Many modern marketers feel like they \u201cshould\u201d be doing something with marketing automation. Because \u201ceveryone\u201d is doing it. Which is kind of the same thing as leasing a Tesla. It\u2019s a sweet ride and it\u2019s \u201cgreen\u201d. Everyone at the office wants to be environment-friendly (and look good at the same time), which means you should get one, too. After all, what\u2019s cooler than checking the Tesla-app on your smartphone to see if it\u2019s charged, in front of all your colleagues?<\/p>\n
Along the same lines, pressure (from both management as well as peers in marketing) is causing marketers to dive deep into lists of requirements<\/a> and functionality. Trying to decide which platform they should recommend to their bosses, even though it\u2019s hard for them to comprehend the differences from one platform to the next.<\/p>\n According to a recent study done by Act-On and eConsultancy, 85% of respondent companies rate their marketing automation systems as effective \u2013 which seems very good at first sight. But what about the 15% that ends up ineffective? <\/p>\n Getting measurable results from marketing automation implementation is what we are going for. Just buying a platform isn\u2019t going to save your soul. I bet the bigger the expectations and solution, the bigger the chance it leads to disappointments. Marketing automation isn\u2019t nearly as necessary (yet) as often posited.<\/p>\n Before committing time and energy into researching a marketing automation tool<\/a>, ask yourself this question: \u201cIs this worth my time and effort right now?\u201d Or should you be focusing on cold-calling that select group of 200 companies you know could use your product? For many small B2B businesses, marketing automation is overkill.<\/p>\n This sounds elementary, but companies continually skip this step through some sort of tunnel-vision. They forget to actually think about what they\u2019re trying to achieve with a marketing automation platform. \u201cWe\u2019ll implement first and then figure out what to do with it\u201d is a more common approach than you might think.<\/p>\n Randomly selecting a destination, however, is much more fun during your biking vacation, then when buying marketing automation software. <\/p>\n Marketing automation software tends to be complex and expensive. It\u2019s deceptively hard to comprehend (marketing strategies by vendors aside). Yes, you can do all sorts of things with it: but should you, really? Without a solid Action Plan, the day-to-day of marketing will cause you to try this and then that, without really making progress.<\/p>\n Reality demands results. If you can\u2019t prove your business case<\/a> within a predetermined amount of time, chances are you\u2019ll trash your expensive platform before it has a chance to help you change your business for the better, forever.<\/p>\n Do not underestimate \u201cjust implementing\u201d either. It can be a frustrating exercise to port processes from one system to the next. Employees tend to resist this sort of change, too. Which is why, if you want your ambitions towards digital transformation to be realized, you should always join switching technology with changing strategies. That means you\u2019ll kill two birds with one stone and make the change psychologically easier on your entire organisation.<\/p>\n As it turns out, a lot of marketing automation vendors aren\u2019t quite as transparent with their pricing as you\u2019d want. Oftentimes, this is a strategic decision to make you talk to their sales reps. Which is all fine and dandy, expect when you\u2019re trying to make an informed decision about which platform to buy.<\/p>\n Figuring out what exactly you\u2019ll be getting for your dollars is subsequently no mean feat. Lots of vendors employ pricing tiers. Which means, generally speaking, you\u2019ll get less functionality at lower tiers. But you won\u2019t be the first to call out: \u201cWe can build our own custom reports, right?\u201d<\/em> only to find out that feature is actually an add-on.<\/p>\n So, don\u2019t just assume you\u2019re getting a five-course menu. In most cases, you\u2019ll be eating a la carte, which means you only get what you pick and pay for: nothing less, but also certainly nothing more (unless you side order it!).<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/b>: always check vendor proposals for the extent of which their discounts (which are also common) continue to apply to their fee. As with the add-on pitfall, you wouldn\u2019t be the first to be caught off guard by a sizable price-hike in the second year of your contract. Good luck explaining that to management.<\/p>\n The success of your marketing automation implementation hinges on what you and your colleagues actually end up doing with it. To reiterate: marketing automation tools are complex. You\u2019ve got to learn how to work with them. That doesn\u2019t happen overnight (even if – or maybe even especially – if you have previous experience). How long this process takes varies case by case.<\/p>\n![\"automation-stats\"](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/automation-stats.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Consideration 2: plan your route before jumping on your bike<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"dfboard2-1024x531\"](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dfboard2-1024x531.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/span>Consideration 3: a la carte dining is more fun at a restaurant, than at the negotiation table<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Consideration 4: which slow-juicer should you be getting?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"slow-juicer-marketing-automation-550px\"](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/slow-juicer-marketing-automation-550px.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n