SEO project managers probably have the most thankless task! I should know, having worked on various projects simultaneously for several years. There is little appreciation that comes your way, unless the results are too outstanding to be ignored. However, a slight hitch in operations and the whole cascade comes down on your head! Then everyone suddenly seems to notice the work of the project manager.
This is true if you work alone or in a team of digital marketers. Sometimes, your innovative work does not bring any recognition at all. It is only when the results throw up some interesting statistics that people begin to take notice. What remains constant, irrespective of the attention or the lack of it, is the clutter on your desk as a project manager. There are usually more than enough on your table, all requiring individual attention. That can be quite a daunting job for anyone.
Task Delegation is Important for SEO Project Manager
The trick to being a successful project manager in a SEO or digital marketing setup is to learn how to delegate work. You need to get the whole team involved and pass the work in a smooth chain. This will enable you to focus on important aspects of the chain rather than try to run the whole show alone. Even if you are the only project manager on board, you can still delegate work, except that in this case, you will be doing it to yourself.
Project Management Tools for SEO Project Manager
How to Delegate your SEO Work
Inbox function of Gmail
There are several tools at hand to help you delegate work. I’m a strict believer in using basic tools to get work done. I’m not much of a fancy guy when it comes to using tools. I keep them simple and handy. For example, a tool I regularly use is the Inbox function of Gmail. This is slightly different from the classic Gmail variant. In this tool, you can get to snooze emails and make them pop up when you want them.
The biggest advantage of the Inbox tool is that you get to know your task at hand exactly when you want them to pop up for you. You can set a time on the snooze function according to your convenience. By using your email as a reminder alert, you are actually clearing up your desk and to-do list and yet not placing them on the backburner. This is a clear case of delegating work to yourself, if you are a lone wolf project manager.
Google Drive or G Suite
Google Drive is another basic tool that I use a lot. This is probably the simplest of all the cloud based tools. It helps you collaborate with others on the same project, even if they are located on either ends of the globe. You can nudge others in the loop with friendly reminders, track the work progress and bring a client into the picture with regular updates. There is no better tool to delegate work among peers and colleagues so that the process is transparent.
Basecamp and Trello or Asana & Zira
Other tools for delegating work include Basecamp and Trello. The former is useful immensely if you like to communicate using text messages. You can designate work to colleagues and freelancers through the Basecamp platform. Everyone gets to know what is being expected of them and that spells out individual roles clearly. There is little room for misunderstanding or miscommunication. Trello brings in some visual quotient as well. Asana and JIRA are great to keep track of projects and their progress.
Other parameters
There are some parameters that come into the picture when you are delegating work. The subject of the project, the deadline, the expected deliverables and time frames are some of the important categories which must be included in the delegated work. Collaborators must be informed about their role in these terms to avoid ambiguity and earmark defined roles in the machinery. Of course, regular updates and tracking on your part will ensure that there are no nasty surprises around the corner.
You cannot handle everything alone, if you are growing company or planning to scale up. Delegating work smartly will leave you to focus clearly rather than remain fuzzy about the way ahead all the time. Delegating smartly will save you time and effort.
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