The marketing automation system you implement can have a pronounced impact on everything from lead generation to website conversion rate. Needless to say, this is an important decision. However, it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. As you evaluate your options, you just need to keep some key considerations in mind. Then, the right solution for you will reveal itself pretty readily.
Tips for Choosing the Ideal Marketing Automation System
Here are some tips for finding the right tool:
- The platform should empower your people and processes, not the other way around. You need to hire people and develop processes that deliver results, then find a system that supports what you’ve got going. Trying to re-engineer your whole marketing department to “work better” with the new tool is only going to lead to frustration and probably failure.
- Focus on “user friendly.” A system can have all the “bells and whistles” you could ever want, but if it isn’t intuitive, you will continually be dealing with pushback from your team, as they know there are tools out there that are not only powerful, but easy to use as well.
- Create a feature checklist. Assuming that a system is user friendly (see above), what features do you need and want it to have? When participating in vendor demos, it’s easy to be wowed by Feature A and totally miss the fact that the system doesn’t have mission critical Feature B. Your “shopping list” can keep your evaluation on track.
- Buy for the medium term. Of course, you don’t want to invest time, money, and effort into acquiring and implementing a short-term solution. However, too often people get hung up on trying to find a system that is so advanced, so bleeding edge, that it’s virtually guaranteed to be the leader five years and even 10 years from now. The truth is, marketing automation tools are updated and enhanced so frequently that trying to guess which one will be THE one five years from now is the definition of a “fool’s errand.”
- Consider the product “ecosystem.” Yes, a product may be great, but if the only place to get implementation or optimization assistance with it is through the company’s pricey professional services group, you may find yourself in a bind. It’s much better to purchase a product that has a wide network of knowledgeable certified partners.
Helping Companies Take Inbound to the Next Level
At 30dps, we’ve helped companies in a wide range of verticals use marketing automation platforms like HubSpot to achieve outstanding content marketing results. When you’re ready to talk about your marketing objectives and what you need to reach them, our teams in Colorado Springs, CO, Springfield, MO, and Olympia, WA, are eager to assist! Let us buy you a cup of virtual coffee and let’s chat!
