5 types of marketing collaboration tools your team needs

Three-quarters of creative collaboration happens remotely, but waiting for feedback is the #1 problem slowing teams down.

How do you make sure your marketing team stays on top of everything — and that nothing falls through the cracks?

Enter collaboration tools, the marketer’s best friend. The right collaboration tools streamline your workflows, simplify communication, and manage deadlines, all while increasing transparency and accountability.

With that in mind, we’ve identified the five categories of tools every agency should use to empower seamless, harmonious collaboration.

1. Powerful project management tools

Project management software paves the way for smooth progress — from planning and prioritizing, to tracking and measuring tasks, goals, and obstacles.

The criteria we used to measure tools were factors like how they maximized team efficiency, increased organization, automated tasks, and streamlined workflows. We road-tested a robust list of tools, and the ones below impressed us the most.

Teamwork

“With Teamwork we get more visibility into our team’s capacity and resources available and what exactly needs to be done.”

~Nicci Beacham, Project and Quality Manager, Liberty Marketing

This powerful app checks off lots of helpful features for users and managers. From seeing everything in your department to tracking time and identifying obstacles early, Teamwork provides a smooth process for your marketing project management duties. Plus, it’s easy to use with very little ramp-up time.

The only all-in-one platform for client work

Trusted by 20,000 businesses and 6,000 agencies, Teamwork.com lets you easily manage, track, and customize multiple complex projects. Get started with a free 30-day trial.

Try Teamwork.com for free

Pros

• Choose the view that suits your needs, with kanban boards, gantt charts, tables and more.

• Both day-to-day and long-range resource management features avoid bottlenecks.

• Time-tracking provides a way to see what the team is spending their time on to help manage workflows and budgets.

• Full suite of financial and budget management tools, providing a real-time overview of project health and performance.

• The portfolio project management tool offers a panoramic view of all projects.

Cons

• Very small organizations may find Teamwork to have more features than they need.

• Could benefit from more onboarding tutorials, but Teamwork Academy has recently launched to provide greater support.

Asana

Credit: Asana

From the time a project is just an idea until it’s a finished deliverable out the door, Asana facilitates every facet of the process for marketing teams. Its many features make this tool a great choice for managing small and large aspects of a project.

Pros

• It has a single location for all information — no more clicking around in spreadsheets and emails to find important tidbits.

• Team member workload is measured across projects, helping use resources more productively.

• A shared calendar ensures everyone is on the same page and accountable.

• Build Gantt charts with visual timelines for easier planning.

Cons

• No time-tracking feature.

• The number of features can make Asana seem overwhelming, especially for new tool users.

monday.com

Credit: The Product Manager

monday.com is a comprehensive project management tool that can be tailored to suit companies of any size. It’s a robust PM tool with plenty of features to streamline team workflows, including time-saving automations, CRM integrations, and 24/7 customer support.

Pros

• Customizable color-coded timeline makes it easy to toggle between views (Kanban, charts, and tables) and see project status at a glance.

• Easily invite any stakeholders (internal or external) as guests to view project timelines for centralized collaboration.

• Can integrate with a number of other tools already in your agency’s tech stack, including Slack, Dropbox, Zapier, and 200+ others.

Cons

• Cluttered layout can be difficult for users to navigate.

• Poor time-tracking and expenses functionality make it not ideal for agencies or teams delivering client work.

• Mobile app is limited and doesn’t sufficiently mirror the desktop app, making it harder to use on the go.

• No support for task dependencies.

2. Great instant messaging tools

Cumbersome email threads and endless reply-alls are unorganized, time-consuming ways to communicate. Maximize team communication by incorporating an instant messaging platform.

You can create different groups to keep the relevant people for each project up-to-date. You can also use it to facilitate real-time communication between in-office staff, remote employees, and freelancers — no matter where (or when), they’re working. The following three options will help you collaborate faster in no time. 

Slack

Credit: Kipwise

If you’ve been in marketing for more than a day, you’ve probably heard of this popular collaboration platform. For simple or complex projects and small or huge teams, Slack offers a variety of valuable tools, keeping every stakeholder in the loop.

Pros

• Boasts over 2,000 integrations, which helps it snuggle seamlessly into your existing tech stack

• Offers numerous communication avenues including chat, threads, direct messaging, video calls, and voice calls

• Sends notifications to keep every team member informed of the most recent project updates

• Feature-rich mobile app connects users on the go

Cons

• Getting “Slacked” can become time-consuming and evolve into needless, unproductive conversations.

• The software moves quickly and can become overwhelming (especially for large teams).

• There are limited customization options within the tool.

The power of Slack and Teamwork.com together

Consolidate communications into a centralized space. Pull content, ideas, or requests from Slack into the Teamwork.com platform and instantly convert them into project-managed tasks.

Add Teamwork to Slack

Microsoft Teams

Credit: Happy

Looking for a one-stop-shop collaboration platform? Microsoft Teams delivers.

With easy-to-use features allowing you to message, chat, video conference, build and share files, and more, Teams is one of the best online collaboration tools for your agency.

Pros

• Generous cloud storage

• Single location for all Microsoft Office tools (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneDrive, and more)

• Powerful, user-friendly software

• Wiki document library users can share

Cons

• The file storage system is confusing, with many users reporting issues with finding and managing key documents. 

• It’s time-consuming to change permissions.

WhatsApp

Credit: WhatsApp

Popular as a communication tool for friends and family, WhatsApp provides big benefits to agencies, too. Touch base with clients easily by using the platform’s customizable message templates.

Pros

• List Messages and Reply Buttons elicit faster responses and cut down on wasted time waiting on feedback.

• Use automated greetings to build rapport and trust.

• Labels succinctly organize conversations so you can access and respond fast.

Cons

• Not enough features for large teams

• Flimsy reporting and analytics features

• Not very stringent data protection

3. Video conferencing and screen-sharing tools

75% of remote workers report they can be just as (or more) productive remotely as they are in the office, with video.

If team members don’t share the same workspace, video calls can bridge the miles and create unity better than more impersonal communication channels.

Video tools also let users share screens and leave video messages if schedules (or time zones) aren’t syncing up. These three video conferencing and screen-sharing tools impressed us with their ease-of-use, rich functionality, and scalability.

Zoom

Credit: Videocentric

It experienced success before 2020, but this video app exploded in popularity when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Available for both iOS and Android, this easy-to-learn platform offers plenty of strong audiovisual offerings and customizable features. It's no surprise that Zoom calls quickly became almost as commonplace as emails in the workplace.

Pros

• Customizable backgrounds

• Crisp video and clear audio

• Tons of integrations with widely used apps and popular calendars

• Free meetings (if you keep it under 40 minutes)

Cons

• Video can be unstable if the user has a weak internet connection

• Mobile app needs improvement

Skype

Credit: Apple Magazine

Skype is another name you probably recognize as an online meeting favorite. This Microsoft product helps connect millions of users for conversations, brainstorming, collaboration, and problem resolution.

Pros

• Instant messaging, chat, and video for free, no matter where you are

• Compatible with Microsoft Office 365

• Screen and file sharing 

• Video chat recording feature

Cons

• Can have garbled audio, especially if there’s lots of background noise

• Costs money to conference with people outside the Skype platform

Google Chat

Fans of Google Workspace (formerly called G Suite) and Gmail may decide using Google Chat is the best choice for their video chat and conferencing needs.

Pros

• Lets users enter chat rooms where they can message, share files, and provide quick updates

• Powerful security protocols keep your company’s data safe

• Easy-to-use screen sharing

Cons

• Doesn’t support whiteboards during meetings

• Large file size limitations

4. Design prototyping tools

If you’ve ever been thrilled at the prospect of a beautifully wrapped gift, you’ve experienced the driving force behind design. Good design creates a more enjoyable user experience and makes your marketing campaigns stand out.

Whether you have in-house designers or you’re working with a freelancer, design usually takes multiple stakeholders and quite a bit of back and forth.

Using a design prototyping tool allows you to share and discuss prototypes before they become final products. Here are three tools that facilitate a smooth design process, from the first concept through execution.

InVision

Credit: Toptal

Keep your team collaboration functioning at top capacity with InVision. Here you can design user interfaces to create robust mobile applications. Users can collaborate on designs, upload wireframes, and gather valuable data to make decisions with this collaboration tool.

Pros

• Many typographical choices to guide the user’s experience

• Scrollable artboards with pinning elements

• Rapidly connected and animated interactive elements

Cons

• Inspect mode has limited functionality.

• There is no way to create custom links for sharing with clients.

Webflow

This app offers quick designing and prototyping without knowing how to code. Its healthy collaboration features ensure designers and marketers are on the same page with their vision and progress.

Pros

• Drag-and-drop functionality

• Advanced animations

• Powerful SEO capabilities

• Easy and customizable CMS

Cons

• Needs more templates

• Advanced features can be confusing to a beginner

Adobe XD

Credit: sitepoint

An alluring array of features and benefits await you with this full-throttle prototyping collaboration tool. Design a website or app and elevate your brand with Adobe XD.

Pros

• Access to user flows, interactions, and motions without knowing how to code

• Interactive carousels to scroll important information on your website

• Editing with teammates in real-time

• Shareable links for easy design feedback

Cons

• No way to simultaneously update multiple flows

• Needs more integrations

5. Collaborative document editing tools

A collaborative, cloud-based editing tool gives users a way to write, edit, proofread, comment, and ask for suggestions, anytime and anywhere.

These tools are must-haves for content marketing, especially when you’re collaborating with freelancers, agencies, or proofreaders. However, they’re also useful for teaming up on your digital marketing strategy, launching plans, and creating SOPs.

The three tools we picked help all sizes of teams keep projects moving, decrease feedback time, and create a single document of truth.

Teamwork Spaces

Create and collaborate on documents within a single workspace. This way, everyone works on the same version and stays on the same page — literally.

Pros

• Lets users transform documents with interactive widgets

• Organizes files via the app’s categories, tags, and filtering functionalities

• Email and in-app notifications

• Videos, images, and charts with text

Cons

• The Tables feature can be challenging to use.

• There is no history of completed tasks to refer back to.

Google Docs

Create, edit, and share documents directly from your browser whenever you need to. With Google's simple design, easy setup, and impressive features, you and your team can stay on top of projects, collaborate asynchronously or in real time, and stay aligned from beginning to end.

Pros

• Users can access files from desktops, laptops, and smart devices.

• Store a revision history to track who made changes (and when).

• Give users access to a wide choice of templates.

Cons

• Tables don’t always copy and paste well.

• There are formatting limitations.

Bit.ai

This visually pleasing app packs a big punch for any team’s document editing efforts. Its many bells and whistles keep even large teams organized and focused on the same goals.

Pros

• Individual workspaces that users can invite stakeholders to join

• Easy to build internal and external wikis of information to share with other collaborators

• Tracks engagement across shared content

Cons

• Limited font styles

• Document creation not as user-friendly

Streamline efficiency by downloading Teamwork today

Implementing B2C and B2B collaboration tools that prioritize efficiency, simplify communications, and are inclusive of every stakeholder and project is crucial for running a well-oiled team.

Consider your own team, their strengths, and the type of workflows you tackle as you’re deciding on marketing collaboration software programs to add to your tech stack.

Teamwork is an all-in-one tool that’s packed with features to help your organization collaborate effectively, both async and in real time. With tons of templates, transparent work views, and user-friendly features, your team can start experiencing this software’s true value from the moment you sign up.