5 Elements to a Successful Project
In marketing and design there are countless factors which lead to the success of any given project, but some weigh in more heavily than others. With the absense of some of these, you’re success is left to chance. With the absense of all of these, you’re looking at disaster.
Without further ado…
1. Step Out of the Bubble
Don’t look at things the same way for too long…
sometimes you’ll find you were off in the first place. (Read our earlier post risky business and you’ll quickly learn how we feel about taking calculated risks…)
Changing your perspective and stepping into your clients’ shoes is a valuable thing to do. Some find this difficult because they’re so entrenched in seeing things from an owner or manager’s “bottom line” point-of-view, but it’s a refreshing practice that can lead your company in exciting directions. The easiest way to get around any difficultly with this is to let your 3rd-party creative professionals get a real grasp of what it is you do, how you do it, and let them do the necessary research to figure out what kind of state of mind your clients are in when they’re using your products or services.
Companies who have the clearest idea of how their clients view them - are usually the ones who are most successful and know what their brand stands for. What’s also important to note is that – if you know your clients, you know where to find them and how to get your message to them so they pay attention.
2. Organization
We can’t stress organization enough. Making sure you’ve got everything in order makes everything go smoothly. Having a plan is crucial. Keep important notes, or keep a sample binder of things you like and things you dont, make a workback schedule. Whatever you do, just know what the other person is doing and when they’re doing it. A project is like an engine in a race car: if it’s not firing on all cylinders, it’s going to lag to the finish line – if it ever gets there.
This is why an experienced project manager is so important. Great managers provide a leadership quality (another important part of a project’s success) that’s an intangible but important piece in helping bridge the gap between need, idea and end-result. They also provide insight and can help in creating great briefs that spark ideas and get the best possible creative in the most targeted manner.
The organization of thoughts – coming in the form of a well written brief allows everyone involved to gather their thoughts and really hone in on getting to your targeted end result (more on that in a bit).
3. Smart Design and Creativity
This one seems like a given, but creativity within a tight budget, short timeline, or – small ad space, for example – is where it can get tricky. Good designers are just creative, but great designers are a blend of smarts and creativity. They’ll set your brand apart from the rest by not only bringing all of the elements discussed on this page together – but contributing to their generation.
Both “creativity” and “smart design” could have been in a category all on their own, but – of course, smart design takes a lot of creative thinking. Besides… 6 Successful Elements to a Successful Project doesn’t have quite the same ring to it….
4. Great Content
Another one of those things that seems like a given, but gets overlooked too often. Copywriting isn’t a lost art – It’s just an undervalued one.
Cutting through the “marketing language” to get at what you’re trying to say in a concise, easy-to-follow, and engaging manner is where a copywriter is worth their weight in gold. If you’ve been to a website or seen a brochure that’s got useless paragraph after paragraph of boring and non-sensical drivel – you know why a good copywriter is a most valuable asset.
5. Goals
You can’t get to a destination if you don’t know where you’re going in the first place.
Without a clear idea of what you’re looking to get out of a project - you absolutely cannot gauge whether or not it’s a success. Knowing whether you’re simply looking to gain brand awareness, or remain top-of-mind is good enough. Just know what you’re looking to get out of a project, so you can know if you need to change your plan or if whether or not you feel it worked for you.