Timing Is Everything—in Photography and Marketing
The concept of time and timing is as media-defining to photography as light collection. Yes, at its core, photography is a record of how light presents reality, but it’s also a visual representation of time. While aperture controls how light interacts with a camera’s film or sensor, shutter speed encapsulates its relationship with time. Short exposures capture microseconds, while long exposures reveal motion and duration. Timing in marketing works similarly: optimal publication dates drive deadlines, internal milestones break projects into manageable phases, and intentional workflows reduce the pressure of last-minute scrambles—or unintended blurs.
Shutter Speed and Marketing
A photographer uses shutter speed with intention—to show motion or freeze a moment. However, this must be done within the limitations of light and physics; not everything is possible. Similarly, in-house marketing teams operate with limited time and resources. Time management prioritizes how to best allocate those finite resources.
Time management is one of the most important soft skills for marketing teams. Many international schools now incorporate soft skills like time planning into their curricula, recognizing that students may excel academically but struggle without these foundational skills. Similarly, your in-house marketing team might have immense creative talent and deep knowledge of your school’s brand, but without a clear system for prioritizing tasks, managing timelines, and coordinating resources, their output can feel chaotic and inconsistent.
To Blur or Capture?
When photographing waterfalls, I like to experiment with multiple exposures, balancing sharp details and smooth motion. I’ll capture some shots at faster shutter speeds to freeze splashes and textures, then use an ND filter for longer exposures to create that dreamy, flowing effect. The final image—a composite blending these approaches—is intentional, with each exposure serving its purpose. Marketing is similar: it’s about being deliberate with how you spend your time. Some projects require quick turnarounds to capture immediate opportunities, while others benefit from the slow, steady development of strategy and messaging. Both approaches have their place, but blending them with purpose makes the most impact.
Shutter Speed: 1/40 second
Shutter Speed: 30.0 seconds
Time Management is More Than a To-Do List
Most creative agencies employ dedicated traffic managers or project managers to streamline workflows and manage time effectively. In-house teams often lack this dedicated role, leading to inefficiencies, missed deadlines, or frustration. Without someone specifically tasked with managing workflows, these responsibilities often fall informally on creatives or marketing managers, pulling them away from their primary roles.
The absence of traffic management can lead to more than inefficiencies—it can erode professional boundaries. When these boundaries diminish, expect unrealistic project requests, endless revision cycles, or rushed deadlines, ultimately causing staff burnout. Expect more on this on the next post in this series.
Who Controls Your Traffic?
While not every in-house team needs a dedicated traffic manager, traffic management must be formalized and intentional. It can be spread across roles and integrated into strategic meetings, but it should never fall entirely on either the marketing director or the creatives.
If marketing directors spend too much time managing traffic, they may lose focus on high-level strategy, brand alignment, and key stakeholder relationships. Their role is to drive the school’s marketing vision—not micromanage day-to-day task flow. Think of the marketing director as akin to a school principal: they don’t teach every class or grade every paper but instead focus on the school’s strategic direction and goals.
Similarly, leaving traffic management entirely to creatives undermines their ability to focus on creative execution. When individuals are left to self-manage project priorities, deadlines may slip, workloads can become uneven, and team tensions may arise.
Solutions for Better Time Management
Effective traffic management doesn’t require hiring a full-time traffic manager but does require intentional systems. This could mean assigning traffic responsibilities to an administrator or creating shared workflows between the marketing director and team. Here’s how you can formalize time management:
- Implement a Traffic System: Establish clear roles and responsibilities for time tracking and project coordination, ensuring they leverage staff expertise without overburdening anyone. Use project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com, but remember that tools alone aren’t enough. The team must designate someone to oversee their implementation and ensure accountability.
- Incorporate Creative Briefs: A creative brief should accompany every project, detailing the purpose, scope, timelines, and deliverables. It ensures that time-sensitive needs, like photography or copywriting, are accounted for early.
- Track Time and Use Project Estimates: During the Creative Brief phase, estimate the time required for each project and track actual hours for all elements of its completion. Share a brief report with the requester, comparing initial estimates to real-world time spent, to help set expectations and guide future requests.
- Establish Boundaries: Define revision limits and clear approval processes before a project is started to prevent endless tweaking.
- Hold Regular Check-Ins: As part of the overall Traffic System, schedule consistent editorial or production meetings to track progress, adjust priorities, and address bottlenecks.
Remember the Creative Brief mentioned in Part two of this series? It's crucial in Traffic Management too! At its core, a Creative Brief is a simple but powerful tool to formalize creative requests. It ensures both sides—the requestor and the creative team—think through the project thoroughly. A good brief outlines the purpose of the project, how it aligns with the Brand Strategy, key milestones, deadlines, and deliverables from both sides (and yes, this includes supplying content before requesting big projects like websites!).
If you’re looking for a first step toward optimizing your in-house systems, start with this. A well-crafted Creative Brief sets the foundation for smoother, more effective collaboration. Need help getting started or tailoring briefs for your team? School ID is here to help!
Deadlines are not just for the Creatives
The creative brief phase of every project is exceedingly important—it’s the foundation that brings the project into the traffic system and sets it into motion. This phase should include milestones and deadlines for both sides. For example, the requestor might need to supply written or visual content, or other critical information, before the creative team can proceed. Deadlines should apply here as well; creatives cannot absorb the pressure of a time crunch simply because necessary content wasn’t provided on time. A well-organized traffic system can monitor these deadlines, send timely reminders, or adjust overall project timelines if essential materials are delayed.
Intentionality is Key
A great photo portrays time with intention—whether freezing a moment or showing motion. Similarly, a well-managed in-house marketing team uses time intentionally, aligning workflows with brand strategy and school goals. This isn’t about bureaucracy; it’s about clarity, reduced stress, and ensuring smooth project workflows.
While traffic management may seem secondary to creative execution, it’s the backbone of an efficient team. By applying these strategies, in-house teams can bridge the gap between creative expertise and administrative structure, achieving results that rival agencies while retaining the deep brand knowledge that makes them uniquely effective.
Remember to read the other Parts of this four part series :
Part 1: The Exposure Triangle of In-House Marketing
The introduction of the series and the metaphor. Read More
Part 2: Brand Strategy as your Depth of Field
Aperture defines your intended focus—in photography and marketing. Read More
Part 4: ISO – Effective Collaboration Between Educators and Marketers
ISO adjusts a camera’s sensitivity to light, bridging the gap between aperture and shutter speed. Similarly, strong collaboration connects strategy and execution, ensuring cohesive and adaptable marketing efforts. Read More
Key Takeaways for In-House Teams:
