It All Adds Up: How Software Sprawl Is Cutting Into Your Agency's Profits
Creative agencies use so many tools today to make life easier, but does your team have too many? It’s called software sprawl and costing you more than you think. Read more to see how software sprawl is cutting into your business’ profits and how to solve it.
How Collaborative Work Management Software Improves Production Management
If you’re ever planning to manage a production process, you absolutely need a collaborative work management software. Check out our overview of the importance of production management, including examples of how leading brands use collaborative work management software to successfully complete projects.
Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem
As the year draws to a close, developing strategies for how to be more productive and finish the year off strong is on every team’s mind — regardless of department or industry. According to a study by California-based management platform Redbooth, the month of the year that we are at our most productive is October, followed by November, then September. The fall provides a feeling of a new start for many businesses, with the desire for shiny new productivity tools and aids bringing us back to our school days. But, while a new pencil case or a multi-colored pen can work wonders, today’s organizations are looking to much more sophisticated tools to boost their productivity. Note-taking apps, instant messaging platforms, virtual to-do lists, calendar tools — our desktops are overflowing with software designed to make us our most productive selves. But, with so many conflicting apps clouding our vision, it can often be difficult to get anything done at all. So, why are we so inclined to constantly invest in new technology, believing it will exponentially increase our productivity levels? This concept is commonly referred to as Moore’s Law, and it’s important to understand it if you’re concerned about your team’s or your own productivity levels. What is Moore’s Law? Let’s start off with a simple enough question: what is Moore’s Law? The origins of Moore’s Law lie in IT and computer hardware. It is the principle that the speed and efficiency of a computer can be expected to double every two years, while the cost decreases by half. Moore’s Law is named after Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, who made this observation of exponential growth in 1965. You will have no doubt experienced Moore’s Law for yourself over the last decade, as the need to purchase a new phone or laptop normally begins to creep up every two years or so. While the technical capabilities of your gadget will have grown hugely, the price largely remains standard. We then begin to fall into a cycle of purchasing new technology as a habit, stretching our view to include phones, computers, exercise aids, entertainment systems, and, yes, productivity tools. Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools Of course, Moore’s Law has huge benefits for the technologically-driven society that we live in. The standards of the technology that we rely on can even be linked to Moore’s Law. The overarching idea of Moore’s Law — that speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of technology is constantly evolving at a rapid pace — could apply to productivity tools and solutions. The need to update and reinvest in the ever-growing ecosystem of productivity tools and software every few years sees many teams losing themselves to too many apps. In 2015, the average number of cloud applications per company was 73. In 2020, that number had increased to 163. So much so, that 56% of IT executives are now reporting having to use manual spreadsheets to keep track of all their SaaS apps — defeating their productivity goals before they’ve even started. This concept is commonly known as ‘SaaS sprawl,’ a term that refers to the dilemma of an organization’s tech stack being so expansive that it becomes unmanageable and causes visibility problems across departments. $40 billion is estimated to be spent on unused software each year, and the number of apps we are downloading continues to rise. Many teams believe themselves to be more productive than ever, when really, spending so much time flicking between apps, tools, and software stifles creativity and raises burnout to an all-time high. How your team can effectively invest in productivity If your organization has fallen foul to overindulgence in productivity tools and gadgets, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to empower your teams and teach them how to be more productive without overwhelming themselves with dozens of productivity platforms. Consider toxic productivity The concept of toxic productivity relates to an unattainable desire for increased productivity, at the expense of other priorities, such as family or health. Toxic productivity is a real issue for many teams, especially if both our personal and work devices are overrun with technology that is constantly drawing us back to working mode. Consider whether your team could benefit from a digital detox of work-related technology, and set boundaries for after-hours work communication. Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity There are plenty of ways to increase productivity and wellbeing at work that have nothing to do with technology. For example, has your organization invested in a flexible work structure, allowing employees to choose where they work best? Could your business go the extra mile and trial a four-day workweek? Could your employee recognition programs use some extra love? These are all areas to consider when brainstorming how to be more productive across the board. Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike Of course, technology will always be a cornerstone of a successful business, and continuing to use productivity tools in some way at work is non-negotiable. But which tools should you invest in? What are the most important features of work management software that can actually increase productivity by up to 40%? Workflow automation: With Wrike’s custom request forms and automated task assignment, your team will never miss important tasks and details because of a cluttered workspace. App integration: Using so many apps can be tiresome and inefficient, with details and updates often being missed by team members. Wrike’s work management includes over 400 app integrations, so the constant context switching can stop. Single source of truth: Trawling through emails and messaging apps to find important documents and updates is time-consuming and frustrating for teams. Keeping everything organized in one centralized hub, where users can comment, edit, and give feedback, is a life-saver for teams who wish to be more productive. Collaborative features: Whether your team works in-office, remotely, or under a hybrid model, breakdowns in communication are one of the most common challenges to successful projects. Wrike’s collaborative features, including @mentions, real-time editing, and email and chat app integrations means that your team all have the same view, no matter where they are. Want to know more about how Wrike can boost your team’s productivity? Try out a free two-week trial today.
4 Ways to Measure the ROI of Work Management Tools
Whether you’re trying to decide what solution is worth the investment, prove the investment to key stakeholders, or show the ROI for a solution you already have, here are the 4 key ways you can measure the ROI of your collaborative work management tool.
How Goal-Setting Software Can Keep You on Track
Thinking about goals is easy, but setting and completing them is tougher. Only a mere 8% of people consistently achieve their New Year’s Eve goals, which, according to the Harvard Business Review, has a lot to do with a cognitive bias toward seeking unattainable benchmarks. In this article, we’ll teach you how to make your team members of that 8% by using goal-setting software to manage projects and keep collaborators on track. Keep reading for practical tips on how to overcome the most common challenges with free and effective goal-setting software tools. What is goal-setting software? Goal-setting software is a tool you can use to plan, track, and execute your goals. It often includes visual elements such as Gantt charts and project timelines that make it easy to see your team’s progress right in front of you. You can add details such as due dates and outside collaborators for when your goal requires a little extra help. You can also plan multiple goals at once and see how they all work together or against each other. The advantages of goal-setting A goal-based approach helps people reach their objectives and keep them on track over a period of time. It sets realistic expectations and encourages everyone involved to hold each other accountable. Plus, it turns ideas from inside your head to vivid plans that come to life in the real world. As leadership expert Mark Murphy notes, “Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals than people who don’t.” Challenges of goal-setting Creating goals is hard because we have so many traps that keep us from reaching them. From cognitive biases to conflicting priorities to unclear roadmaps, the chances of falling for one of the many common pitfalls of goal-setting are considerable. From a management perspective, goal-setting software can help overcome the following challenges of goal-setting when working with a team: Miscommunication regarding project files and due dates, plus roles and responsibilities that eat up valuable project time. Unclear benchmarks and workflows that confuse instead of empower teams. Vague KPIs that lead to unfocused work or results. A waste of valuable resources like time due to poor management or communication. Free online goal-setting tools Free online goal-setting tools help you reach goals and motivate others. Unlike analog goal-setting, online tools help reinforce good habits teamwide and offer time-saving features such as built-in reminders. Tools like Wrike are compatible with the S.M.A.R.T. goal structure since they offer much more detail without overcomplicating plans to the point of futility. You can also modify your plans along the way with tools that forecast how changes will help or hurt your main objectives. How to use Wrike as your goal-setting software Wrike is a goal-setting software teams rely on to deliver high-quality work consistently and on time. Whether you’re managing one or one thousand individuals, having a goal-setting software makes it easier to organize, communicate, and fully achieve your vision. Not only do the visual elements hold users accountable, but they also offer in-depth analysis of workflows that simple pen and paper goal-setting systems simply cannot. Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll need to do: Create a shared folder to organize and manage your team's tasks. Create a subfolder within that for your company's objectives. Collect all the team's OKRs. Connect each key result to a subtask. And here’s the more detailed version: Plan long term Annual planning is an integral part of any business. It helps identify goals and objectives, and it coordinates the various activities of the organization. When competing priorities or inevitable roadblocks come up, your team will be able to make decisions based on what best serves these big-picture goals. In Wrike, create a folder dedicated to your year goal plans then share it with the whole company. Or, if the information is meant only for a certain group, you can restrict which user groups will see what data in the field. Inside that folder, create project groups or tasks for all of the major initiatives and goals of the year. You can also assign people to the task and set deadlines. After, use Custom Fields to create notes on budgeting, client feedback, and anything else stakeholders should know about. Break big goals into smaller goals Once you successfully brainstorm and narrow down your annual or long-term goals, you can break them up into smaller benchmarks. If you choose to create annual goals, we suggest breaking them down further into quarterly goals. Ideally, you will have only one or two big-picture goals that you can divide into four smaller quarterly phases. For example, if your annual goal is to reach an additional $100,000 in revenue, you can divide that goal into quarterly targets of $25,000 each. To organize all of this in Wrike, all you have to do is add subfolders within your annual folder for each quarter. Add ideas for action steps inside each dedicated quarterly folder. Once you've narrowed those down to only the most essential, you can then create tasks that each have their own due dates. Assign these tasks to team members before moving on to the next step. This will make them easier to track and help you organize your team’s workload. Create your OKRs If you're someone who likes to set goals and hit numbers (or if you work for someone who likes it when you do), then implementing an OKR system might be the way to go. OKR stands for objectives and key results. Creating an OKR is a lot like creating a broad Objective only the Key Results are more specific and can be used to support specific goals. They are typically written out in this format: Objective: A brief summary of the goal or subgoal in a sentence or a few words. Key Result #1: A one or two-sentence summary of the measurable, specific, and attainable outcome that will be achieved once the goal is complete. Key Result #2: As above Key Result #3: As above You’ll want to include one to three (three is most common) key results that are distinct from one another but still realistic. From there, your team members can choose to create their own individual OKRs. Individual OKRs should be built by each team member based on their unique subgoals and mini objectives within the larger scope of the project. Creating these as part of your project kickoff will help everyone get on the same page from the beginning. Pro tip: Key results should be a direct result of achieving the objective and not a by-product. For example, if your objective is to bake a cake, an effective key result would be to eat a delicious slice of the cake after dinner this evening. An ineffective key result of cake baking would be to celebrate your friend’s birthday together. Although you may bring the cake to their party, the celebration would have happened either way and was not dependent on the completion of the cake. Here are some additional tips for creating smart OKRs with your goal-setting software: Make sure your Os and KRs are all actionable Your OKRs should include ambitious stretch goals without going overboard Use the Wrike Chrome Extension to create goals or key results related to any web page or any other application that uses HTML Create team objectives that are aligned with the company's big-picture goals. You can do this by making sure to discuss these with all team members Use specific metrics for your OKRs. These goals are specific and detailed, so they should be rooted in data so they can be tracked and measured Wrike offers an OKR template you can use right within our goal-setting software If you’re managing a multi-departmental or companywide project, ask teams to create their own Team OKRs folders. This will allow them to see their team's goals and contribute whenever possible. Track progress with dashboards In Wrike, create a My Objectives dashboard to keep track of all of your goals and tasks in one neatly summarized view. Use the table view to see all the tasks related to a specific folder plus start and due dates and the expected duration of each task. It also shows key stats such as the number of tasks needed for the project as well as who the tasks are assigned to for approval and completion. If changes need to be made to a task list, drag and drop them to make it easier to organize and re-prioritize action items as needed. They will then automatically be reflected in your team's workspace. You can also make changes on the go with the Wrike mobile app, which updates the information across all devices and accounts in real-time. As you hit goals and mark your tasks as complete in Wrike, the green progress bar will appear on the objective parent task until the goal is reached. Reflect on and evaluate your progress Your team's work shouldn't end when you check the Complete box. Instead, the work you’ve done on one goal should be used to inform the rest. Create a folder in Wrike where you can collect all the lessons you've learned so far, and share them with your team. In addition to noting your observations manually, Wrike offers reports that make it easy to see your project outcome from every angle. Use Wrike Custom Fields to see which team or project supports each objective. These fields can then be used to generate insightful data that show how those goals impact the overall project or task's success. This is also a great time to grade your teamwide and individual project OKRs. At the end of the quarter or year, ask everyone to come together and share their grades while explaining their key takeaways. Over time, teams will learn more about how they work individually and together, which will go a long way towards future collaborations. Why is Wrike the best goal-setting software for managers? With features such as visual goal timelines, OKR templates, and customizable workflows, Wrike is the best goal-setting software for managers and team leaders who want to successfully achieve what they’ve set out to do. Ready to transform your team into a goal-getting machine? Get started and improve your success rates today by signing up for a free trial of Wrike.
Project Risk Management Tools (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 2)
This is the second in a two-part series for our Ultimate Guide to Project Risk. Read Part 1: Assessing Risk first, then return here to continue. Once you’ve completed your risk assessment, you’re ready to create your risk management response plan (using appropriate risk management tools). Note that risk management isn't something you check off your project to-do list; it's an ongoing process. Here are the suggested steps on how to manage risk in a project: Step 1: Determine your "risk tolerance" How much risk can you take on before you consider abandoning the project? This is an essential conversation to have with your stakeholders. Their success is on the line, too. There are a lot of issues to discuss: do they want to be informed when risks happen? Or will it depend on the level of impact? If certain risks occur that could derail the project, do they want to be consulted first, or do you have the authority to act right away? Make sure everyone knows the plan of attack and agrees on the strategy. Stakeholder conflict is one risk you can counteract with open communication. Step 2: Decide which risks to manage Once you've determined the project's risk tolerance level, you can start to identify which risks are worth your time and attention. Even if a risk has a high probability of occurring, if its impact is small — say it would add $200 to your project costs and your budget is $50 million — you may choose to ignore it if counteracting the risk is an inefficient use of your time and resources. Use a risk matrix as a key tool for your risk register to identify which risks fall below your level of tolerance and which you need to plan for. Use your completed assessment to plot each risk on a quadrant: high probability and high impact risks to the upper right; low probability and low impact risks to the lower left. Risk Matrix template from The Program Manager's Blog Pay special attention to that upper-right quadrant. These are risks that are both high probability and high impact. They’re more likely to happen, and if they do, it could be game over for your project. In these instances, you’ll want to be proactive in lowering the probability that the risk will occur (if possible) or have a definite plan in place to counter its effects. Step 3: Identify project risk triggers What cues might indicate a particular risk is imminent? If someone in the office starts sneezing and coughing, that could be a "trigger" your team is about to get hit with the flu bug. Establish roles and responsibilities for monitoring triggers among your team, and determine what steps should be taken if one pops up. Step 4: Create an action plan What can be done to reduce the probability of a risk occurring or minimize its negative impact? (Can you provide Purell during flu season? Or spread important tasks among the team so progress can be made even if someone’s out for a few days?) If a risk occurs, what's the most effective response? What will your team do, and who's responsible for what? Make sure you've thought each piece through and everyone on your team knows the plan. Step 5: Evaluate After your project wraps up, step back and consider which parts of your strategy were successful. How effective were your triggers in forewarning risks? How effectively did you react to those triggers, and were you able to successfully prevent any risks from affecting the project outcomes? What could be done to improve for the next project? Start your projects risk-aware, not "risk-free" Discovery, ingenuity, ambition — all businesses and projects involve risk. You'll never be able to eliminate uncertainties, but having a plan in place can keep small problems from growing into full-blown catastrophes. And by acknowledging risk and keeping an eye out for it, you can recognize and jump on fortunate opportunities to deliver value beyond what’s expected. What are your best risk management tips? Share your wisdom in the comments section! Image credit: Viktor Hanacek.
Project Management Software Guide for Freelancers
In the world of freelancing, every day is different. When you’re working on several projects with a number of clients at once, it can be easy to lose track of your notes and client information. There are many responsibilities to juggle as a freelancer, such as client work and projects, contracts, invoices, emails, and other administrative tasks. How can you juggle all of these things (and more) without dropping a ball or two? Project management tools can help you successfully manage your freelance business. With the right software in place, you can focus on the things that matter most, like staying organized and efficient, meeting deadlines, and delivering high-quality work for your clients. Benefits of project management tools for freelancers Why should you use project management tools as a freelancer? The right software offers a number of advantages, including: Automated organization: Working with many clients is hard. You’ll quickly lose important information if you don't have a system for managing and storing it in a way that’s quickly accessible and makes sense to you. Streamlined workflows: If you’ve ever walked through an overly complicated process, you know just how valuable streamlined workflows can be. Not only do they save you time, allow you to work more efficiently, and eliminate unnecessary work, developing solid processes can also make you look impressive to your clients. More manageable workload: With freelance project management software, you don't miss the forest for the trees and can see everything you're working on, rather than individual projects for one client at a time. Having a bird’s-eye view of your workload can allow you to better forecast availability and will give you insight into whether you need to clear your plate. Boosted earnings: Time is money, and project management software can save you time. Your earnings depend on your ability to get your work done and send high-quality deliverables to your clients. When you save time, you’re creating the opportunity to earn more. More consistency: If you present your own processes and tools to your clients, it can prevent you from having to work in their tools. With your project management software in place, you can onboard clients the way you want to, often without having to learn the ins and outs of a brand new, unfamiliar system. Features to look for in project management software for freelancers Project management for freelancers can look different from more traditional team-centric project management. Your freelance project management software needs to work best for you as the primary user. What should you look for in a project management software tool for your freelance business? Add these items to your must-have list: Collaboration and client access capabilities. One of the main benefits of using a project management app for freelancers is that you can centralize information and avoid bouncing between your inbox and other tools. To maximize this benefit, look for a tool that allows you to grant access to your clients so they can quickly and easily access shared documents and information on their end. Integrations with tools you’re already using in your business. What’s the second-best way to reduce the number of tools and software programs you’re using? Making sure they can integrate for ease of use across multiple products. Consider looking for a tool that will integrate with your email platform, instant messaging tools, and any other products you can’t live without. Different views. Maybe you want to see your entire workload at once using a calendar view, or perhaps you’re diving into a project in greater detail and prefer to use a Gantt chart for this one. Having the ability to change your view based on your needs can allow you to work quicker and digest the information you need in a way that resonates with you best. Time-tracking capabilities. If you aren’t integrating a time-tracking tool you’re already using, it’s beneficial to look for a tool that comes with a time tracker so you can keep an eye on how you’re spending your time. This tool will particularly come in handy if you’re charging hourly rates. But even if not, you need to get a handle on your time as a freelancer so you can get the best bang for your buck. How to organize your freelance projects with Wrike Wrike makes it easy to organize and manage all of your freelance projects and clients. It’s as simple as creating projects for every client or assignment you take on and then adding necessary tasks and due dates to keep yourself on track. Once you have those building blocks, these other features can help you level up your freelance business: Set up projects using client project templates and best practices. This pre-built professional services template allows you to plan projects from initiation through closeout, mapping tasks across an interactive timeline. Integrate your current tools. Wrike integrates with 400+ tools which means you don’t have to leave the current apps you love in the dust. Instead, you can integrate your favorite tools with Wrike and boost your productivity at the same time. Track and manage your time for each project. Increase visibility into how you’re spending your time so you can streamline your forecasting, communicate hours remaining to clients, or sync your tracked time to financial systems for easy invoicing purposes. Use the “my to-do” smart folder to manage your daily to-do list. Centralize your to-dos in one place. This list will contain all tasks and subtasks assigned to you and tasks that you manually add. It’s the perfect place to capture those sudden midday thoughts when you remember you forgot to respond to an email or need to finalize a deliverable by the end of the week. Why is Wrike the best project management tool for freelancers? With a robust feature list to meet your business needs, time tracking functionality, and an unrivaled integration list, Wrike is the best project management software for freelancers who want to get more done in less time. Time is money when you’re a freelancer, so don’t waste any more of it. Dive in and boost your productivity by signing up for a free trial of Wrike today.
More Tools for Marketers to Love: Introducing Side-by-Side Comparison & Wrike Publish for Bynder
We’re excited to announce two updates to our Wrike for Marketers’ platform that further support marketers and creatives to deliver amazing branded campaigns: Side-by-Side Comparison in Wrike Proof and Wrike Publish for Bynder.
How’s Your Enterprise Doing on Digital Transformation?
Where is your organization in its journey of digital transformation? Just beginning or well into the process? It’s not a simple path, and there’s no one “right” way for every organization to follow. Whether you’re just starting or it seems your organization has transformed, Wrike’s recent webinar can offer some food for thought.
How to Plan a YouTube Marketing Strategy
There are 2.3 billion YouTube users worldwide, and the platform’s popularity has continued to increase significantly in the past few years. This, combined with the fact that the site is the fourth most visited on the internet, only proves just how much incredible marketing potential YouTube has. Most social media marketers don't spend enough time on video marketing on YouTube. It's often overlooked by those trying to create a successful content strategy because of how complex it is to manage this type of project. There are, however, lots of tools and methods for creating a YouTube marketing strategy that is both competitive and easy to execute. Here’s a guide on making and executing a YouTube marketing strategy that any brand can do. What is a YouTube marketing strategy? YouTube is a powerful platform for marketing. Whether you’re looking to create a video for your audience or to promote your brand, it has plenty of opportunities to achieve your goals. That being said, you do have to create a strategy for your YouTube marketing itself. The YouTube marketing strategy you create should be a carefully executed plan that involves consistent posting and a strong understanding of where you fit into your niche landscape on the platform. Your YouTube marketing strategy can be as detailed or as simple as you need it to be. It often involves planning out what you will create and how you'll create it. Your strategy will also heavily rely on target audience information for decision-making. Many YouTube strategists conduct competitor research at the beginning. You’ll also want to factor in search engine optimization for both YouTube and Google. Other factors go into YouTube marketing strategy off-site that you should be aware of. They include your other online properties such as your website, social media, and other content marketing channels. These will help with promotion and, if you already have an audience built up in one area, it will be easy to translate them to YouTube. If you don't already have an audience of one thousand or more highly engaged participants, you can build one from scratch. Whether you're a startup or an established business, a strong YouTube marketing strategy will help you identify who your content is meant for and what kind of content will help them out the most. In other words, what content will have the most engagement long-term? In a nutshell: a YouTube marketing strategy is a roadmap to achieving your goals for this channel. It should be attainable, realistic, and well-researched. How do you create a YouTube marketing campaign? In 2021, YouTube is full of amazing creators who have figured out how to conquer the algorithm and have been doing so for many years. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for one more brand. The good news is that a lot of the legwork has been done for you in terms of learning from beginner mistakes on the site. Here’s the simplest and most effective way to create a YouTube marketing campaign that will cut through the noise. Follow these steps to assert your brand as an expert for your topics, no matter what the competitor landscape looks like: 1. Think long-term You can set a ten-year goal, but this step should be done in a way that works for you. As a general rule of thumb, it takes an average of one to two years to achieve YouTube monetization, which requires a certain amount of watch hours and subscribers for approval. 2. Choose a target audience Who do you think is most likely to find and benefit from your videos? Even if you attract other audiences, your north star for content brainstorming, formatting, and editing will be clear if you nail this from the beginning. Age range, gender identity, and interests are good starting points for your research. Pro tip: If there’s a group of people you can easily reach now with your YouTube content, use them as a jumping-off point for faster channel growth. You’ll eventually reach your long-term audience, but growth is slow in the beginning, so reaching more people immediately is a good idea if it’s easier for you. 3. Strategize distribution Use your channel niche to create a promotion strategy that works best for your brand. Popular promotional channels include: Social media Facebook groups Instagram Stories TikTok teasers Reddit Forums Quora answers Niche blog communities LinkedIn Free virtual and in-person workshops Don’t forget about optimizing for YouTube SEO. This can be done in every aspect of your video, from your topic to your title and description. 4. Consider your content Think about what your target audience wants to see, what your brand needs to promote, and what kinds of topics will do best on this specific marketing channel (hint: education and entertainment are consistently top performers). Then, decide on what type of video you’ll produce. For example, this can be unedited live stream playbacks from virtual events on your other platforms. Or it could be highly edited and original comedy sketches made specifically to rank on YouTube, given what you’ve seen competitors do on the platform already. Whatever format you choose, make sure it aligns with audience expectations based on what’s already out there and also shows off your unique brand of YouTube content. 5. Use a project management tool YouTube video production and distribution is a complex process, which is why a creative project management tool like Wrike is so important to have when you first get started. Whether you’re a solo marketer or working with a hybrid team, the organization and communication features offered by this type of solution are priceless. What is the best way to plan a YouTube marketing campaign? The best way to plan a YouTube marketing campaign is to understand your audience and see what has worked for your brand on other channels in the past. To understand your audience, you need to know what they are looking for when they go on YouTube. Consider what other pieces of content you've published in the past have gone viral for your niche. Look at what topics you've covered on your blog or website and identify what has resonated with them. Then, build your strategy around that. Alternatively, if you're creating a YouTube marketing campaign specifically for a launch, you want to create a series that teases, promotes, and explains what your new product or service does. You also want to consider how your target audience will use the product or service. Then, create content that directly addresses questions they've asked your customer support team. You can also search for comments you've seen on social media that need further explanation or highlight interesting uses for your product they might want to know before buying. Your YouTube marketing campaign planning should begin as soon as you have a launch date. You’ll want to post at least once a week for a month leading up to any important dates that coincide with your campaign. If the campaign is ongoing, make plans to consistently create and post your videos before ever going live on your channel. Consistency is key for establishing an audience when you're just starting on YouTube and for the algorithm itself. Having systems and tools in place now will pay off in dividends in the future. Additionally, you need to consider what's realistic for your team. Plotting out what you need to do and when for each element of your campaign will help everyone visually see the workload they're taking on. This is a prime opportunity for your project management skills to shine. For example, a Gantt chart may help you understand and justify the expense of investing in a contracted video editor now rather than stretching your team too thin later. Decisions like these can only be made if you first have a marketing campaign management strategy in place before moving on to the next phase of your campaign creation. How to assess your YouTube competitors with a SWOT analysis A competitive analysis is a great way to identify areas of improvement and opportunities for your channel. To identify the right competitors to analyze, start with three to five primary keywords. Search for them on YouTube and see which channels come up the most. Then, once you know who you’re comparing your strategy too, you’ll need to do a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique that helps identify the various factors that could affect a person or organization's business operations. This procedure involves analyzing multiple layers of the company. It helps identify the potential threats and opportunities that could arise from a business venture or project. For YouTube, this means identifying video content gaps and looking for ways you can do what competitor channels are doing, but better. YouTube managers use the following framework for their analysis: Internal strengths. This can include having a strong project management tool or an in-house team member who has YouTube experience. Build and enhance each of these over time. Internal weaknesses. Time poverty is a common example of this. Mitigate the risks of anything on this list getting in the way of YouTube goals before you launch. Eliminate any you can upfront. External opportunities. You may find that there aren’t direct competitors in your niche on YouTube already, or if they are, they may be producing low-quality content. That’s where you come in. External threats. There may be a lot of competition for your chosen keywords. Problem-solve around these and consider what new problems may arise in the future that you can safeguard against. Can you promote YouTube video campaigns? Yes, you can promote YouTube video campaigns using offsite channels, providing incentives for engagement, and with paid ads. First, create a website or social channels that include links to your video. Blogs with freebies, shops, and behind-the-scenes information are a popular way to attract viewers from your channel to your other branded properties. Next, consider how you’ll reward channel visitors for engaging early and often. YouTube marketing expert Cathrin Manning suggests being engaged with your audience in the comment section of your video the first full hour it goes live. This helps build community and gives people a reason to tune in right away, which is a great ranking boost. YouTube ads are also a great way to reach audiences on other related and non-competing channels. Along those same lines, working with an influencer to create a brand presence on YouTube when you’re just starting may speed up your initial growth. What are YouTube best practices? YouTube best practices are critical to know for business marketing teams who want to overcome common beginner mistakes. Here are the top ones to be aware of: Create a brand account. A brand account is better than a personal account because it allows multiple users to log in at the same time. This is a great way to keep everyone up-to-date with everything that's happening behind the scenes of your channel. Use the analytics. It can be overwhelming at first, but YouTube provides a great dashboard with historical channel data for you to keep tabs on your progress and audience. Their reports include data about your audience size, age range, and viewing preferences. It also shows where the majority of users live, as well as their preferred language and how they engage with your videos down to the second they typically click off. Create for your audience. Go to the comments section of your videos and read through them to see what viewers have to say. Use this data to identify the types of content that your audience is most likely to consume. Then, create video content that fits their needs. Monitor channel growth. Track key metrics such as subscriber count and viewership to see how they measure up against your goals. We recommend tracking these stats at least once per month. Block competitor ads. You can prevent your competitors from displaying ads on your videos by using the Ad Manager feature in Google. Be smart about keywords. Identify the weaknesses and strengths of your competitors in YouTube search based on which keywords they use and the new keywords you’ve chosen. Fill in their knowledge gaps within your content wherever possible. Use every YouTube feature. Maximize the word count for your description and keyword input. Include CTAs in your script and on the video itself. Add posts to your community board to engage your audience in between videos. How to optimize for YouTube By optimizing your channel, you'll be able to attract more followers and appear higher in search for target keywords. This 11-step strategy will help you get started on the right foot with YouTube marketing. Conduct research Watch channels by your favorite brands or competitors and start thinking about how you can use YouTube to promote your product. This will help you develop a content strategy that fits your brand and the landscape your future viewers are already participating in. Understand the algorithm Like Google, YouTube uses various unknown factors to rank videos. Then, it uses an algorithm to recommend the best ones. Even though no one knows for sure which factors affect YouTube SEO, we do know that high-quality production, interesting topics, and entertaining or educational content will rank highly in every category. Over time, you can conduct A/B testing to see which site formats, keyword combinations, and other video elements help your channel get discovered. Create channel art Even before titles, thumbnails are the first thing people see when they search for a video. Using custom art will help your video's thumbnail stand out more. Make sure that the image and title make sense together. And don’t forget your banner. It’s a great place to summarize the primary focus of your channel and introduce your hosts. This space can also be used to promote events or new products. You are also able to link out to your website, social channels, and landing pages at the bottom right-hand corner so design your banner with this in mind. Film a channel trailer A good channel trailer is like a teaser movie for your YouTube brand. It’s best to create one that’s specifically for YouTube and your specific goals for the platform. The entire purpose of a channel trailer is to create a compelling brand statement that will entice new viewers. Draft a content calendar Although you may only post once per week, there are many steps in between coming up with the idea and hitting publish. Relying on memory or habit for this portion, especially if you have a big team, is a recipe for disaster. A content calendar should organize every pre-production, production, and post-production task you have to complete for the coming week, month, and quarter. It should include individual timelines for each phase and some form of accountability among your team. Your content calendar should also be very easy to understand at a glance so that everyone knows the status of these various moving pieces at any given time. Plan out playlists Playlists make your channel easier to navigate but they also help boost your YouTube SEO. Design playlists so that they are cohesive and have a definite progression. For example, you can set up tutorials from beginner to advanced levels. You can also create playlists for partner videos. Outline your videos At the very least, you need to have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Prioritize saying a brief description of your video topic in the first few lines of your script to help with SEO and to let audiences know what to expect. Create a production workflow Templatize your production workflow with a simple task list or within your marketing project management software. YouTube video creation tasks are often repetitive. Some key ones to keep in mind for any video you create are: Brainstorm idea Outline script Define top-of-video CTA Define the end-of-video CTA Create shot list Secure or prep your location Gather props or supplementary inserts Film A roll footage Film B roll footage Edit your video Create your thumbnail Add an SEO optimized title, description, and keywords Schedule your video for publication Promote your video release online Engage with your audience during and after video publication Strategize when and how you post A good time to post is when there’s a high amount of engagement and viewership. This step can be easily done using your channel analytics. You can also schedule videos for release in advance from the Creator Studio or another tool like Hootsuite. Tools like these help keep your videos consistent and on auto-pilot. Add supporting features Adding captions to your videos will make them accessible to non-native speakers and those with hearing impairments. YouTube offers a Creator Studio feature that allows you to view the top languages your subtitles are typically used by subscribers which helps with market research too. If you’ve put the time and effort into creating a video, having your transcript translated is worth it. You can also add clickable links through cards and end screens that give additional information or offers. Assess your performance Take a moment to review your past videos and subscriptions to see what drives your audiences’ attention. Make a note of patterns you see among your top-performing video topics, thumbnails, and formats. Later on, you can replicate your most successful elements in future videos. Not sure what other KPIs to look out for? Changes in subscriber count, audience demographics, and video playback locations are a great place to start. Comments sections are also ripe with audience feedback. Some are more helpful than others but tracking constructive criticism over time will help reveal creative new ideas. Although time-consuming, it’s important to learn how people are talking about your video and what they think about your channel to help make decisions in the future. How does the YouTube algorithm work? YouTube relies on its algorithm to identify high-quality videos that best match each search query. How does it determine quality and match? Every element of your video is a factor in its ranking. That includes everything from what you say in the video to what colors you use in your thumbnail. It also includes direct audience feedback from the number of likes, comments, and subscriptions your channel as a whole earns. If a video doesn’t immediately gain traction after it’s posted, the good news is that YouTube may begin showing it more in search results later on once your reputation with the algorithm is established. Pro tip: If you're familiar with Google SEO, you’ll find that a lot of these optimization practices still apply here on YouTube. How to manage your video marketing campaign with Wrike Wrike is a professional services management software that can handle the complexities of a YouTube marketing strategy for a single person or large teams. Wrike makes it easy to visually break up your entire production process into separate phases. You can use color coding and Gantt charts to illustrate your project roadmap. This is especially helpful if you’ve got more than one video in production at a time, which is often the case for creators who choose to batch shoot. Wrike also offers workflow templates that make it easy to carry out miniature projects within your projects. For example, you may find that your YouTube video editing process involves cutting out pauses, cleaning up audio, and color correction. You can add all of these steps to a repeatable workflow template specifically for video editing that teams and partners can reference for every new project. And because there are many different tasks involved with YouTube video creation, you’ll want to stay on top of each of them with individual task assignments that include details such as descriptions, approvals, and individual due dates. The tasks within Wrike are also great communication tools because users can chat in one central location about the task they're referring to in that very same task assignment. That way if anyone else joins the conversation later on they easily catch up with what's been said and everyone stays on the same page. And finally, Wrike offers useful app integrations such as Adobe Premiere that make it easy to provide proofing and approval for every new video. Ready to get started on your YouTube marketing strategy? Begin Wrike’s two-week free trial to set your channel up for success with organization and communication tools that will put you ahead of the competition.
The Ultimate Guide to IT PMOs
Companies with large IT departments and projects have complex needs that require advanced solutions. IT project management offices, also known as IT PMOs, offer oversight, guidance, and tools that will make your organization more productive and make it easier to scale. But what exactly is an IT PMO? What are the core IT PMO objectives and how can your IT department adopt best practices? Here’s everything you need to know to get started. What is an IT PMO? An IT PMO is a project management system that delivers high-quality results in the most efficient ways possible. Any project that involves information technology, no matter the size or urgency, will fall under the responsibility of an IT PMO. All PMOs involve a combination of goal setting, strategy, and organization. These qualities are essential when it comes to IT because of this department’s unique needs. Issues such as standardization and reducing task repetition across departments are all resolved when teams use an IT PMO. Businesses may opt to have an overall organization PMO and an IT PMO. This makes it easier to drill down on the specific technical aspects of IT that only experts fully understand. An IT PMO has experience working with a wide range of IT-specific tasks. But, more importantly, they have enough of an understanding about the challenges, potential obstacles, and resources required to complete nearly any given IT project. They can also keep up with IT project management trends while maintaining established initiatives. This leads to more accurate forecasting and smarter planning. And when trial and error isn’t an option (which is the case for most businesses), combining the powers of a business PMO with an IT PMO can ensure alignment between overall business goals and specific IT project needs. The most common uses for an IT PMO include updating tools and software. It’s also used for scaling workloads without increasing team sizes. And when new regulations or compliance issues arise, IT PMOs can strategically slip these tasks among ongoing or long-term projects without significant disruption to delivery timelines. What are the objectives of an IT PMO? The main objectives of an IT PMO include: 1. Policy creation Policy creation for project management means creating big-picture guidelines for all IT projects. These guidelines dictate expectations for what is accomplished and how it should be executed. There may be separate policies for more complex or sensitive tasks, which is another reason why having a dedicated IT project management team is so beneficial. 2. Team training New team members and third-party contractors may need help developing the skills needed to complete their assignments. An IT PMO will not only schedule and set up team training, but they may also provide one-on-one consulting wherever needed. 3. Resource allocation and distribution IT PMOs ensure that each project has exactly what it needs while maintaining a balance of resources across all other active projects. If there are competing needs, it’s the IT PMO’s job to prioritize them. And when unexpected problems arise, the IT PMO will be responsible for shifting resources in order to keep everything on track. 4. Process development A large part of why it’s important to hire experienced IT professionals to command your IT PMO is because they’ll largely be responsible for outlining workflows. These processes will range from small tasks, such as submitting deliverable approvals, to large ones, such as onsite hardware installations. 5. Standardization To keep teams aligned with clients, legal, and HR, there will need to be some standardization in place. Not only will the IT PMO find a way to consolidate these various sources of input into one cohesive list of practices, but they’ll also be in charge of monitoring and adjusting as needed. 6. Adherence to protocol Whether it’s safety standards or intellectual property development, IT PMOs ensure adherence to protocol by monitoring performance across all active department projects. This also means providing solutions to possible breaches before they happen. 7. Improved collaboration and communication In general, an IT PMO is the head of all projects, which means they can oversee important day-to-day team needs. Improved collaboration comes from having strong guidance and a clear path forward. What’s more, improved communication relies on having a system in place that makes sense with how IT operates. An IT PMO will provide both. 8. Detailed reporting and data insight One of the most important functions of an IT PMO is to continuously improve their department. That can mean everything from improving how they work to the products they produce. Would an IT PMO benefit your company? If your company has ever had issues with project delivery, decision-making, or resource management, an IT PMO would be beneficial. Without an IT PMO, projects may not be delivered on time or on budget. Or, if they do meet those initial benchmarks, quality might be wavering from project to project. An IT PMO uses the power of data insight and organization to predict the success of a project, given the other obstacles departments may already be facing. That includes certain task dependencies, employee workloads and scheduling, and roadblocks from one project that may domino into others. IT PMOs also help with decision-making. They have a clear understanding of what the business needs and what the IT department needs better than anyone else. They also have access to facts and figures that can help C-Suite executives better understand which goals are realistic. And as experienced IT consultants themselves, IT PMOs can provide advanced insight on reports that general PMOs might miss. In regards to resource management, an IT PMO is trained to work with what they have to achieve their goal. For example, this means working with the teams they have while limiting hiring, saving money long-term. This also means having a more accurate understanding of how long certain IT tasks realistically take and scheduling them accordingly. What is an IT PMO organizational structure? An IT PMO organizational structure outlines the flow of communication and command within the department. It’s often depicted as a flow chart. There are various ways teams can organize their IT project management teams, but the most common ones often include the head of the organization at the top, followed by the PMO, with each department division underneath. Interdepartmental IT PMO organizational structure will often flow from IT directors to IT managers to IT project managers. An organization can choose between placing business PMOs and IT PMOs side by side or deferring to the IT PMO as head of their department while still under the larger organization’s PMO umbrella. What are IT PMO metrics? IT PMO metrics are used to measure the success of an IT project. The information used is quantifiable and aligns with established goals. The metrics themselves may vary project to project. They also vary business to business depending on what information they have access to and what they’re striving to achieve. In general, IT PMOs can count on using PMO metrics that cover three essential categories: strategy, process, and deliverables. IT PMO metrics should be defined both for the department as a whole and for each new project. The metrics are used for creating smarter goal benchmarks for improvement later on. They also gauge progress against past performance. IT PMO metrics, in particular, offer additional insight into how the department functions in comparison to other departments so that executives can be sure their relative success is on par with the rest of the organization’s standards. What are the IT PMO best practices you need to know? 1. Focus on hiring talent that is highly skilled and collaborative. While the former has historically been the only top recruitment priority, studies and anecdotal evidence found in modern texts such as Brotopia by Emily Chang provide a strong case for myth-busting the ‘lone wolf’ ideal in IT. 2. Have a continuous growth mindset. Not only is an IT PMO responsible for daily operations and big-picture goals, but they are also responsible for implementing helpful changes along the way. These changes can be small or large, but they must all align with strategy, be monitored for effectiveness, and be adjusted as needed. 3. Educate other departments and executives on IT projects. Helping other decision-makers understand what your department does and how it affects the greater ecosystem of your organization can go a long way towards improved collaboration long-term. The key is to strike a balance between empowering your audience and talking down to them about the more technical aspects. 4. Be proactive at every level. Look ahead for ways to improve repeatable tasks. Forecast potential project delays or resource depletion before they come up. Anything the IT PMO can do now to mitigate risk and delays will pay off in dividends almost immediately. 5. Choose starting where you are over reinventing the wheel. Many IT departments have some level of project organization established even if they don’t call it that. It’s easier to adapt systems that are working well rather than force the entire team to take on entirely new habits. Perform a teamwide diagnostic before implementing new practices when switching over to IT PMO leadership. What should you expect from an IT PMO tool? Simply put, you should expect an IT PMO tool to make your projects faster and easier. You can templatize past successful projects for new work. This will decrease the time spent planning recurring tasks and projects so teams can focus on higher ROI activity. You can also find ways to automate notifications such as task dependencies so that your team is always on top of what’s due next. An IT PMO tool can even automate administrative tasks and streamline team communication. Collaborators will chat directly within the tasks themselves so that everyone who participates can view the history and get caught up. You can also loop other voices in simply by using @ mentions. Additionally, your IT PMO tool will have visual graphs, charts, and task allocations. This makes information easier to understand at a glance. IT PMO tools such as Wrike also offer personal dashboards so that each team member can focus on information that’s most relevant to their role when logging on. Reporting and data analysis across all active projects is another key benefit of an IT PMO tool. You can quickly pull reference numbers in meetings, provide statistical backup for client calls, and make better, more informed decisions on the fly. How to set up and maintain your IT PMO with Wrike Brands like Dish, Fitbit, and Solera use Wrike as their set up and maintain their IT PMO. Here’s how they do it: Onboard and train users. The executive teams at Dish said that their expectations for adoption were exceeded thanks to the support they received from the Wrike team. Establish your one source of truth. Wrike offers IT teams a space for organizing projects but it also offers advanced data reporting capabilities so teams can make better decisions. Share timeline reports. Communicate with business PMO and key stakeholders using timeline reports that clearly and accurately set expectations for project deadlines. Centralize project management. If you have projects being managed under a variety of different tools, Wrike can help consolidate all active and new assignments while also providing a clear view into interdependencies. Try dynamic timelines. Fitbit used Wrike to plan, prioritize, and assign work without taking away necessary resources from other projects. Full transparency across all assignments means you’ll know how these changes will affect the IT department and the company at large. Defend against burnout. Wrike gives users like Fitbit the ability to view and strategically use employee availability so that managers can assign tasks based on skills needed and their other active projects. Optimize processes. Solera uses Wrike’s request forms, Calendar function, and project status reports so the entire global team can keep track of what’s going on at any given moment. Take advantage of Wrike’s helpful project management features to get your entire IT department aligned with your goals. Sign up for a free two-week trial and discover why world-renowned IT companies trust Wrike to manage and execute their projects.