Workflow management is a critical component of any business, and its importance cannot be overstated. I recently had a conversation with a client about how we can make our case study development more efficient rather than undertaking hour-long calls. We discussed workflow systems as a way of collating and sharing information.

I also use workflow for administering my podcast and for planning content.

A PR team, in particular, can benefit greatly from workflow management in client work. Being able to assign tasks, track progress, and collaborate efficiently can help the team work more effectively and ultimately provide better results to clients. Additionally, workflow management can reduce the chance of errors and miscommunications, leading to a smoother and more streamlined team workflow overall.

So today I delve into how workflow can be used not just for project management but in our everyday work as Comms professionals.

I cover:

– What workflow is

– Examples of how it can be used

– Tips on raising this with clients and stakeholders as a way of being more efficient

– How automation and workflow are game changers for content generation

 

Let’s dive in.

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Transcript (unedited)

What is workflow?

Workflow management is the discipline of creating, documenting, monitoring and improving upon the series of steps, or workflow, that is required to complete a specific task. The aim of workflow management is to optimize the steps in the workflow to ensure the task is completed correctly, consistently and efficiently.

How is it used in comms-related disciplines?

In digital marketing, a digital marketing workflow is simply a breakdown of the tasks and expected outcomes of a digital marketing project. You could use a digital marketing workflow to plan a social media campaign, the publication of an eBook, or the launch of a new brand podcast. I use it for my podcast as previously mentioned.

A streamlined workflow can also help a team create content for a website more efficiently by breaking down the process into manageable tasks that can be assigned to specific team members.

For example, one team member could be responsible for keyword research while another focuses on writing the content. With a clear process in place, the team can collaborate more effectively and avoid duplication of effort. Additionally, workflow management software can provide visibility into each team member’s progress, allowing for real-time updates and adjustments to be made as needed.

Workflow management can also help in generating case studies and article outlines. By breaking down a project into smaller, more manageable steps, a team can easily identify key points and accomplishments that can be turned into compelling case studies or articles. For example a template can be created but the team manager, and then filled in by the client and sent directly for writing to the writer to make the writing quicker, at the same time the form fields containing data, the facts and figures can be put into an automated infographic generator. This can then be brought together for final editing by a human and sent for approval. Or uploaded automatically to using Clickup and social posts are generated too.

Ensuring that every step of the process is carefully thought out and executed, can result in a high-quality finished product that showcases the team’s expertise. Moreover, by keeping track of progress and deadlines, workflow management can prevent any delays or roadblocks in the process, leading to a more efficient and productive team.

What are the tools you can use and how?

  • Wrike
  • Monday
  • Asana
  • Trello
  • Workfront
  • ClickUp
  • Sprinklr

All of these tools can streamline marketing workflows and automate a variety of important tasks.

When workflow gets really interesting is add in the automation. Let’s use ClickUp as an example and my podcast.

I might write the podcast notes and when they are uploaded a task is created to write a blog post then 3 social posts, then they are scheduled to be released at a certain time and the blog.

For Mailchimp that may mean when someone downloads a piece of content they get an email and then a series of emails about a certain topic related to that keyword of topic in the download.

I’ve simplified this massively but this can literally save hours of time.

Have you used any kind of workflow software? I would love to know.