Airtable

User-friendly database management

Airtable is a cloud-based tool that combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet with the power of a database. It’s highly flexible and can be used for a wide range of tasks, from project management to customer relationship management (CRM). One of its key strengths is the ability to manage and organise data visually, making it easy for marketers to track and analyse information. Whether you’re managing leads, tracking content creation, or building a campaign calendar, Airtable provides a simple, intuitive interface that’s ideal for marketing teams who need to organise large volumes of data.

Collaboration and team functionality

Airtable excels in its collaborative features. It allows multiple team members to work on the same base simultaneously, making it a great tool for teams that need to stay aligned on projects. Whether you’re working on a marketing campaign, product launch, or content strategy, you can assign tasks, leave comments, and update progress all in real-time. Airtable’s ability to create and customise views such as grid, calendar, and kanban ensures that your team can work in a way that best suits their workflow.

Extensive integrations and automation

Airtable integrates seamlessly with a wide variety of tools, including Slack, Google Drive, Trello, and more. For marketing teams, the ability to connect Airtable to other platforms, such as your CRM or project management tool, ensures that data flows smoothly between applications. Airtable’s built-in automation features also allow you to set up workflows that reduce manual work and improve efficiency. This makes it an excellent choice for marketers who need to automate routine tasks, such as updating records, sending notifications, or triggering actions in other tools.

Pricing for scalability

While Airtable offers a free plan, it can become pricey as your team or business grows. The paid plans offer more advanced features like automation, greater record limits, and expanded collaboration tools. For small teams or startups, the free version may suffice, but for larger businesses or teams requiring more functionality, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan. It's important to weigh the value that Airtable’s advanced features bring against the costs associated with scaling.

I first started using Airtable as a growth hacker in 2014, and for several years, it was my go-to tool for managing everything from lead tracking to content management. I loved its user-friendly interface, and I could see how it bridged the gap between simple spreadsheets and more complex database management. However, after using Airtable extensively for six years, I transitioned to Notion in 2020, as I found it offered more flexibility for managing both tasks and knowledge in a centralised space.

This review is based on desk research, so while I haven’t used Airtable in the last couple of years, my experience and research into its latest features should provide a solid overview of its capabilities.

Strengths of Airtable

One of the things that made Airtable stand out for me as a growth hacker was how easy it was to set up and organise data. I used Airtable extensively to track campaigns, manage lead data, and collaborate with my team. The visual aspect of Airtable, with its various views (grid, kanban, calendar, etc.), made it much more intuitive than traditional spreadsheets. I could easily switch between views to get the insights I needed for each project, whether it was a detailed breakdown of tasks or an overview of campaign timelines.

Another major strength was Airtable’s flexibility in terms of customisation. I could create fields for different types of data, set up relationships between tables, and even integrate Airtable with other tools like Slack and Zapier to automate certain tasks. The ability to link different tables within a base allowed me to create a connected system that streamlined workflows across my team.

Limitations of Airtable

While Airtable is incredibly versatile, it does have its limitations. One challenge I faced was scaling it for larger teams. As my business grew, I found that Airtable’s pricing model, particularly for teams with complex needs, could become expensive. The paid plans offer more records, advanced automation, and increased functionality, but for smaller businesses, the costs could outweigh the benefits.

Additionally, while Airtable is great for tracking data, it lacks some of the advanced project management features that other tools like Notion or ClickUp offer. For example, I missed the task management features of Notion, which allow you to create detailed to-do lists, manage tasks by project, and track personal goals, all within the same workspace. Airtable’s automation features are useful, but not as intuitive as those found in tools dedicated to project management.

Ideal fit for marketing teams

Airtable is ideal for marketing teams that need a simple yet powerful way to manage data. If you’re working with large volumes of information, such as lead data, content management, or campaign tracking, Airtable is a great solution. It’s particularly useful for teams that require customisation in how they structure and view their data, whether in a grid, kanban board, or calendar view. Its collaboration features also make it an excellent choice for teams that need to work together on projects in real-time.

However, if your marketing needs go beyond data tracking and require more robust project management tools, you may want to look at alternatives like Notion, ClickUp, or Monday.com. These tools offer more comprehensive task management, goal tracking, and advanced reporting features that Airtable doesn’t provide out-of-the-box.

If you’re considering using Airtable to manage your marketing campaigns, leads, or projects, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started:

Setting up your Airtable account

1. Create an Airtable account: Sign up for Airtable using your Google account or an email address. After signing up, you’ll be prompted to create your first workspace and base. The base is essentially your project or data set, and you can create as many bases as you need for different marketing efforts.
2. Create your first base: Start with a blank base or use one of Airtable’s templates. There are templates for project management, CRM, content calendars, and more. Choose the template that fits your needs or create your own from scratch.
3. Customise your tables: Once your base is created, set up tables to track your data. For example, you can create separate tables for leads, marketing campaigns, and social media posts. Airtable allows you to link different tables together, so you can track relationships between your data such as linking leads to specific campaigns or social media posts to blog articles.

Organising and managing data

1. Set up fields and records: In each table, you can create fields to track different data points. For example, for leads, you might have fields for name, email, source, status, and notes. You can choose from various field types such as single-line text, multiple select, checkboxes, or attachments.
2. View your data in different ways: Airtable allows you to view your data in different ways, such as a grid, calendar, kanban board, or gallery. Choose the view that best suits your workflow. For example, use a kanban board to track the progress of different marketing campaigns or a calendar to plan your content publishing schedule.
3. Collaborate with your team: Share your base with your team members and assign tasks to them directly within Airtable. You can leave comments on records and tag team members to keep everyone informed. Airtable’s real-time collaboration features make it easy to work together, whether you’re planning a campaign or managing content.

Automating your workflows

1. Set up Airtable Automations: Airtable’s automation features allow you to create workflows that automate repetitive tasks. For example, you can automatically send an email when a new lead is added to your base or notify your team when a campaign status changes. To set up an automation, click on the "Automations" tab and create a new automation.
2. Integrate with other tools using Zapier: If you need to integrate Airtable with other apps, such as Slack or Google Sheets, you can use Zapier to create custom workflows. For example, you can set up a Zap to send new Airtable records to Google Sheets or create tasks in Asana based on Airtable updates.

Advanced features and reporting

1. Use formulas for calculations: Airtable allows you to create formula fields to calculate values based on your data. For example, you can use a formula to calculate the ROI of a campaign or the total value of leads in a pipeline. This makes Airtable a powerful tool for generating insights from your data.
2. Create custom reports: With Airtable’s flexible views, you can create custom reports to track your KPIs. For example, you can create a report to track the number of leads generated from each campaign or the success of different content marketing strategies. Airtable’s data visualisation tools allow you to generate charts and graphs for a clearer understanding of your metrics.

Conclusion

Airtable is a fantastic tool for B2B marketers who need to organise and manage data in a visual and customisable way. Its flexible approach to project management, data tracking, and collaboration makes it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized marketing teams. However, for larger teams or those needing more robust project management features, alternatives like Notion, ClickUp, or Monday.com might be better suited. By following this guide, you can leverage Airtable’s full potential to streamline your marketing operations and improve team productivity.