Get Your Marketing Stuff Together:
An Organized Approach
Three simple tools—ones you already have and know how to use—can help you get your marketing files, tools, and notes in order. It might not be glamorous, but organizing marketing assets is essential. With all the ideas we have and the content we create, things can get messy fast. A well-organized system isn’t just helpful; it lets you spend less time hunting for documents and more time creating meaningful work.
Organizing your marketing ideas and files has significant benefits, from streamlining onboarding for new staff members to saving you hours searching for documents. The goal is simple: create a system you can trust that lets you offload the mental load and makes it easier to manage your marketing efforts. Consider it your marketing management system—not for To-Do items, but for keeping track of everything you need at your fingertips.
You’ll need three main digital tools to get started: a Notebook (a physical or a digital file), Folders in your File System, and a browser Toolbar.
Why Get Organized?
Creating an organized system for your marketing materials brings clarity, efficiency, and peace of mind. Here are some of the key benefits:
- Increased Efficiency: Investing time upfront saves you countless hours in the long run. No more digging through folders or relying on memory to find that crucial piece of information.
- Consistency Across the Board: With all your materials organized, consistency becomes second nature. You’ll always have your brand assets and essential materials at your fingertips, ensuring alignment with your business needs.
- Reduced Brain Overload: Getting information out of your head and into an organized system frees mental space. Plus, it makes it easier for others to step in and contribute successfully.
- Easier Team Onboarding: Setting up an organized system makes it easy to share relevant information with new team members, helping them get up to speed quickly.
The Three Big Tools
1. The Notebook
Everything begins in your notebook—where ideas, thoughts, and inspiration converge. It can be handwritten or digital, whatever works best for you. The important part is that it’s a free space to capture ideas you can return to later for inspiration or to reference for projects. Make it a habit to review your notebook regularly; you’ll find hidden gems that will serve your marketing efforts.
Pro tip: If you handwrite, consider using a dictation tool to transfer notes into your digital system, ensuring nothing is lost over time. Use symbols or notations to track what you’ve done with each note—checkboxes for action items or an infinity symbol to mark items you have ‘processed’ or moved elsewhere.
2. The Folders
Folders are your filing system, where you store everything you create, whether it’s finished work or work in progress. Think of your folders as book chapters; each should be dedicated to a specific aspect of your marketing. Make sure to name and organize your files systematically to save time in the long run.
- Folder Naming & Version Control: Establish a consistent naming methodology for files and folders, including dates, campaigns, or platform names in file titles. This will help with ongoing maintenance and make finding and tracking documents easier.
- High-Level Categories: Create broad folders like Marketing Assets, Brand Assets, and Content Archives. Use subfolders to further categorize materials, such as Sales Enablement under Content Assets.
- Top-Level Folder: Call it Marketing.
What is a marketing asset?
Assets are completed items that you reference. They are final copies only and are only updated during a strategic refresh of the materials. The other stuff lives where it’s published - you don’t need to keep your Instagram posts in your folders AND on Instagram.
FOLDER: Brand Assets
This is a must-have. These files are the source of truth for your brand. Only final versions live here. If files are edited for a strategic reason, log the reason for the version change. Use a simple .txt file and put it in the folder for easy reference.
- Logos
- Style Guide
- Brand Guidelines
- Business Card print file
- Letterhead
- Presentation Templates
FOLDER: Content Assets
This is completed work that you reuse, offer as downloads, or your products. These files should always be edited with versioning and logging the reason for the version change.
- Event decks
- Sales enablement material like brochures, rack cards, business cards, swag designs
- Case Studies
- Key messages
FOLDER: Operations
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SUBFOLDER: Marketing Tools, Apps, and Tech
- Access information such as tool name and link. Username and password information should not be stored here. Get a password tool.
- Link to social media scheduling platform
- Link to your CRM
- Link to your email marketing system
- SUBFOLDER: Standard Operating Procedures (or Processes)
- SUBFOLDER: Content Calendar
- SUBFOLDER: Budget
FOLDER: Strategy and Plans
Some people like this in the Operations folder.
- SUBFOLDER: Marketing Strategy
- SUBFOLDER: Marketing Plans
FOLDER: Z_MARKETING_ARCHIVES
Archive folders are a lifesaver for maintaining momentum on a project. They allow you to confidently drop materials in a safe place, knowing you can come back to them later if needed. Remember, this isn’t about clearing out your drive—only delete files if you’re absolutely sure you’ll never need them again. For anything you might want to revisit in six months (or even longer), archive it. Adding a “Z” at the start of the folder name keeps it at the bottom of your list, so it’s out of the way but still accessible.
3. The Toolbar
A streamlined toolbar with quick access to frequently used marketing tools can make a big difference. For clarity, make folder names consistent with the names of your toolbar items.
- FOLDER: Marketing Tools, Apps, and Tech: You should have links to your email marketing programs, CRM, and social media scheduling tools at your fingertips.
- FOLDER: Social Links: Store links to your primary social platforms for easy access and management.
- FOLDER: Reference Materials: Store links to any online resources you regularly use, such as a blog for social media image sizes, your Google Analytics account, or your favourite online thesaurus.
Documenting Your Organizational Scheme
Once you’ve set up these tools, documenting your organizational system is crucial. This provides a roadmap that anyone on your team can follow, making onboarding and training a breeze.
- Consistency: A clear system ensures everyone follows the same steps for organizing, accessing, and managing materials.
- Business Protection: By systematizing your marketing assets, you protect your business. You’re creating a legacy by respecting your business enough to make it resilient, not just for today but for the future.
Organizing your marketing materials may feel overwhelming, but the clarity and efficiency it brings are priceless.
Start today, and make it easier for your business to thrive with less effort and more impact.
Authors
Danielle Wintrip helps heart-centred founders who are overwhelmed by their marketing to attract more leads and sales by creating a marketing plan they can get excited about implementing.
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Deanne Kelleher, the pragmatic and energetic leader behind Kaos Group’s vision and Core Four System™, successfully helps clients identify and implement the changes to their behind-the-scenes operations necessary for growth and success.
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