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5 tips for implementing Marketing Automation
Nowadays, Marketing Automation is hot stuff. If you consider implementing this technology there are important factors to keep in mind. We put together 5 important key factors for you:
1. Evaluate the status quo and define goals
- The first step is to review your current marketing and sales processes. You can ask yourself the following questions:
- Which processes are done manually?
- Which processes are inefficient and time-consuming or prone to errors.
- Can you track your campaigns to get insightful key performance indicators (KPI's)
- Is the communication between your marketing and sales teams working effectively?
- Do you generate enough leads?
- Can you nurture your leads effectively?
It's worth evaluating the status quo so that currently well-functioning processes can be adopted and to find ideal solutions for processes with potential for improvement.
Marketing Automation is a powerful technology that can be used to automate many marketing and sales processes. There are a large number of tools available on the market. Some are easier to use but do not offer as many features and vice versa. It's worth defining the goals for the usage of Marketing Automation so that the appropriate tool can be selected later. More powerful (and often more complex) tools offer an all-in-one solution that goes beyond standard features such as email marketing, social media management, etc. Often, not all features are used later, which is a waste of money. Defining your goals precisely helps to choose the best-fitting Marketing Automation Tool for your company.
Also, make yourself aware of how your customer journey looks or should look. This is where Customer Experience Automation (CXA) comes into play. In order to optimise the customer experience with automation, it's important to understand where, when and how your customers interact with your company. This defines which features your marketing automation tool must provide. A personalised customer journey, which authentically responds to individual needs via automation, helps you to generate, qualify, and nurture leads in order to acquire more customers.
2. Choose the right tool
As mentioned previously, you should consider your defined goals in order to choose the right tool. There are various criteria and trade-offs that you should keep in mind:
Usability vs. degrees of freedom
There are many Marketing Automation Tools with which many processes can be automated and are easy to use. Often, these tools are rather rigid in their functionality. In contrast, there are tools that offer a high degree of freedom and thus allow a better adaptation to individual circumstances and needs. However, this requires in-house developers and/or an implementation partner like us.
Features
As already mentioned, you should define in advance what you want to use the Marketing Automation Tool for. It's not worth paying for features that are not used.
Third-party systems
Most Marketing Automation tools can be integrated with a variety of third-party systems such as Salesforce. Consider which integrations are critical for your marketing and sales teams and choose the tool that fits best.
Pricing
The prices between the tools vary greatly. Often, the cost of a tool depends on individual circumstances, e.g. the number of contacts, the number of users or the use of features. This makes the comparison between the individual tools considerably more difficult. You should also find out whether support is included in the price. When comparing the prices of the tools, one must first be aware of what is included and on which factors the costs depend, in order to make the right choice.
Usability vs. degrees of freedom
There are many Marketing Automation Tools with which many processes can be automated and are easy to use. Often, these tools are rather rigid in their functionality. In contrast, there are tools that offer a high degree of freedom and thus allow a better adaptation to individual circumstances and needs. However, this requires in-house developers and/or an implementation partner like us.
Features
As already mentioned, you should define in advance what you want to use the Marketing Automation Tool for. It's not worth paying for features that are not used.
Third-party systems
Most Marketing Automation tools can be integrated with a variety of third-party systems such as Salesforce. Consider which integrations are critical for your marketing and sales teams and choose the tool that fits best.
Pricing
The prices between the tools vary greatly. Often, the cost of a tool depends on individual circumstances, e.g. the number of contacts, the number of users or the use of features. This makes the comparison between the individual tools considerably more difficult. You should also find out whether support is included in the price. When comparing the prices of the tools, one must first be aware of what is included and on which factors the costs depend, in order to make the right choice.
3. Adapt structures and involve employees in the process
On the one hand, the implementation of Marketing Automation brings new technical possibilities, on the other hand, it can also be accompanied by new structures, processes and distribution of resources. These effects have to be considered and prepared. Such drastic changes can be accompanied by fears and resistance among employees (change management). Early and clear communication with stakeholders is therefore helpful.
4. Consider the law
It's essential to deal with data protection legislation. Depending on the location of your customers, different legal foundations apply. In Europe, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has set new standards in 2018. This applies to the storage and processing of personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA). You can find out under which conditions Swiss companies must comply with the GDPR at the SME Portal of the Federal Government. The revision of the Swiss data protection law is in full swing and will probably not be as strict as GDPR.
5. Planning and implementation
Good planning is crucial for successful implementation. There are a several factors to consider. Important ones are, for example:
This list can or must be expanded and specified. We have compiled the most important points for you in our handbook. When you implement the first automation it is recommended to start with simple processes. This way you can build up confidence and knowledge about the tool step by step.
The implementation of Marketing Automation brings change. Only those who are aware of this can prepare themselves. We at Waym Marketing Automation know this process from many years of experience. We would like to share our know-how and experience with you and make Marketing Automation a success story in your company. If you have any questions regarding implementation, please feel free to contact us.
- time management
- bringing important stakeholders on board
- migration of existing data (consider opt-outs and bounces)
- integration of forms for lead generation on your website or new landing pages
- integrations to third party systems
- plan your subscriber management
- design of emails and landing pages
- set up tracking
- testing, testing, testing
- training for employees
- launch and gradual optimisation
This list can or must be expanded and specified. We have compiled the most important points for you in our handbook. When you implement the first automation it is recommended to start with simple processes. This way you can build up confidence and knowledge about the tool step by step.
The implementation of Marketing Automation brings change. Only those who are aware of this can prepare themselves. We at Waym Marketing Automation know this process from many years of experience. We would like to share our know-how and experience with you and make Marketing Automation a success story in your company. If you have any questions regarding implementation, please feel free to contact us.
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