It seems like there’s a never ending amount of things that need to be done on PPC accounts. That only amplifies when you work on a number of different accounts or for different clients like at an agency. It’s important to make sure you’re efficient with your time and knocking out what’s on your list.
That being said, it can sometimes be hard to know what to prioritize and what type of model works best for you. I’ve tried a number of different strategies to help me knock tasks out at a blistering pace and out of those tests, I’ve come to think the 3 models below are the most effective for me.
On any given day, my mindset, mood, attention span, etc. can be really great or really poor. That’s just the nature of being human. In other situations, sometimes I’m waiting on someone to get back to me before I can knock out a task. Depending on the day, one model might work better than another, so I stay flexible between these models. It’s important to be aware and adjust. Assuming other PPC folks might be running into the same challenges, I thought it would be nice to share. Hopefully one of the models I like will also work for you as well!
Greatest Impact
There are certain actions that can be done on an account that will have immediate impact; others might take a while to get running. Some will make a large impact; others will have a minimal impact, but still need to be completed. There needs to be some form of system you can use to sort this out. This is where the PIE model comes into play.
source: widerfunnel.com
Chris Goward or WiderFunnel has written about this before, so I’ll let him cover the intricacies. Although he talks about PIE for CRO, it can be extrapolated to your larger PPC task list in just the same way. For sake of this article, we’ll do a Cliff’s Notes version. PIE stands for:
- Potential
- Importance
- Ease
When looking to determine what you should prioritize on your task list, lay out all the changes you need to make. Run them through the PIE model, then start knocking off the ones with the greatest score first and work your way down the list.
Task Type Blocking
Everyone has those days where it can be hard to focus or you just simply run out of gas before the work day is up. Well, news flash, that doesn’t mean your job is finished.
On these days, I create 2 categories for the tasks on my list: brain required and brainless. I then schedule out my day according to when those fit in best for me. Personally, I’m a morning person, or what I’ve previously referred to as a “coffee person”. I work better in the morning, so if I need to do work that requires my brain, it’s better for me to do it early in the day. Then I can take the afternoon and do tasks that don’t require as much strategic thinking to complete.
Others might be “coke people”, or non-morning people. It might make sense for them to knock out their brainless tasks in the morning since they’re not quite with it yet and save the brainiac work for the afternoon.
Client Time Blocking
My last model is ideal for me when I have lots of tasks for clients that are drastically different from each other, i.e. a small ecom shop vs an enterprise lead gen account. It can be really hard to switch gears between clients that are that drastically different from each other.
On these days, find it’s easier to get in the mind set for one client type, and knock out all their tasks at once. Then shift gears and knock out all the tasks for the other client. This reduces the number of times in the day that I have to change my mindset based on my client’s business needs and reducing mental friction, making it a bit easier to get things done.
Overall, there’s no right or wrong way to prioritize your task list. It’s a matter of preference and making sure you’re doing the job you’re getting paid for for all your clients.
How do you prioritize your task list? Have you tried any of these methods? Which works for you? Share with us in the comments!
