Project marketing in project management

The goal of the project’s marketing is to build trust, inform and expand the company’s brand recognition, as well as to integrate all employee activities into a single coherent narrative, which in turn, becomes the fuel for effective project marketing. Curious to see how to do it right? Read on to find out!

Project marketing – table of contents:

Introduction
Which projects require marketing?
Project marketing objectives
Who is targeted and influenced by project marketing?
Project marketing tools
Summary

Introduction

Marketing is an integral part of the stakeholder engagement process and includes different types of activities to gain financial, political, and public support at each stage of the project. According to a study by Le Coeuvere and Turner (2014), an investor may have to market a project, its product and its outcome at all stages of the project life cycle. So in this article, we will focus on showing which kinds of projects require marketing and when. We’ll also define project marketing objectives and the target as well as show a few popular project marketing tools.

Which projects require marketing?

Project marketing is definitely for large infrastructure projects like highway, railroad, port, and airport construction. During the project initiation phase that needs to garner support for the original concept pitching various parties, as well as raise funds for feasibility studies. For construction projects, investors also need a political endorsement to convince the government and the public to see the need for the project.

On the other hand, the goal of marketing smaller projects concerns informing, educating and inspiring audiences, i.e., raising awareness of the project and its role in the organization and the local community.

Project marketing objectives

The main goal of marketing the project is to build awareness of its existence and gain support within and outside the organization. The activities aimed at achieving it falls into these categories:

Project image building – helps to build a positive image of the project among stakeholders and the community.
Setting project goals – conducted during the planning phase of a project, it helps to define the project’s goals and explain why the project is needed.
Increasing stakeholder engagement – a project can help in creating the right atmosphere within the project team as well as in raising awareness of project goals and objectives within and outside the organization.
Building trust – project participants will feel the project is in good hands. Make sure to communicate the project’s progress during the marketing process, show plans for the future, and address any concerns or fears promptly.
Integrating activities – with proper marketing, project participants have the opportunity to get to know each other and understand their roles in the project.

Who is targeted and influenced by project marketing?

Marketing the project is targeted to all project stakeholders, including:

investors,
project team members,
customers,
suppliers,
business partners,
local authorities,
the local community and other groups that are affected in any way by the project.

However, its goals are different depending on the group of stakeholders it targets. For example, investors need support for a project to ensure its financial success and performance within budget. You can obtain endorsement through effective marketing campaigns and media attention.

Customer-facing marketing aims to demonstrate the value of a project to customers so that they want to take advantage of it or the services it provides. By marketing the project, you can show the product or service’s benefits and convince customers to purchase even before the project’s completion.

Project marketing can also motivate project team members and demonstrate how their work influences the overall project. This will make employees more engaged and more willing to take on additional activities to achieve the goal.

Project marketing tools

The Project Manager should think about the marketing of the project as early as the project initiation stage, and both its digital and analog forms. The channels of communication require each tailoring to appeal to the stakeholders. To get the job done right, many project teams delegate marketing responsibilities to external agencies or contractors.

Here’s a list of the most versatile communication channels for project marketing:

Blog – an excellent way to communicate with different groups of stakeholders. Through it, you can present the goals of the project, and the progress of the work and answer questions from readers. To use this channel effectively, you need to publish valuable content regularly. Running a blog also requires knowledge of tools such as WordPress, Drupal, or Wix.
Social media – diversify your message to different audiences and quickly provide up-to-date information. However, remember that platforms vary by characteristics and predominant groups of users, so each requires a slightly different, customized approach. Always do your research before devising your content.
Information brochures – think about printed brochures for displaying the project at meetings with external stakeholders. They can include brief descriptions of the project, objectives, work progress as well as plans. Make sure they are easy to read and include project figures presented in an attractive format.
Project events – events are a slightly more complex and costly method of promotion, yet an excellent way to increase interest in a project. These can be open days, exhibitions, demonstrations, competitions, etc. Remember though that you’ll have to put a lot of effort into properly preparing and promoting them to attract as many people as possible.
Employee information events – internal gatherings are a great way to communicate with employees. These include training sessions, webinars or presentations. Remember to present information enough to include also the employees not involved in project activities.

Summary

Project marketing is an integral part of any project implementation. Although sometimes overlooked, its value lies in building trust, benefiting the community as well as contributing to the integration of all activities. To make the best of it, define the project’s marketing objectives, and the target stakeholder groups, and carefully pick the right communication tools and channels.

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Author: Caroline Becker
As a Project Manager, Caroline is an expert in finding new methods to design the best workflows and optimize processes. Her organizational skills and ability to work under time pressure make her the best person to turn complicated projects into reality.
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The most important questions

Is project marketing only critical at the beginning?

No, project marketing matters at every stage, from initiation to completion of project activities. They all require the support and interest of various stakeholders to build trust, integrate activities and communicate the progress of the project to all.
Is there a risk that an overly intensive marketing campaign for the project could negatively affect project implementation?

Yes, an overly intensive project marketing campaign can negatively impact project implementation, especially if it needs to be thought out and properly tailored to the specifics of the project and its stages. Marketing campaigns should not interfere with the project team's work and goals. Finally, remember that an effective marketing campaign is no substitute for a job well done and proper project planning.