In the past few years, brands have finally begun to grasp the benefits of using approval workflow software to streamline their content production. Nevertheless, the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) found that only 48 per cent of Australian marketers delivered consistent content in 2018 compared to 60 per cent the previous year. While the decrease can be attributed to a range of factors, too many marketers are still tackling the daily grind of managing projects, resources, approvals and brand assets with outdated tools.
If you?ve been wanting to review your marketing approval workflow and have been thinking about implementing approval workflow software, here?s a template for building a business case that?ll help get you the green light.
A business case for implementing approval workflow software.
Reasons for implementing the software.
1. Issues affecting our content production. Straight up, you want the people at the top to know how your current way of operating is a barrier to productivity and success. List each issue clearly and concisely. For example:
Items from paper-based job bags routinely get misplaced/lost.
Briefs are inconsistent and critical information often goes missing.
Managing feedback and approval via email is high maintenance and error-prone.
Stakeholders miss steps in the approval process so feedback is inconsistent or not actioned.
High artwork revisions are a daily issue because of inconsistent feedback.
The design team can?t get other work done because of revisions.
Current brand assets are difficult to locate on the server.
There?s no consistent audit trail of marketing work.
Marketing compliance is difficult to monitor.
2. What we expect to achieve by implementing approval workflow software. This section needs to demonstrate how implementing the software is going to solve your current issues. For example:
Transparency over all approvals, projects, resources and brand assets
Capturing all project details with custom-made brief templates
An organised approval workflow framework so that steps/stakeholders aren?t bypassed
Visibility over all stakeholder change requests with an online feedback system
Accurate, concise feedback with online proofing and markup tools
Less artwork revisions and bottlenecks in the approval workflow
An automatic audit trail of marketing work
Better marketing compliance
Faster access to brand assets with secure digital asset management
Less administration and faster turnaround times for marketing projects
More organised, efficient teams
Greater marketing output
Software features and how specific users will benefit.
3. Must have features of approval workflow software. Outline the features of the approval workflow tool you intend to implement so that management understands exactly what it can deliver.
Approval workflow management
Approval workflow framework
Approval dashboard
Online proofing tools
Online feedback system
Automatic audit trail
Approval reminders
Project management
Project management and planning
Document management
Brief templates
Reporting tools
Resource management
Task management
Resource planner and templates
Assign and reassign task tools
Time tracking and online timesheets
Asset management
DAM & artwork repository
Intuitive search function
Secure file sharing
4. How specific users will benefit from the software. This is your opportunity to show how truly effective this software will be by drilling down to the micro level. You can set it out in a chart like this one below.
Users
Benefits
Marketing Manager
View a dashboard summary of approvals
Plan marketing work with more accuracy
Transparency over resources and ability to assign/reassign tasks quickly and easily
Track the time resources spend on tasks
More efficient marketing workflow
Measure performance with accurate reporting tools
Spend less time on project administration
Spend more time on developing impactful campaigns
Marketing Team
Provide accurate project information with briefing tools and templates
Manage approvals and feedback with greater ease
Transparency over all feedback in one central system
Batch feedback and send to design team in one go
Spend less time chasing approvals with automated reminders
Track and monitor marketing compliance with automatic audit trail of work
Creative Team
No more chasing brief details
More structure, less confusing feedback, decreased artwork revisions
Locate current brand assets in just a few clicks
Spend more time on creative work rather than artwork changes
Know exactly what you?re working on with an online resource planner
More productivity, less stress
Reviewers/ Stakeholders
Provide feedback faster and more accurately with online proofing and mark up tools
View other stakeholder feedback to avoid conflicting changes
Feedback and approval prompts with automated reminders
No more reliance on email approvals where artwork versions get confusing
View the status of approvals at anytime
Legal/Compliance Department
Reserve button so that revision work doesn?t get doubled up
Never get bypassed in the approval workflow process
�Feedback prompts at the right time in the approval process
The cost of the software.
5. The cost of implementing approval workflow software.
It?s time to outline the cost of implementing the software which means providing information such as:
Is it a monthly fee?
Will this fee include training?
How will the implementation and training impact your resource expenditure?
Will there be an extra cost associated with ongoing support from the vendor?
6. The cost savings of implementing this management software. In this section it?s also worth mentioning the cost savings that will offset this investment such as:
Eliminating the licencing costs and productivity time for running other systems like standalone DAM, resource management and/or proofing tools.
A dollar value for the productivity gains on decreasing repetitive admin, artwork revisions, chasing feedback and approvals, not meeting deadlines, the list goes on.
An intuitive system will offer more efficiencies as it grows with your business. More ROI right there.
Staff retention as teams work more effectively with approval workflow software.