaigns and track performance, so you can focus on crafting the perfect message instead.

Use workflow automation tools

For those repetitive tasks that take up too much time—like sending content for approval or updating spreadsheets—use tools like Zapier to automate the process. It connects your favorite apps, so information moves seamlessly without any manual effort.

Hacks for staying focused & productive

Let’s face it: staying focused can be tough, especially when your to-do list seems never-ending. Here are some simple tricks to help your team stay on track:

Time blocking. Encourage your team to use time blocking, which is setting aside specific times for deep work. It’s great for tackling big projects without getting sidetracked.
Pomodoro technique. If your team struggles with focus, try the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break. It helps prevent burnout and keeps energy levels up throughout the day.
Bottlenecks. Using time-tracking tools like Toggl or Clockify helps you see where time is going. If certain tasks are taking longer than expected, you can adjust your processes to be more efficient.
Task management tools. Using tools to centralize all tasks and deadlines keeps everyone on the same page. Whether it’s Trello, Asana, or Orchestra, having a clear list of what needs to be done next can help eliminate confusion.

At the end of the day, productivity isn’t as hard as it seems. With the right hacks and tools at hand, your marketing team can strive, unleash their power, and get results faster.