A Guide to Excel at Managing Your Marketing Approval Workflow

By Jodie Byass

Navigating the labyrinth of marketing approvals doesn't have to be overwhelming. From grappling with excessive artwork revisions to managing budget constraints and ensuring marketing compliance, the landscape is fraught with challenges. Yet, the solution often lies in adopting a well-orchestrated marketing project management approach coupled with efficient approval workflows.

This comprehensive guide outlines seven actionable and in-depth best practices to elevate your marketing approval process. Whether you're looking to standardise project brief templates, streamline resource management, or stay abreast of industry best practices, these tips offer a roadmap to not only navigate but excel in managing your marketing approvals.

1. Use a Standardised Project Brief Template for Every Campaign

Why it Matters:

A well-structured project brief isn't just a formality; it's the backbone of your marketing project. Incomplete or unclear project briefs can result in numerous pitfalls:

Excessive Revisions: Without a comprehensive brief, your creative team might not fully understand the project scope, leading to numerous revisions and wasted resources.
Overblown Budgets: An unclear brief can cause misalignment between expectations and deliverables, resulting in additional costs for revisions or extra resources.
Off-Brand Content: When the brief misses vital details about the brand strategy, the final output may not align with your brand voice or objectives.

How to Implement:

The key to a successful project starts with an effective briefing process, and here’s how to go about it:

Design Different Templates for Different Project Types: One size doesn't fit all when it comes to creative projects. Create different templates that cater to various kinds of projects—be it social media campaigns, print ads, or digital marketing.
Utilise Marketing Project Management Software: Invest in a platform that offers online briefing templates. This tool should allow for custom fields that can be made mandatory, ensuring that all essential information is captured before a project commences.
Implement Approval Workflows for Project Briefs: Just like your creative output needs approvals, so do your project briefs. Use the same marketing project management software to set up an approval workflow specifically for project briefs. This ensures that all stakeholders review and sign off on the brief before it lands in the creative team's queue.

By embracing a robust project brief process supported by marketing project management software, you're not just streamlining operations but setting the stage for a project that is timely, on budget, and aligned with your brand strategy.

2. Strategise Your Feedback Mechanism to Streamline Approvals

Why it Matters:

A poorly managed feedback system can do more harm than good. Here are some issues you might encounter if you don't have a robust system in place:

Inconsistent Feedback: When too many people chime in, the feedback can become inconsistent, causing confusion and delays.
Resource Drain: Addressing non-critical feedback can result in wasted time and resources, taking away from other essential tasks.
Project Delays: Without a logical sequence for feedback, you may end up backtracking on project stages, leading to delays and missed deadlines.

How to Implement:

Effective feedback management is crucial for the smooth functioning of your approval workflow. Here’s how you can refine it:

Identify Essential Stakeholders: Use your marketing approval software to determine who genuinely needs to be part of the feedback process. Limit approvals to those whose input is crucial to the project's success.
Sequence Approvals Logically: Set up an approval sequence that makes sense. For example, creative directors should give their nod before legal reviews are initiated to avoid unnecessary back-and-forths.
Aggregate Feedback: Instead of sending feedback to the creative team piecemeal, collate all comments and send them in a single batch. This unified approach minimises confusion and ensures that all revisions are made at once, reducing the risk of errors.

By adopting these best practices into your approval workflow, you'll minimise project delays and maximise efficiency.

3. Optimise Resource Management for Seamless Approval Workflows

Why it Matters:

Mismanaged resources can severely bottleneck your project and hinder the smooth flow of your approval process. Common issues arising from poor resource management include:

Overloaded Teams: If too many tasks are assigned without a clear understanding of the team's capacity, it can lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately, poor-quality work.
Inefficient Use of Skillsets: Misallocating resources can result in a mismatch between the project requirements and the skills of the team members involved.
Project Delays: With tasks and responsibilities unclear, there are bound to be delays that can hamper not just one project but have a domino effect on other initiatives as well.

How to Implement:

A well-structured approach to resource management can be a game-changer for your marketing approval workflow.

Transparent Resource Planning: Use agency management software to maintain a real-time view of your team’s capacity. This allows for better planning and prevents resource overload.
Skill-Based Allocation: Make sure that the project's needs align with the skills of the team members allocated to it. Marketing project management software can help you match projects with appropriate skill sets.
Implement Resource Management Software: Upgrade from Excel spreadsheets and invest in software designed specifically to manage creative projects. Features like task assignment, real-time tracking, and capacity planning will enable a more efficient allocation of resources.

By optimising your resource management, you pave the way for smoother approval workflows and more successful projects.

4. Stay Abreast of Marketing Compliance for Secure Approvals

Why it Matters:

Non-compliance in marketing is not just a regulatory issue—it can significantly impact brand reputation and incur hefty penalties. Here's what you risk with non-compliance:

Legal Ramifications: Failure to adhere to legal requirements can lead to lawsuits, fines, or even an outright ban on your marketing activities.
Brand Damage: Non-compliant marketing material that reaches the public can severely tarnish your brand's image and credibility.
Resource Drain: Dealing with compliance issues ex-post can consume a lot of time and energy, distracting from other vital activities.

How to Implement:

Ensuring compliance is a collective responsibility and should be integrated into your approval workflow for maximum effectiveness.

Strategic Positioning of Legal or Compliance Teams: Use marketing approval software to place your legal team strategically within the approval workflow. They should be looped in at stages where their review is most impactful.
Maintain an Audit Trail: Choose marketing project management software that automatically saves all changes, feedback, and approvals, providing a transparent and defendable audit trail.
Continuous Training: Keep your team updated on the latest in compliance requirements. If your organisation is large enough, consider employing a dedicated Compliance Officer to keep tabs on changes in laws and regulations.

By putting compliance at the forefront of your marketing approval workflow, you protect not just your campaigns but your entire organisation from the repercussions of non-compliance.

5. Leverage Workflow Software for Efficient Marketing Approvals

Why it Matters:

The digital age has transformed project management, making it more efficient, transparent, and scalable. Ignoring the benefits of workflow software can lead to:

Inconsistent Approvals: With multiple projects and teams involved, the absence of a centralised system can create inconsistencies in the approval process.
Poor Audit Trails: A lack of digital tracking makes it challenging to have a clear and accessible history of who approved what, potentially creating compliance risks.
Limited Reporting: Without software, it's difficult to generate insightful reports that can help you continually refine your marketing approval processes.

How to Implement:

Opting for marketing approval software can streamline your process in numerous ways:

Customised Workflows: Choose software that allows you to customise approval pathways based on the project type, ensuring that the right people review the right content at the right time.
Mandatory Fields: Utilise software features that enable mandatory fields in project briefs. This ensures completeness and helps to set the project off on the right foot.
Integrated Resource Management: Opt for marketing project management software that combines approval workflows with resource management, offering a holistic view and control over your projects.

By embracing a digital tool designed specifically for marketing approvals, you enhance not only the speed but also the quality of your projects from start to finish.

6. Incorporate Regular Reviews and Audits for Continuous Improvement

Why it Matters:

No system is perfect, and even the most well-planned marketing approval workflows can develop bottlenecks and inefficiencies over time. Regular audits and reviews can offer several benefits:

Identify Weak Spots: Regular reviews can pinpoint areas where your approval process tends to slow down, allowing you to address these issues proactively.
Cost Efficiency: Continual monitoring ensures that your projects are staying on budget and helps you find ways to make your processes more cost-effective.
Compliance Checks: Routine audits ensure that your team is adhering to legal guidelines and internal policies, thus reducing the risk of compliance failures.

How to Implement:

Regular reviews and audits can be seamlessly integrated into your existing workflow with a bit of planning and the right tools:

Automate Reviews: Utilise marketing project management software to set up automated quarterly reviews. These reviews should generate reports that assess key performance indicators such as approval timelines, cost-efficiency, and compliance adherence.
Data-Driven Decisions: Based on the insights from your reviews, make data-driven adjustments to optimise your workflow. For example, if a particular approval stage consistently causes delays, consider revising your process to streamline it.
Share Insights: Make sure to share audit and review results with all relevant stakeholders. This ensures everyone is aligned and aware of the areas that need improvement, thereby fostering a culture of continuous development.

By incorporating regular reviews and audits, you can maintain a dynamic and adaptable marketing approval process that evolves along with your business needs and industry trends.

7. Stay Up-to-Date with Industry Best Practices for a Competitive Edge

Why it Matters:

Marketing is an ever-changing field, and falling behind on the latest trends, technologies, and methodologies can put your organisation at a competitive disadvantage. Here's what you stand to gain from staying updated:

Innovation: Understanding what's new in the industry can help you innovate your marketing strategies and approval workflows.
Competitive Edge: Being in the loop gives you an advantage over competitors who may be using outdated methods.
Enhanced Team Skills: A team that is continuously learning and growing is more engaged and effective.

How to Implement:

Keeping up with industry trends is not a one-off task but an ongoing effort:

Continuous Learning: Use marketing approval software that easily adapts to new trends and technologies. Encourage your team to undergo regular training, either in-house or via external courses, to expand their skill set.
Knowledge Sharing: Subscribe to industry journals, newsletters, and participate in relevant webinars. Share these resources within your team to foster a culture of ongoing education.
Evaluate and Adapt: When you come across a new practice, method, or tool that could benefit your approval process, don't hesitate to integrate it into your existing workflows. Marketing project management software can often facilitate this by allowing customisation and updates.

By actively staying up-to-date with the latest in the industry, you equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to adapt and excel in your marketing endeavours.