85% of B2B marketers using Marketing Automation platforms feel that they’re not using them to their full potential (according to the SiriusDecisions publication “Increasing Adoption of Marketing Automation Platforms”). We often get the question of should I optimize Marketing Automation tools and continue to invest in our current solution, or should I migrate?
It can be difficult to judge the root cause - is it your Marketing Automation solution or something internal…or both. It becomes cloudier when you are new to an organization, unfamiliar with the technology in question, or ownership of the tool has changed hands multiple times.
When working with clients to figure out the answer to this question there are a few best practices which we recommend as a way to optimize your Marketing Automation tool.
Sync your Martech infrastructure.
- You may have a gap in the technology being unable to connect to your sales CRM. It may not be a functionality problem, but either a lack of understanding of its capabilities. You may also not have a technical enough resource.
Educate your organization.
- Your marketing organization needs more than a basic understanding of how to use the technology. It doesn’t stop with learning the software or with the marketing organization. Both the marketing and the sales organization need to know the ‘why’ behind the software.
Tap into expert know how
- If you’re working with an external resource/agency, be sure that their knowledge isn’t just on the design or content side. It’s important to work with partners that have a technical understanding of your systems.
Standardize Processes
- Document how you execute campaigns, qualify and pass over leads to sales, creating templates and guides and other key processes. Your efficiency will improve and involving the sales organization will increase their buy-in.
Develop Ownership
- Here are some key areas that someone or a team should oversee. They would create the standard processes mentioned above for these specific areas: identifying target segments, developing the cadence for email promotion, inserting tracking codes, launching campaign, building the lead scoring model, tracking and reporting on marketing attribution to revenue.
Assess your technology
- Occasionally, write down all the high level campaigns and channels you need to use to execute your marketing plan. If you can identify how your current technology can perform those tasks (easily and in an automated fashion) then you’re in good shape. If not, it may be time to consider migrating to another solution.
If you’ve identified any gaps between your current methodology and technology usage, then it is now a matter of setting the priorities of what programs/processes to optimize first and finding the right internal resources or external expert to get started. Don’t suffer in silence and continue with a solution that doesn’t meet your needs. Contact us and we can review what you currently have in place for tools, campaigns and resources, and we can help you change to be more successful.
