Confessions from a Spreadsheet Junkie: Tips on How To Set Marketing Priorities

By Michele Linn | Published: January 12, 2011

“Hi, my name is Michele, and I’m a spreadsheet junkie.”

Lately, I have been awash in spreadsheets trying to organize everything I need to do. I live by my editorial calendar. I work with numerous spreadsheets tracking our recent CMI redesign projects and the status of each one.

I know there are other “spreadsheet junkies” out there. So if you’re someone who can relate, here’s something you may like: some spreadsheet ideas to help you prioritize your long (and growing) to-do list. Prioritizing activities helps me decide what tasks can wait and what tasks I need to focus on now.

So how do I use spreadsheets to prioritize?

First, I lay out all of the activities the team has brainstormed — everything from big-picture items to tactical ideas. After that, I track the following information for each.

UPDATE: Some readers asked for the template. You can see a sample below or download the blank Excel spreadsheet. I can’t always complete all cells initially, but this helps me figure out what I need. I also find it helpful to sort on columns such as goal, priority and budget.

What goal does it support?

Seems basic that every activity should support a business goal, but I bet you’ll be surprised at how many “nice to have” or “seems cool to do” activities may be on your list. By focusing first on the activities that directly relate to your business goals, priorities emerge.

Anything we need to do first?

Here’s a good example. You may have a goal to convert visitors when they get to your website, however if you don’t have the content in place to entice someone, you need to start there.

What is the estimated time?

If something is quick and simple to do, I’m more likely to tackle it early to get it off the list.

What is the ongoing time commitment?

A lot of things these days are easy to set up (say a Twitter account or an email program), but they take ongoing feed and care if you want to do them well. Be realistic about how much time the maintenance of any activity you start will take each week or month.

Who is responsible for this?

Of course, it’s always good to assign a lead person to each task so you’re not asking, “Who is doing this again?”

Do we need to get help?

If stretched for time, consider where you can get help. Some things, like strategy, may be best to keep in-house. But there are a lot of activities that you can outsource (I’ll leave this for another post!).

What will this cost?

In addition to people, think of any tools and costs associated with this project. Of course, cost is a very important factor when making priorities.

Assign each priority

After all is said and done, I then assign a priority to something. It can be as simple as high-medium-low or a numerical system. Ideally, I tackle three to five things at a time and do them well. Once they’re up and running, I’ll move on to new tasks. Of course, this isn’t always feasible, but having a visual reminder helps me keep my priorities in order. I can then add new ideas and tasks as they come up to make sure that everything is in one spot.

One final thought: Don’t forget to put the spreadsheet into Dropbox or another file-sharing system, so the whole team has access to it. This makes the spreadsheet more than a static planning document.

I’d love to get your thoughts: How do you plan and prioritize your marketing?