![\"\"](\"https:\/\/justcreative.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/video-conference-5167472_1280-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe COVID pandemic pushed people out of offices and into home offices. According to a recent report by Review 42<\/a>, 55 percent of organizations offer some form of remote work and 18 percent of workers telecommute full time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we all found out in 2020, managing any virtual team is challenging, whether battling different time zones or navigating varied work cultures, dealing with everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inconsistent internet speed, or ensuring communication goes through smoothly, managers have their plates full. Thankfully we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all learned a lot over the last 18 months. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a guide to managing remote marketing teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While this is very basic, we could not stress enough the importance of knowing your team members and their personalities. Remote workers often find themselves working in silos, especially in times of social isolation. Tools today have made it easier for teams to constantly be in touch, like video conferencing and chatting, which can help you hold team brainstorming sessions or one on one meetings, depending on your needs. Using tools like these can help strengthen bonds between team members working remotely, which can help with team dynamics and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a small online get-together at the end of a workweek can give people an opportunity to see how they are part of the bigger picture. Team leaders can review performances and discuss strategies and take on challenges first hand. Encouraging non-work-related communication can ensure your team bonds on a personal level as well. Make sure you try to meet offline at least once a year so team members can meet in person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A distinct disadvantage of remote work situations is the fact that you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t turn around to ask a teammate a question, or even say \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for that matter. One-on-one informal coffee chats are great for keeping up with your employees and they can assist managers in determining whether there are any challenges that haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been brought up in team meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizing a meeting isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so easy when you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the liberty of following up on an invite by walking over to your colleague\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk, yet scheduling and running effective virtual team meetings is crucial for discussing projects and goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, determine the number of meetings you need to have and what online platform you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll use to host them. Pick a time that works across different time zones, and ensure you send a calendar invitation to avoid any confusion. Make sure everyone who is presenting knows the guidelines and expectations so they can prepare in advance. During the meeting, ensure your computer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sound and video are working and your background is neat, clean, and professional. The surrounding environment–for you and any other presenters–needs to be quiet and not cause distractions. On launching the meeting, wait a minute or two before starting the discussion so every employee is present and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no catch-up necessary. Record the meeting so that any employees who aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t present can watch later, and so anyone can review the call afterward if desired. When the meeting ends, leave some time for questions, and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget to take feedback from your team so you can keep improving these virtual meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to manage a team effectively, you need to set clear goals for the team and individuals, and these goals need to be SMART. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Goals have to be specific, well-defined, and clear to anyone involved with the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal needs to be obtainable, and every metric related to it must be measurable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone needs to be on the same page regarding individual or team goals. In other words, does everyone agree to the goal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budgets, regulations, time shortages. Take everything into account before you start setting objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your timelines should be tough, but obtainable. This ensures your remote employees don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become complacent and gives them satisfaction each time they meet their objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This system provides a clear structure so you can prioritize your tasks, allocate your budgets and meet deadlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An example of a SMART goal could be someone running a small business and selling candles on Etsy. They may give their marketing team member a month to make the project financially viable. They could set targets regarding the minimum number of cards to be sold per week and can build customer relationships, through pre-defined communication channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to remote marketing team management, tools can be divided into four main categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many great tools to keep track of your team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s productivity, when they begin and end work each day, and when they take a well-deserved break. Some platforms like Hubstaff also take random screenshots while your team works. While this may seem invasive, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s useful because if you have that one employee who plays solitaire instead of working, maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to have a word with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to collaborative efforts, communication is key. This is why many instant messaging tools and other platforms have become very popular. Take Slack, for instance, with its popular UI that runs well on desktops and phones, helping team members have one-on-one or group conversations, send files, etc. Video calling has become very popular too, with teams relying on Skype<\/a>, Zoom<\/a>, and Google Hangouts<\/a> to get work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every member of your team needs to be very clear about the role they play. Task allocation systems like Teamwork help managers assign tasks with instructions and turnaround times to each team member. Everyone working on a project knows exactly what to deliver, and when. This can also have a domino effect because if you miss a deadline, multiple teams may get affected. However, effective task management can help staff collaborate well. Today, feature-packed task management tools like Trello allow you to create a joint team project, assigning different members to tasks, and providing deadlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to the wonder that is Google Docs, one person sitting in America, and another in Australia, can edit the same Word document, spreadsheet, or PPT presentation, simultaneously, in real-time. When your desks are miles apart, tools can help you work in conjunction with other team members. All changes made on these platforms happen in real-time, so there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no worry of a team member working with stale data. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more, there are different access settings. You can ensure only managers can make changes, while team members have a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcview only\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To manage a marketing team remotely, you need to know each member, ensure they use the right tools, and make sure everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the same page when it comes to the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goals. Perhaps the most important point is to ensure that when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting new employees on board, the process is as smooth as possible, so their experience with your management style starts on a great note.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Managing a marketing team remotely isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t easy. However, there are certain measures you can take to ensure that your team runs like a well-oiled machine, and your sales objectives are met. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[286,287],"class_list":["post-4958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-remote-work","tag-team-building"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4958"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4961,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4958\/revisions\/4961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Know Your Team <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"10](\"https:\/\/www.careeraddict.com\/uploads\/article\/58721\/illustration-group-people-team-meeting.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSchedule Meetings Effectively and Ensure They Run Smoothly <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/conferences.udel.edu\/files\/2020\/04\/video-conferencing-illustration.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUse the SMART System for Team Goals <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hydratemarketing.com\/hubfs\/smart%20goals%20marketing%20hubspot%20inbound%202.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nKnow Your Tools, and Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Shy Away From Using Them <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/bigstock-Set-Of-Young-People-Characters-292510966.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFinal Thoughts <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n