It’s hard to know what you’re getting when you decide to work with a marketing agency. Many advertise themselves as experts, but if you don’t know what to look for, you could end up getting burned by an agency.
There are a lot of factors that qualify LaunchBoom as one of the best in the business, like our expert certifications or our proven crowdfunding track record. But, nothing qualifies us better than the people working here who make it all happen each and every day.
From the producers in the studio to the data-crunching marketers, LaunchBoom is composed of several specialized teams who work together to turn clients’ aspirations of success into reality.
Today, we’re giving you an in-depth look at the Campaign Manager team. They are experts at what they do, so I’ll allow them to elaborate on their roles directly!
Contents
What is a Campaign Manager (CM)?
Richard: A Campaign Manager is the leader of LaunchBoom’s crowdfunding projects. They work hand in hand on every project with every team member from each digital marketing function, as well as with the client. A Campaign Manager is responsible for the internal team’s cross-functional collaboration and external client’s experience working with LaunchBoom, and to provide that, takes into account resources, timelines, goals, and any other factors that may be influencing the work.
Becca: A Campaign Manager is the person who manages the team of creative and advertising experts in an effort to get everything moving according to plan. The CM is also the direct point of contact for the client, making sure that the clients’ voices are heard during the process and that they understand what’s going on at every stage. Essentially, the CM is the face of LaunchBoom to the client.
Stephanie: I feel like the easiest (and most LaunchBoomy way) to state it is we are the command center for our projects. We work with everyone involved on a campaign both internally here at LaunchBoom as well as externally on the client side. We are the pass-through for all information, deliverables, and concerns. Ultimately, we are responsible for the quality of each and every deliverable that makes it to the client.
What skills make an effective CM?
Turner: Communication and collaboration are the most notable traits of an effective Campaign Manager. Although Campaign Managers may not directly execute the work for each project, they are responsible for managing and communicating both with internal and external teams so that timelines and deliverables are accomplished within a timely manner.
Stephanie: This is a hard one because I believe that each CM on our team brings a little something different to the table. From my perspective, to be a good CM you need to be good at listening, prioritizing, communicating, and supporting. Ultimately you need to have genuine compassion for your clients and your team to be effective in this role. I think you also need to be extremely confident in your ability to stand your ground when the situation warrants it. Being confident that you and your team bring expertise to the table and communicating that expertise confidently and in a manner that the client can understand is paramount.
Richard: A CM must be patient and empathetic, and an excellent communicator that can trim down huge amounts of information to the base essentials necessary for team members to execute. Resourcefulness, the ability to do more with less, is essential, as is a collaborative nature. CM’s are expected to lead by example and find ways to get the most out of everyone involved on projects with tight timelines and limited budgets to service lofty goals. That takes someone that is good under pressure and enjoys the challenge yet reward of high stakes early-stage product testing and business launch planning.
What is a CM’s day-to-day involvement with crowdfunding campaigns?
Stephanie: We are literally involved in every component of day-to-day activities. We are communicating with our internal team and clients on all facets of a TestBoom, LaunchBoom, or InDemand campaign. Every day looks a bit different depending on the projects a particular CM is working on and where they are in the process but there shouldn’t be a component of the campaign that a CM isn’t aware of, isn’t reviewing, and ultimately approving daily.
Becca: As the Campaign Strategists are plugging in ads and running tests on the platforms, the CM’s are keeping the clients apprised of all updates, answering questions, and bringing the clients’ input to the rest of the team. We also meet with the clients to give detailed reports on how everything is going. We have a high day-to-day involvement with each campaign.
Richard: CM’s are involved to some degree in every aspect of a crowdfunding project’s day-to-day work. While they’re not executing directly, they’re constantly talking with team members or the clients who are; providing feedback, bouncing strategy ideas back and forth; and making sure that the people getting it done are set up for success. Different projects with team members and different goals require different levels of involvement from CM’s – no two projects are the same given a variety of different factors. Some are more hands-off, and some are very hands-on. CM’s need to be ready to participate in daily work if they’re needed, able to step back when they’re not, and are expected to recognize the difference.
How do CM’s participate in the strategic and creative directions of projects?
Turner: CM’s participate in the strategic and creative directions by collaborating and bringing both the client’s ideas and the internal team’s ideas to the table. We are in charge of communicating the client’s product knowledge and insight to our Campaign Strategists so that they can combine it with our crowdfunding expertise and ultimately make each project as successful as possible.
Naveed: CM’s have a higher-level overview of the project as a whole, and in addition to this, have perspective from one of the most important stakeholders, which is the client. So, we can translate their needs/wants to the team to help facilitate a cohesive balance between our systems and processes, and the client’s needs/wants.
Becca: Since the CM’s have so much communication with the client, we are in a unique position to bring the clients’ perspective to the table. We can speak to things that are difficult to capture in writing about clients, such as the vibe of the project or which aspects the client speaks most passionately about. We also serve as managers for the projects, so while the Strategists have full reign to act in accordance with their expertise, the CM’s are the ones who set parameters such as timelines and meetings to get everything done.
What is the toughest hurdle you often encounter?
Naveed: Client management can be very difficult. It involves a lot of education, patience, and empathy, while also ensuring quality and time are not sacrificed.
Turner: A tough hurdle a CM often encounters is being able to effectively communicate the specificity of our funnel and how it pertains to the unique market that is crowdfunding. We launch big campaigns for a reason–we advertise within a highly-specific market that a lot of products and advertising strategies just don’t fit within, which is why it’s important for clients to understand and trust our process.
Richard: Serving as the bridge between clients and teammates. Oftentimes, personal priorities from different stakeholders come into conflict, and it’s the responsibility of the CM to resolve this in the interest of the project. Sometimes, a client’s ideas about their product or brand may come into conflict with crowdfunding best practices, and expectations must be reset. Occasionally, teammates’ ideas for strategy or creative need to be redirected given the goals or expectations for the project. Managing these tricky ongoing situations, which naturally occur across products, project life-cycles, and participating team members and clients requires deft communication and objective action from the CM. It’s an ongoing interpersonal management practice that can be exhausting but is an objective oversight function that’s necessary for a project to be pushed forward.
Fun Question Time!
What’s the most rewarding part about being a CM?
Richard: The most rewarding part of a CM’s role is the rollercoaster of an initial test that goes to a full product launch, and participating in all of the highs and lows involved. It’s a wildly exciting time for a new entrepreneur and one for which they need an ally. It’s a time that’s sure to be as stressful as it is rewarding, and being an integral part of such a monumental point in an entrepreneur’s journey, both the good times and the bad, is an honor.
Turner: The most rewarding part for me is honestly not when I get thanked for any work I’ve done, but when a client recognizes the hard effort and dedication the entire team has put into their product and campaign. Whether it be the content we’ve written, the photo and video assets we’ve created, or the insights we’ve laid out for them for their future marketing strategies, it’s always great to hear that our clients have enjoyed working with us and appreciate all of our efforts.
Stephanie: This one is easy! I absolutely love helping entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. Taking a founder from having nothing but an idea and a prototype to understanding the best way to position their product and their ideal target audiences is an amazing feeling. At the end of the day, we truly get to help people bring their dreams to life! I don’t think there is a more rewarding experience or feeling than that.
What’s the biggest thing you learned from a client you’ve worked with?
Becca: The biggest thing I learned from many clients is to pay close attention to which aspects of their products they get most excited about. When I understand why the client is so hyped on their product, I can share their excitement and genuinely act as their advocate throughout the process. This requires a lot of careful listening and deliberate communication.
Naveed: I don’t think there’s just ONE single thing that was a big learning experience. It’s ALWAYS a learning experience with each and every client. Everyone is different, every project is different, priorities are different, needs/wants are different, etc. So there’s always something to learn and a way to grow and improve. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there’s always room for more learning and improvement.
Ready to find out firsthand how our Campaign Managers can save you a ton of time and headache so you can focus on things like product development, fulfillment, and shipping? Book a call with us today!
Also, if you enjoyed reading about the Campaign Manager role here at LaunchBoom, check out some of our other Meet the Team spotlights:
Copywriters Campaign Strategists Creative Producers Designers
