Making the transition to a remote marketing agency or other business is not as simple as just buying a couple new tools. While they can help, it takes certain qualities to make sure your business excels.
Here are 6 qualities you need to make a remote agency successful.
Working remotely means that as a manager, you can’t watch what your team does at any point of the day and track their time accordingly. Being successful in remote work means having to let go of the micromanaging and letting the results speak for themselves!
The move toward a results-focused work environment begins with setting realistic expectations with your team from the get-go. Once they know what’s expected of them, set them free to succeed! As long as they’re putting in the work and meeting client goals and deadlines, then you’re already ahead of the competition.
Remote work can be exciting, but if you don’t have a plan in place then important details can fall through the cracks. When people begin to work from home they often tend to develop their own processes and procedures for getting the work done, which can work in the short term, but over time tends to become unsustainable.
Instead, have a documented, standardized way of working that everyone can follow! You can still allow your team to be flexible in places that work, but having everyone follow a set of guidelines makes for an easier way to monitor the work being done!
Even though you work from home, don’t forget, you’re not really alone. Prioritizing communication with your team improves the overall business structure. When you get in the zone, working remotely can really isolate your time communicating with your team. That also means things can slip through the cracks and updates and files get lost or forgotten.
Make an effort to update each other on projects and reach out every day, even if it feels excessive. It’s better to be over communicative than under, so make time for a simple chat, whether it’s a phone call or a video call meeting, even if it isn’t work related!
What’s another commonality between remote agencies and success? That’s right: flexibility.
For several years we’ve been used to the standard 9 to 5 routine with office jobs. The benefit to remote work is that businesses are realizing people are much more complex. Not everyone can, or likes, to work standard hours. A successful remote agency allows people to work at times that make them most productive. When employees don’t feel forced to feel productive, your marketing firm can actually see growth within your company.
No one wants to hang around in a meeting forever. Longer meetings can drain people of their motivation. In fact, limiting your meetings to 15 minutes or less gives you the maximum attention and productivity from your team. So remember to keep it short and simple! By sticking to shorter, more concise meetings, your team can have the energy to do the work they need to.
Just because you work remotely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know what’s going on. Part of a successful remote marketing agency means staying involved with your team without micromanaging.
This can range from weekly meetings for each department or a simple message on chat that asks how they’re doing. This allows for more transparency, ensures everyone feels up to date and provides an opportunity to clear any roadblocks someone could be facing. Better yet, in this way you’re also minimizing workflow-disrupting back and forth emails and long confusing threads! Clear and transparent communication makes your team more connected.
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