Time Management Strategies to Boost Your Marketing Efforts

By Dawn Bowman

In the dynamic marketing world, time is an invaluable resource. As a marketing manager, you must manage time as it is a finite resource. Effectively managing time isn't just about getting more done. It's about focusing on the right activities at the right time. So you can yield the highest returns for your marketing efforts by managing time.

Without effective time management strategies, you may find yourself in the wilderness. As a marketer, you can easily find yourself bogged down in administrative tasks without proper time management. This may result in reacting to immediate needs rather than efficiently pursuing strategic goals. For effective time management, schedule activities with a time calculator; otherwise, it may hinder your ability to drive meaningful results. 

Here in the following comprehensive guide, we explore several time management strategies specifically for boosting your time management efforts.

Prioritization Through the Lens of ROI (Return on Investment):

It is valuable to evaluate the Urgent and Important categories of the tasks. But for marketers, a constant evaluation of the potential ROI of a task. Necessary to understand that not all "important" tasks yield the same level of return.

Evaluate the task with the following methodologies according to their Return on Investment(ROI):

High ROI & Urgent: 

The high ROI tasks are critical tasks with immediate deadlines. The expected ROI is high compared to the other underlying tasks. 

Examples:

• Addressing a viral negative campaign against your brand 
• Launching a limited-time high-value offer or promotional campaign
• Responding to a lead-generating opportunity for a targeted campaign

Necessary to execute these high ROI tasks swiftly and effectively.The reason for that you are expecting a high return in a short time.

High ROI & Not Urgent:

The high ROI and non-urgent tasks are the cornerstones of your marketing success. Being a marketing manager, you need to focus on these tasks as all of your marketing efforts depend on those long-term tasks.

Examples:

• Content creation for key channels of your product and services
• SEO optimization for long-term growth and marketing efforts 
• In-depth market research for future campaigns of your brand
• Building strategic partnerships with different forces and potential clients

It is necessary to schedule dedicated and focused time for these high ROI and non-urgent efforts. You need to recognize that their long-term value outweighs immediate pressures on your marketing efforts. You can adjust the time calculator to value these activities and specify the optimal time. The optimal time is the appropriate time required for each activity without external pressure. 

Low ROI & Urgent: 

The low ROI and not urgent task demand immediate attention but offer minimal return on your marketing investment. 

Examples:

• Think of responding to the generic inquiries of your clients
• Basic social media scheduling for managing activities on various platforms 
• Low-impact administrative tasks like changing the theme or brand images

You can delegate these low-return ROI tasks to team members. Explore automation tools with a sense of urgency to reclaim your high-value time for another task. You can recalibrate or reschedule your time calculator to see these as potential drains on your valuable hours for managing your time.

Low ROI & Not Urgent: 

Low ROI and non-urgent tasks are time-wasting activities. These activities can detract from your marketing productivity. Identify and eliminate them without hesitation. 

Examples:

• Attending irrelevant meetings or engaging in idle activities 
• Engaging in unproductive social media scrolling or chatting
• Pursuing marketing tactics with proven low returns or unproductive activities

You can adjust your time calculator to recognize these as negative investments. Necessary to eradicate such activities for better productivity. 

Actionable Tip: 

Before tackling any task to set up its priority. Try to briefly assess its potential ROI about your overarching marketing objectives. The above-mentioned ROI lens guides your prioritization within the Eisenhower framework. This helps to manage your time effectively.

Time Blocking with Buffer Zones and The "Energy Audit":

For better managing your activities, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of your energy level. Being a marketing manager, you need to understand that the energy level fluctuates throughout the day. To avoid disturbances, assign a high-energy level time to the most important task.

Time Blocking with Buffer Zones: 

Adjusting similar activities in a specific block is necessary to avoid delays and to complete the task just in time. It is crucial for marketers who often face unexpected interruptions. Necessary to create "buffer zones" or a short interval of 15-30 minutes between scheduled tasks.

Why Do This?

• To handle these unforeseen issues
• Transition smoothly between activities
• Prevent your entire schedule from derailing 

Being a successful marketing manager, I know the dynamic nature of marketing. Try to adjust your time calculator to account for blocking similar activities and assign the appropriate time for each block. 

The "Energy Audit": 

Being a human, you need to recognize that your energy levels fluctuate throughout the day. It is essential to adjust your task according to varying levels of energy throughout a day.

• Peak Energy Periods: Necessary to schedule your most demanding and creative marketing tasks. These tasks are like content creation and strategic planning during peak energy periods. 
• Low Energy Periods: Adjust tasks of lower priority to reserve lower-energy tasks. These tasks are like email responses and data analysis. Perform these tasks when your focus might naturally dip. 

You need to align your task allocation with your natural rhythms. This makes your time more productive throughout the day. For better value of time, you can adjust your time calculator strategically according to your energy level.  

Actionable Tip: 

You can do this by tracking your energy levels throughout the day for a week. Identify your peak and low-energy periods and then assign different tasks. Align your time blocks accordingly relative to your energy level. Manage and incorporate buffer zones to adjust to the interruptions effectively.

Take Away:

To become a successful marketing manager, value high-impact activities based on ROI. Incorporate the time calculator to minimize time-wasting activities and schedule them according to their priority level. Prioritize tasks more effectively and allocate your energy strategically. This drives significantly better results from your marketing efforts. This is not just about managing time, but maximizing the return or ROI.

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