How true! I thought when I read the following sentence in a recent article by
Heinz Marketing:
“One size does not fit every organization looking for a marketing
automation solution.” It’s important to realize, that while the very
decision to purchase a marketing automation system is a very smart
decision indeed, that’s not where it ends. You will still need to
determine which system is the best for you, and since different
marketing automation systems are very different in terms of what they
offer and how they are priced, what might suit one organization may not
work for another.
The parameters mentioned in the article are all very relevant and
worth considering. Definitely look into what the system actually offers,
and make sure it has all the capabilities you are looking for,
including
prospect segmentation,
lead nurturing,
lead scoring,
real-time lead alerts, and, of course, comprehensive
marketing analytics and reporting.
I wholeheartedly agree that customer and product support by the
vendor are crucial, and would like to add that the ideal marketing
automation system is intuitive, easy to set up and to operate, because
while you want product support to be available to you should you need
it, you want to minimize the time you spend on learning the system and
maximize the time you spend actually using it.
Obviously, size matters, and I’ll second the recommendation to find
the platform with the right level of power that can be implemented as
quickly (and I’ll add – as affordably) as possible. It makes no sense
whatsoever to go for a big, expensive system with lots of bells and
whistles that you end up not using because you have no need for them,
can’t figure them out, or don’t have the resources to hire dedicated
personnel to deal with a heavy, complex system.
When it comes to
marketing automation,
one size does not fit all. Before committing to a marketing automation
vendor, do your research and learn as much as you can about each system
you’re considering. The differences are significant, and they can have a
huge impact on your level of satisfaction with this important purchase.
