IT BEST PRACTICES Finding the Right Marketing Solution
May 25, 2015
IT BEST PRACTICESFinding the Right Marketing Solution
70% of projects faildue to user adoption
-Forrester Research
Ever rolled out a solution that no one used?
Why waste time and money on software that users hate, or – even worse – completely bypass.
Nothing is worse than “Shelfware”
Your marketing team wants the smartest solutions on the market, and it’s up to you to initiate a wise investment.
Today, IT isn’t the only one using technology – in the past decade, a huge number of new platforms and tools for marketers have emerged on the market.
The key to positive ROI
is user adoption
whichmeans
providing tools your marketing team will
actually use
User-embraced tools that are also sanctioned by IT means everyone’s happy! It’s a no-brainer.
Here’s how IT can help the marketing department find a solution that works for both.
FACT FINDINGWhat’s your marketing
team
looking for?
1
As you look for the right marketing solution, your first step will be information gathering.
What objectives are your marketing team trying to accomplish?
What are your marketingteam’s pain points?
Planning and budgeting
Generating more demand
Building customer relationships
Increasing sales conversions
Measuring and optimizing
Here are some common marketing objectives:
Over-contacting the database
Lack of alignment with sales
Poor visibility into team-wide
efforts
Inconclusive metrics
Difficulty demonstrating ROI
Here are some common marketing pain points:
THE RIGHT TOOLS
Find a marketing platform thathelps your team solve pain points
and meet objectives
2
At the very base of a great marketing solution is the platform. This is where you keep your marketing database of records, your analytics, and integrations into other tools.
Above the platform, you build out marketing applications. Your marketing solution’s applications should help accomplish those marketing objectives you found in your fact finding.
Finally, look at the channels in which marketing uses its tools to reach prospects and customers. Look for a marketing solution that supports all channels.
If the solution you’re considering excels in all three layers, you’ve found a solution your marketing team will love.
But how does a marketing platform
fit into your existing infrastructure?
IT and Operations sit at the base of the platform, overseeing the platform’s integration with the other components of their architecture.
IT/Ops
Sales manages the CRM application which syncs database records with the marketing platform, while marketing utilizes the applications layer, which pulls data and analytics from the platform layer.
Sales Marketing
Finally, marketing can interact with customers and prospects throughthe channels.
Sales Customers/Prospects
Here’s how this looks when you put it all together…
Marketing Customers & Prospects Sales
IT/Ops
Channels
Applications
Platform
But user adoption
also relies on a
successful rollout. That’s where
implementation comes in.
IMPLEMENTATION
3
The key is to make sure both IT and marketing are fully prepared from concept to launch.
Your marketing solution should fully support IT and marketing through all 5 stages of a successful implementation.
The stages of a successful implementation:
SYSTEM PROVISIONING
TECH CONSULTANTS
INTEGRATING
TECH SUPPORT
MONITORING
For IT For Marketing
BEST PRACTICES
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
ADMIN & USER TRAINING
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
MARKETING COMMUNITY
If your solution can fully support both departments through all 5 steps, you’re looking at a smooth implementation.
NEXT STEPS?1. Find your marketing team’s objectives2. Map objectives to a marketing
platform3. Plan out a successful implementation
Marketing Software Built for Marketers
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