In the mad dash that is today’s world, time’s a rare gem, and as a petite posse of communication connoisseurs, it’s essential to milk every moment. Fear not, for we’ve got a treasure trove of processes, systems, and cheeky ideas to streamline your work and make time your best mate. In this blog, we’ll spill the beans on our top tips and cheeky hacks to help you achieve more in less time.
Master the art of briefing
An ace up your sleeve as a communications manager can be a solid briefing form. This isn’t just a form—it’s your roadmap, guiding you to your destination by being thorough, concise, and chock-full of crucial information.
When you consolidate all the necessary details into a single form, you save more than just time. You cut down on the need for additional clarifications or follow-up questions. And time saved is efficiency gained!
Plugins
Let’s face it, proofreading’s a right pain for a comms team. Drowning in emails and documents, it’s a constant battle to stay afloat. That’s where plugins like Grammarly come in. Grammarly is a proofreading tool that keeps your writing in check, ensuring a grammatically pristine and error-free masterpiece. No more faffing about with endless checks and rechecks.
Templates
Templates are the bee’s knees for time-saving. Knock up a few for standard comms tasks like briefing forms, emails (marketing and internal), auto-responses, and PowerPoint presentations. Save responses as email signatures to avoid typing the same old reply. With templates at your fingertips, you can whip up new content quickly and easily without reinventing the wheel. Unless you want to save time and money and have your design agency create some nicely designed brand aligned templates!
Master the art of content calendars
Picture this: a magical tool that keeps your projects in check and ensures you’re always one step ahead. Enter the content calendar. It’s like having your very own crystal ball, providing a glimpse into the future of key projects and calendar events.
By mapping out your content calendar in advance, you bid adieu to nasty surprises and frantic last-minute scrambles for solutions. Instead, you can revel in the sweet serenity of planning and preparing ahead of time. With a content calendar by your side, you’ll have the luxury of ample time to complete each task, waving goodbye to stress and embracing the opportunity to deliver top-notch work.
So, grab your pen or laptop and get ready to master the art of content calendars. Your future self will thank you for it!
Project management software
Project management tools like Trello and Asana are great tools to help you track everything and make sure you don’t forget any tasks. They provide structure to your processes and allow other people to see where things are without having to ask you. If you’re not using an online tool to do this, you should develop some process flows for everyone to follow.
Social media scheduling tool
A top-notch social media scheduler is a must for any comms team. Schedule posts in advance to dodge last-minute scrambles and keep your content consistent and on-brand. Some of our favourites include Hootsuite, Buffer, and Later.
Brand guidelines
Pop your brand guidelines in a spot where everyone can have a gander. Consistency is key, so keeping these handy ensures your team’s creative endeavours are harmonious and on-brand. If you make it easy, there’s no excuse!
Bespoke photography
Stock imagery has its place, but finding a fresh pic can feel like a never-ending quest. If the budget allows, splash out on bespoke photography for unique, high-quality, on-brand images to use across all channels. Have the photos but can never find them? Invest in filing software for your images so you can store and find them easily such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Google Photos, and Magix.
Other tools
Check out these other gems to boost efficiency:
Canva – an online design tool to whip up snazzy designs in a jiffy. This is especially nifty when you’ve already got your brand design sorted by a professional first. Curated templates are essential to keep your brand identity consistent.
Evernote – a note-taking app for capturing and organising ideas, notes, and to-do lists.
Google Drive – a cloud-based storage system for easy collaboration on docs, spreadsheets, and presentations. (You can see people live-edit the content, so it’s excellent!)
Slack – a messaging platform for real-time team communication, file sharing, and project collaboration. It has lots of add-ons too, to really make it personal to you and your team.
Central image point
Craft a one-stop-shop for all your image needs, making it a doddle for your team to find the perfect pic. And, while you’re at it, share some photography tips and training to guarantee your gang’s snapping top-notch, on-brand visuals.
Double data entry
Save on double data entry by thinking about systems that can help you avoid it. For example, WorkflowMax can be integrated with Xero, which means that you can easily transfer data between the two systems without having to enter it twice. Similarly, you can use web forms to automatically populate your CRM, saving you time and reducing the risk of errors.
Time tools
Keep your finger on the pulse with nifty time tools like Toggl, RescueTime, and TimeCamp. Track every passing second, analyse how you’re spending (or wasting) your time, and pinpoint opportunities for efficiency upgrades. You’ll be a time-management maestro in no time!
We hope you’ve found something in our wealth of ideas to help small comms teams save time. Implement some of our suggestions, and you’ll streamline your workflow, reduce errors, and achieve more in less time. Regularly review your processes and tools to ensure you’re squeezing every last drop from your resources. With a dash of planning and the right tools, your comms team will be unstoppable! If you want our help, get in touch today.
