What are the best practices for keeping stakeholders informed during a Marketing Operations project?

Effective stakeholder identification is the cornerstone of successful communication. Beyond the matrix, consider creating a stakeholder register with detailed profiles. This should include their communication preferences, pain points, and individual goals. It enables you to personalize your approach, showing stakeholders you've considered their unique needs, fostering better collaboration.

Data is crucial. Having a collaborative platform across teams will provide insight. Everything is in one place. With the power of data comes story telling to your stakeholders. I would put icing on the cake by connecting this story and progress back to the main objective or OKR that triggered the work.

When you think about your stakeholders, don't forget to include the ones outside of the Marketing or Sales organization who may not be decision makers, but may be individuals to include as an internal customer or someone who needs to be informed or consulted (i.e. Think "RACI").

Regular Updates: Provide consistent updates through emails or meetings. Clear Communication: Use simple language, avoid jargon, and be transparent. Stakeholder Mapping: Identify key stakeholders and tailor communication to their needs. Progress Reports: Share progress reports with data and metrics. Feedback Loop: Encourage feedback and make adjustments accordingly. Visuals: Use visuals like charts and graphs for easier understanding. Meeting Agendas: Set clear agendas for meetings to stay focused. Highlight Benefits: Emphasize how the project benefits the organization. Remember, it's all about effective communication and engagement!

Key Points for Keeping Stakeholders Informed During a Marketing Operations Project: 1.Develop a comprehensive communication plan 2.Identify key stakeholders 3.Provide regular progress updates 4.Tailor communication to stakeholder needs 5.Utilize multiple communication channels 6.Create transparency 7.Encourage two-way communication 8.Document important decisions and actions 9.Engage stakeholders in decision-making 10.Anticipate and address concerns. These practices ensure effective stakeholder engagement, keeping them informed, involved, and aligned with the project's goals and progress.

Having a communication plan is super important for any organisation or project. It's like having a handy map that helps you share information in the best way possible. This means your messages are clear and reach the right people, so everyone's on the same page. Plus, a good communication plan can spot and sort out potential problems before they become big headaches, making it easier to deal with any tricky situations. In today's connected world, having a communication plan isn't just a good idea; it's pretty much essential for building trust, working together, and getting things done, whether you're in business or just trying to get a project off the ground.

In addition to the core elements of a communication plan, consider including a feedback loop. This allows stakeholders to provide input or raise concerns. Regular feedback not only keeps stakeholders engaged but also enhances the project's quality by incorporating valuable insights from those most invested in its success.

Having an actual communication plan defined is so important to drive alignment, keep everyone on the same page, and ensure visibility and transparency. Marketing Operations projects are very cross-functional with many different individuals involved - ensuring that there is a communication plan -- and everyone involved understands the plan -- can help your project be more successful.

It's vital to develop a comprehensive communications plan as part of the overall project roadmap. Stakeholders should be aligned with the changes and be aware of any updates to their own processes. Transparency is key!

Provide regular updates through reports or meetings. Tailor communication to each stakeholder's needs. Use data-driven metrics for ROI and project impact. Encourage open feedback and address concerns promptly. Document decisions and changes comprehensively. Establish a communication plan at the project's outset. Prioritize transparency, consistency, and a customer-centric approach for trust and collaboration.

communication in marketing operations (MO) needs to be flexible yet focused. To nail this, always match your tool with the complexity of the message. For quick updates, chat apps and email work well. For meatier stuff—like project milestones or strategy shifts—video calls or webinars are your best bet. Project management software is a no-brainer for tracking real-time progress, and dashboards can visualise key metrics in an easily digestible format. Reports, especially automated ones, can save you time and ensure data accuracy.

When choosing the right tools and formats, it's crucial to consider accessibility. Ensure that your chosen communication methods and platforms are inclusive and cater to stakeholders with diverse needs, such as those who rely on screen readers or have hearing impairments. Accessibility not only demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity but also broadens your reach to a wider audience.

I've found it incredibly difficult for any support team in general to operate without a few tools. Using the right tools is key not only for internal tracking and progress but being able to prioritize, communicate, and provide visibility to all your stakeholders. I've found a combination of project management tools like Jira or Asana combined with a ticketing system to be most useful.

Identifying the tools and the methods used for communication should be included in your communication plan, ideally. This helps set the right expectations and ensures that again, everyone is on the same page, looking at the information the same way, at the same time.

Coming from a startup background with lean teams and resources, I found one thing to work particularly well for communication for MO projects - A simple Google sheet. Structure the Google sheet as - the main plan, timelines, assigned stakeholders, milestones, and key resources plugged in (think decks or mini-plans) A dedicated Slack channel for lightning-fast updates, questions, or clarifications. Also, pin the above Google sheet there so everyone can access it without having to hunt through a million spreadsheets on Drive. The key idea here is to - make sure everyone is in the know, has access to the plan, and can quickly check on anything without raising a Slack message hurricane.

Getting leadership input on marketing ops projects and priorities is key, especially when it comes to large-scale projects like implementations, migrations, and integrations. These projects are expensive, have long timelines, and impact multiple departments. Leadership should be involved in the decision-making process from the start and regularly apprised of progress.

To ensure effective communication and input from stakeholders, establish a dedicated feedback mechanism or portal. This centralized approach streamlines the feedback process, making it more convenient for stakeholders to offer their insights, seek clarification, or report any concerns. Furthermore, it underscores your commitment to transparent communication and ongoing enhancement, fostering collaboration across all stages of the Marketing Operations project.

Collaboration is the name of the game. Through regular progress check ins, it's helpful to a. ensure the stakeholders are tracking the first principles of your plan and b. should any red flags appear it's not too late in the game to pivot.

Recognizing and celebrating milestones and achievements is essential for maintaining stakeholder engagement throughout an MO project. These occasions provide an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of your team and stakeholders, boosting their morale and motivation. Share your project's successes through newsletters, social media, or events to emphasize the positive impact on your organization and customers, fostering continued commitment and trust among all involved parties.

Celebrating wins is vital to keep the project morale high and maintain engagement. Marketing Operations teams are also leaning into providing more quantitative data on the value created for the team and for customers; this is vital as the field matures and starts to get more visibility in the organization.

Celebrating wins and demonstrating the impact is SO important but often overlooked, especially in Marketing Operations. We are so "heads down" and "on to the next" that we sometimes forget to stop and celebrate the wins, but also COMMUNICATE the achievements. Shine a light on the impact and value that Marketing Ops, with the help of the broader team, brings to the organization.

It was nice on the best big projects I have worked on to celebrate milestones and achievements - especially where we had moved something to live or made it through a major project phase. Having a small group lunch on site to celebrate a major milestone does a lot to thank those who have put a lot into the project. It doesn't have to be something big or expensive.

Successful marketing operations are not just about task execution but on fostering concise communication with all established stakeholders. Here are a few key practices that I have seen consistently proven effective: Consistent Touchpoints: Regular, even if brief, updates can preempt concerns, highlighting an engaged approach. Clear Reporting: While in-depth analytics are invaluable, distilled visuals or summaries help stakeholders grasp essentials without feeling overwhelmed. Open Dialogue: Encourage stakeholders to share feedback or raise questions, nurturing a two-way communication street. Embrace Candor: Every project faces hurdles. Openly addressing them not only cultivates trust but can also catalyze collective solutions.

It's critical to make sure that there aren't any surprises. Providing regular updates helps with that, but you'll need to leverage those communications to ensure that your stakeholders are aware of potential risks and are looped in if they have the ability to help remediate or remove roadblocks. Having a set cadence and format helps, but you need to anticipate that you'll have to adjust your plan along the way.

In any project, expect the unexpected and be ready to pivot. Lean on change management models like ADKAR to guide stakeholder communication and ensure everyone's on board. Use techniques like SWOT to spot potential roadblocks early, and always keep your team in the loop.

Douglas Adams told us, "Don't Panic!" in his acclaimed novel, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." While it's important not to forget your towel, there is something to be said about staying cool and reacting to change with a level of grace, listening, and compassion when plans shift for any reason. Often, Marketing Ops teams are seen by partners as "inflexible" and "narrow-minded" when changes come mid-stream. This attitude impacts trust and relationships with stakeholders. If there is a change: sit back, listen, and ask questions. Understand the issue from your stakeholder's POV and let them feel "heard." Any suggestions or strategic solutions you propose will be more respected and valued with this relationship-building focus.

When considering a project lifecycle and all key touch points, it's crucial to have a project plan, process and a tracking tool in place. It's always important to identify who key stakeholders are at any given point in the process. Communication and real time tracking is key to keeping projects flowing smoothly and identifying any bottlenecks and possible solutions.

It's important to consider future proofing and the length of the project lifecycle. Quite often, a Marketing Operations project is not fully done. It will require an additional iteration to align with new tools, new compliance standards, or perhaps new internal reporting guidelines.