By 2017, global business-to-customer (B2C) eCommerce sales are expected to reach $2.3 trillion. Given the amazing growth of online marketing and eCommerce, any conversation about project management will likely include digital project management to meet the demands of this vast, evolving market.
Digital marketing is not just for high-tech and software companies. Any company should strive to produce and maintain an optimal online presence. In today’s global marketplace, companies need to employ digital project management if they rely on any of these elements to increase sales:
◈ Company website
◈ Search engine optimization
◈ Mobile technologies
◈ E-mail newsletter marketing
◈ Social media creative marketing
◈ Copywriting
Digital Project Management Basics
Digital project management, used most often to build or optimize websites and cell phone apps, is subtly different than traditional project management used in the manufacturing or service sectors. Digital project management unfolds in five steps:
Discovery – Generating ideas, exploring new concepts and identifying potential solutions
Planning – Determining project scope and completing a wireframe
Production – Beta development and front-end coding
Deployment – Evaluating the site’s or app’s performance after it goes live
Maintenance – Support for the project throughout its useful life
What Does a Digital Project Manager Do?
The traditional tasks of a project manager include assessing risk, planning work, coordinating tasks, motivating team members and keeping the project on time and on budget. The role of a digital project manager might include additional responsibilities, such as:
Business Development – Project management requires an understanding of the client’s needs and a strong development of client trust. Your rapport with the client may give you even greater influence on the client’s purchasing decisions than your sales team has.
Digital Strategist – Often clients don’t have a clear vision of the project. This can work in your favor to gently guide clients through the discovery and design process with your knowledge of web architecture, user experience, design, content, search engine optimization, social media and analytics.
Account Manager – As someone who works closely with clients, you will practice the art of setting and adjusting client expectations. This could involve knowing which issues your team can handle and which need to be delegated. The true test of your account management skill is the ability to deliver news that the client may not want to hear.
Quality Assurance Specialist – It is your responsibility to set the standards for quality testing. By working closely with the client, you understand the nuances of the project. You also know that client satisfaction is about more than just meeting requirements on a spec sheet. As project manager, you have the last word on meeting the client’s quality needs.
Necessary Skills for a Digital Project Manager
Digital project managers require a slightly different set of skills than traditional project managers. In addition to traditional project management tool sets, the digital project manager should be adept at:
Using Content Management Systems (CMS) – The CMS is a user-friendly platform for a website and makes it easy for personnel to make changes to the site. The more the project manager can do, the more time developers will have for other tasks.
Understanding Information Architecture – Project managers who know how to structure and categorize information can help their teams run much more efficiently.
Interpreting Analytics – A Google Analytics (or similar) certification can help project managers understand exactly how the site is performing, and use knowledge gained from the analytics to make changes to items where necessary.
Writing in HTML – The ability to write HTML code allows the PM to help developers with the more fundamental coding when help is needed or if the project is falling behind.
Employing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search engine page ranking is critical for a website’s success, but programmers don’t always design a site with SEO in mind. Your ability to use SEO to optimize the pages on the site can be critical.
Managing Social Media – When you understand how to create a strong presence on social media, you have an advantage when it is time to send out teasers or when you’re ready to promote the completed project to the world.
The rapidly expanding world of eCommerce is offering vast opportunity for project managers who are willing to expand their skill sets. Take the first step today on your path toward becoming a Project Management Professional.
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