Tips for Creating a Never-Say-No Business Case for Marketing Resource Management (MRM) Software

You know you have an issue when your marketing resources are flat out on the desk again bemoaning too much work. Is it because of the seemingly endless rounds of artwork changes? Is it never knowing which project to focus on first? Is it the fact that your resources can never catch a break? One thing?s for certain, your marketing campaigns are nearly always over deadline and budget which is costing your brand money.

It appears you?re not alone. According to Capterra: ?Fewer than a third of all projects were successfully completed on time and on budget over the past year.?

But you?re no longer satisfied working in perpetual chaos because you know now that MRM software can bring ease to your marketing campaigns. Marketing Resource Management (MRM) software is now your new secret weapon to best practice task management and resource planning. So what now? The next step is to create a business case to take to senior management.

Recommended reading: Best Practices for Selecting and Implementing MRM Software

Tips for creating a business case that?s going to sell the benefits of MRM software
Essentially a business case needs to outline how your brand will benefit from implementing MRM software compared to the way you currently operate. Highlighting your challenges is a good place to start.

1. Define your current marketing and resourcing challenges.
Your senior executives are going to want to know why MRM software is necessary for the business. An effective approach is to define your challenges in relation to the current tools you use. You can set it out in a table like this below where we?ve provided some examples:

Current tool/process	Challenges
Using spreadsheets saved on server to plan resources	Typically error-prone Lacks transparency over resources Time consuming matching tasks with resources Static version of allocated work so not always accurate No remote access for resources outside of the office Can?t quickly reassign tasks if urgent project comes in or someone calls in sick
Email approvals	Feedback and approvals often get missed in long email trails No version control which means a stakeholder might review an older version of artwork and provide inaccurate feedback Handwritten mark ups are difficult to understand leading to follow up emails or guesswork Time consuming to manage feedback and save an audit trail No automatic alerts to follow up on approvals when late or overdue Approval delays because of remote workers who can?t mark up artwork
Briefs are sent in a word doc via email	No standard template for briefs which means resources have to chase up missing information before commencing a project Briefs sometimes get missed in emails and aren?t seen for a few days delaying the start of a project No approval process for briefs so scope changes down the track blowing out deadlines and budgets

2. Features of MRM software and how it will solve your challenges.
This part of the business case should demonstrate to management how implementing the best MRM tool will solve your current challenges. Once again, you can set it out in a table to highlight the features and benefits of these solutions.

Features of MRM software

Benefits

Resource management tools

Online live resource planner
Assign and reassign task tools
Workload capacity metre
Online task timer
Online timesheets

Full visibility over resources and planned work
Assign and reassign tasks faster (sometimes in just seconds)
Live resource planner means that information always current and accurate
Tracks accurate time spent on tasks
Measures resource performance accurately
Resources are sent an automated reminder when new task has been allocated or reallocated
Resource calendar automatically updates when new tasks allocated
Alerts administrator when resources are at full capacity
Remote access for stakeholders and resources who want to check marketing workload

Approval workflow management

Approval dashboard
Approval pathway and tiers
Online proofing tools and feedback hub
Batched feedback for design team

Full transparency over where project approvals are at
Set approval pathways to set unique approval process to ensure no stakeholders are missed in approval process (*decreases compliance risks)
Decreased artwork revisions for creative team with online mark up tools
Feedback sent all at once optimising time spent on changes
Expedites approvals with organised approval framework
No more reliance on email approvals which are difficult and time consuming

3. The cost of implementing MRM Vs cost-effectiveness of software
At this stage, you?ll need to outline how much it?ll cost your business to implement Marketing Resource Management Software. This is also a good time to offset these costs with how the system will provide savings for your business. Time tracking and task management is all well and good, but if it isn't outweighing the cost, senior management will likely second guess it.

Things to consider when costing MRM software

Is it a one-off fee or a monthly licensing deal?
Is training included in the cost or extra?
How much resource time will be dedicated to training and learning the tool?
Is ongoing support included in the cost or extra?

Things to consider when providing a case for cost savings

The real focus here is to show how greater efficiencies gained by using MRM equate to cost savings. For more tips, check out How implementing MRM software can boost your bottom line.
If you?re currently using multiple tools to manage your resources and marketing projects, be sure to include how one MRM tool will eradicate the cost of using multiple licenses.
An agile MRM system will grow with your business and offer more efficiencies as the features evolve.
If the vendor is local, having real time access to the dev team is priceless!
If your marketing resources are working in a more ordered and productive environment, which means less stress, you?re likely to retain staff longer. Don?t underestimate the power of an effective tool!

Finally, be sure to keep your business case as succinct and to the point as possible. Presenting it in a clear, professional format will also help you to get your case across the line.

Need to learn more about finding the top marketing resource management software for your business? Download our Guide to Managing Marketing Resources with MRM software.