It was 2013 when I first found myself dealing with managing a marketing team remotely. The times were certainly less mature, and the tools available to managers were much more limited. Although remote working received a significant boost during the lockdown, in fact, this trend had become a constant even before 2020: in the last 12 years this modality has grown by 159% .
In addition to the objective necessity of this practice during the pandemic years, it cannot be ignored that there are numerous advantages to working comfortably from home. 97% of workers are very positive japan telephone number data about this modality according to a statistic by Buffer, and 85 % of managers believe that having remote workers will become the new normal for many teams.
This does not mean that managing your team remotely is not a constant challenge, far from it. Over years and years of experience, however, I have had the opportunity to learn, test and compare myself with other managers and professionals from the most diverse sectors, until I found the right size to have a team that is always aligned and keep up with company objectives.
In this article I will tell you about what for me are the 5 essential tools for the marketing manager when managing his team remotely, which at Exelab we use daily and which have allowed us to refine the quality of our work and scale the company.
The challenges of the remote marketing manager
Before I share with you the list of my favorite tools for managing remote marketing, I want to talk to you about the challenges that have led me over the years to look to technology for solutions to make my team's performance shine. I'm sure you'll recognize many of these problems as familiar, while others you may not have named yet or are not yet 100% aware that they are present in your team and that they are slowing you down.
If you want to jump straight to the list of the 5 best software for remote marketing managers, click here .
Misalignment: When talking to my colleagues, one of the most common situations when managing a remote marketing team is having a team that is unable to achieve the expected results. Very often, in the case of remote work, this is a misalignment. How does this problem manifest itself within the team? It is difficult to identify symptoms in an absolute way, but you will certainly see misunderstandings about the timing and methods of task execution , possible delays in deliveries , communication difficulties and general bad mood .
Undefined work hours: While traditional office hours are still in place, it is quite common to receive communications at any time when working remotely, even during lunch breaks or after the end of the work day. If your company works with freelancers, this situation can occur even more amplified. This can lead to your team members feeling anxious about their responsibilities, not seeing space for themselves outside of work, and consequently performing less brilliantly.
Team Communication: Communication with the rest of the team is an essential part of individual team member performance. Through communication and advice exchanged in the workplace, everyone can better understand how their responsibilities fit together with those of others and carry out their tasks in the best way for the rest of the team. When remote, it is not always easy to find the right balance: too much communication slows down everyone's work and lowers productivity, too little communication brings us back to the misalignment stage.
Increased distractions: Working from home also means having to deal with distractions present in the home environment. These include the people who live in the house, any non-work commitments, noisy or crowded environments.
Inconsistent Productivity: Fluctuations in the level of productivity of a team are quite common, but there is a level at which this problem becomes pathological for the company's results. There are several reasons why this situation can occur. In this mode, the work environment and the home environment coincide, and for many workers it is difficult to manage their time and space.
Isolation: The mental health of your team is just as important as the results it helps you achieve. It is not uncommon for those who work from home to sometimes experience feelings of loneliness and disconnection from their work and the company. This also depends on the reduced time that workers spend outside of home and in contact with other people (lunch in the cafe across the street from the office, conversations with other workers in the area, and so on). One thing that I find essential in managing my team is maintaining a quality human relationship and always being ready to listen to my collaborators. A good leader is also recognized by the interest in the people he works with.
