Notion - the practical guide.

Notion functions as a highly adaptable digital building block system. At its core, you create "pages" which can contain various content blocks: text, images, videos, code, embeds, and most importantly, databases. These databases are incredibly versatile, allowing you to track anything from editorial calendars to product roadmaps, client lists to bug reports. You can view the same data in different layouts- table, board (Kanban), calendar, gallery, list, or timeline- enabling teams to visualise information in the way that best suits their workflow. This flexibility means Notion can serve multiple functions, from a simple note-taking app to a complex multi-team project hub.

Day-to-day, a marketing team might use Notion to manage their content pipeline. Each piece of content (blog post, social update, email) could be an item in a database. Properties within that database might include status (draft, in review, published), assignee, due date, content type, and related campaigns. Writers can draft content directly in Notion, designers can embed visual assets, and editors can leave comments. For campaign management, a separate database might track campaigns, linking individual content pieces back to their parent campaign. This interconnectedness allows for both granular task management and a high-level overview of marketing initiatives.

Notion typically sits as a central hub for internal team operations and knowledge management. It can replace disparate tools like Trello (for task management), Confluence (for documentation), or even simple spreadsheets. While it integrates with many popular services like Slack, Google Drive, and Zapier, its strength lies in consolidating data and workflows natively. It excels as a single source of truth for marketing assets, brand guidelines, meeting notes, OKRs, and project plans, fostering transparency and reducing context switching across the team. However, it’s not a CRM like Salesforce, nor is it a dedicated design collaboration tool like Figma.

Notion is ideal for agile marketing teams, startups, and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who value customisation over out-of-the-box rigidity. It suits teams of 5-50 people who are comfortable with a bit of setup to tailor the tool to their exact needs. Large enterprises might find its open-ended nature less appealing, preferring more structured, purpose-built solutions. It’s particularly effective for content marketing teams, product marketing teams, and those managing complex campaigns requiring detailed tracking and cross-functional collaboration. The common job-to-be-done is creating a centralised, searchable knowledge base and a flexible project management system without committing to multiple single-function tools.

Notion offers four main plans: Free, Plus, Business, and Enterprise. The Free plan is generous, providing unlimited pages and blocks for individuals, and limited block content for teams (up to 1,000 blocks). The Plus plan, aimed at small teams, costs $10 per user per month (or $8 billed annually), offering unlimited blocks, file uploads, and 30-day version history. The Business plan, for growing teams, is $18 per user per month (or $15 billed annually) and adds SAML SSO, private team spaces, and 90-day version history. Enterprise pricing is custom, including a dedicated success manager and unlimited version history. The bill is driven primarily by the number of active users, with file storage, automation, and AI features potentially adding to costs on higher tiers.

Notion is the right pick if your team thrives on flexibility and wants to build a bespoke workspace that evolves with your needs. It suits teams who are willing to invest time in initial setup and customisation, and who prioritise a single source of truth for multiple functions. If your team is struggling with scattered documents, disparate project tools, and a lack of centralised knowledge, Notion can bring order. Conversely, if your team prefers highly specialised, prescriptive tools with minimal setup (e.g., Jira for development, HubSpot for CRM, Asana for project management), Notion might feel too open-ended and require too much effort to configure. For those who demand strict adherence to external compliance standards, the self-governance required for Notion could also be a barrier.

Be aware that Notion’s greatest strength- its flexibility- can also be its downfall. Without clear governance and consistent team discipline, pages can quickly become disorganised, leading to "Notion sprawl" where information is hard to find. The learning curve, while not steep, requires commitment to master its database functionalities. Collaboration within databases can sometimes be less intuitive than in dedicated project management tools, especially for new users. Also, while Notion is robust, very large files and extremely complex databases can occasionally experience performance slowdowns. There is no offline mode for mobile, which can be frustrating when working remotely. Security features are standard, but not as advanced as some enterprise-grade competitors.