How to choose the best marketing workflow management software for your business

Every time you look at a new type of tool for your tech stack, or when you consider switching out an existing one, you go through the same questions. Does it do everything we need it to do? Is there any overlap with our current systems? What is the payoff? Do we really need it?

Looking at workflow management software is no different.

And then again, it is a little different.

When it comes to workflow management software you also need to consider if you are looking for a standardized system with applications across your entire business but with less marketing specific uses, or if you need a workflow management system that’s built specifically to solve the needs of your marketing team and the external stakeholders across your business.

To help you figure this out, we’ve put together this article to help you find out what the right choice is for your business.

What is a workflow management software?

A workflow software, sometimes referred to as a workflow management tool, is a software that automates multistep processes by managing how and when tasks should be solved in relation to each other and by whom.

More specifically, the workflow management software helps facilitate the process, send notifications, handover tasks to the correct team members, keep track of deadlines, next steps, approvals etc.

What are the key functions of a workflow tool?

When looking for a new workflow software, there are a range of different systems to choose from, but many of them are catered to a specific audience. As such a marketing workflow management software may have quite different features from an HR workflow management software. Because of that, the most important features of a system usually comes down to the end user in question. 

With that said, there are a couple of functionalities that are key to almost every potential user group from marketing to finance:

1. Cloud based software reigns supreme

There’s no point in spending money on a software for workflow management if you aren’t able to access it, or if it falls behind due to lacking updates. Because of that, cloud based solutions are often better than on-premise ones.

2. You need a workflow software that integrates

A big part of workflow management is connecting the work carried out by different stakeholders, but if they need to share information through shared drives, emails, and external file-sharing services, a lot of the benefit from having a workflow management system gets lost. 

Which is why integrations matter. 

When you are looking for a workflow management software, you need to think about how it integrates with the systems currently used by your company. For instance, if ad production is a big part of your workflows, then finding a workflow management software that integrates with InDesign is probably a good choice.‍

3. You need a workflow tool that’s adaptable

Let’s face it. How we work today is a far cry from the way we worked just five years ago. So this isn’t just a key feature for workflow management software, it’s a key feature for all systems in general. They need to be adaptable.‍

4. You need role-based access

Different workers need to do different things in a workflow management software. Business leaders need to be able to create and oversee workflows while ground workers need to manage or track their tasks within the system.

The best way to manage this, is to find a system that allows you to create different user roles for admins, employees, suppliers or even customers.

5. Analysis and reporting

Half the benefit of getting a system to handle workflow management is the ability to go back and evaluate your workflows, so they can be improved. Where do blockers occur? At what point in your workflow does efficiency speed down?

How will a workflow system benefit your marketing?

One of the major benefits marketing teams get from a workflow management system is speed. Whether we’re talking in-house product marketing teams or agencies, speed is the name of the game.

This usually happens through:

• Reducing the amount of time spent “following up” and “chasing an answer” from a client or a different department
• Minimizing the amount of approval rounds assets have to go through
• Identifying bottlenecks and redundancies in the way you work.

But speed isn’t everything your marketing efforts gain from a workflow management system.

As an example, the Encodify marketing workflow software gives you the following concrete advantages, among several others:

1. It makes work easier

Whether we’re talking campaign management, reporting on marketing efforts or structuring content creation, a workflow management tool helps make the work a little bit easier. This is usually on account of automating tasks, but it’s also an effect of collecting everything related to your marketing work in one place.

When the number of processes handled in shared spreadsheets, e-mails, and other systems go down, alignment both within the organization and with suppliers, agencies and other stakeholders tends to go up. 

Simply because employees don’t end up spending too much time and effort on things like project coordination and document versioning.

2. It reduces dependency on agencies

When workflows are handled manually you end up spending a lot of time carrying tasks from start to finish, which means that you either need to hire more people to do the same work or, like most companies, you need to involve agencies, simply because you don’t have time to carry out the work yourself.

But automating parts of your workflow lets you regain some of that time, and in turn it gives you back some of the control you’ve previously handed over to agencies.

3. It helps with data control

Whether we’re talking GDPR and other compliance related data, or we’re talking revenue data tied to your own campaigns. An increased digitization of your workflow management will give you more control over the data related to your work.

Should you choose a generalized system or a dedicated marketing work management software?

The answer to this question of course depends on your particular business and the way you work. If you are looking to implement one project management tool across your entire organization, a generalized system might be the way to go, especially if you are running a small organization with a marketing team of 1-5 people.

On the other hand, if you want to consolidate marketing workflows within a single system, to make your marketing team operate more efficiently, there’s a good chance that a dedicated system is the right choice.

Should you consider Encodify as your workflow management software?

If you are looking for highly automated workflow management software, the Encodify platform could be right for you. 

We have specialized solutions for retailers, agencies, and brands, ranging from private label management and promotion management to work management in a more general sense. 

And the best part is, you can customize your solution to add extra features so the platform does whatever you need it to do.

So, whether you open new channels, outsource your production, restructure your organization or do something completely different, the Encodify platform can grow and change to best fit your needs and support your business goals.