Here’s six ways to get organized for your marketing efforts:
- Create folders for text, photos, video and audio. Google Drive or Dropbox are recommended platforms. Tip: Create internal folders for archiving, as well as folders which can be shared for outreach, such as a folder for a press kit.
- Use a naming system for specific events, dates, projects, etc. and stick with it! That way, all the files from a certain show or project are easily found when searching a key word.
- Color coding categories helps you find things quickly. This can be achieved with colored paper or folders, markers (get out the highlighter set!), or digitally (use the computer’s ability to highlight and make text in a wide variety of colors).
- Remember to do “digital housekeeping.” Set aside time to go through the download folder or other folders, old drives or other places to sort, delete and reorganize files that might be clogging up the works. Chances are you’ll also find an ‘Aha!’ file you forgot about. Make a schedule such as bi-weekly, and save yourself a headache down the line.
- Have photos and graphics in many sizes: Research the sizes of graphics you need for every scenario. Then create them in Photoshop, Canva, or similar program. For example, you may need horizontal, vertical and square format for photos. You may need a logo in a small file size for the web, as well as a larger size to print on a poster. Have all the graphics you need a few clicks away so that when someone requests them, you are ready to send them promptly.
- Think like an archivist. Be meticulous and organize your files, you may need to find them one day. Separate the vital files from digital clutter. Make sure you keep your absolutely important files safe and of course, back them up on a hard drive or cloud storage. Don’t think, ‘I’ll get to that later…’ get to it now and make sure you have the files and media you need for years to come. Social media is not an archive system. Make your own.