You are about to make one of the most impactful decisions in your business, and, as such, you should not do it lightly. Although there are many automation tools on the market with excellent functionalities, you must first evaluate them.
Whether you are about to purchase your first such software or consider a change, it is essential to remember that the tool is just that. If you don't have a defined strategy and a plan to execute it, nothing can help you.
So before you choose your following marketing automation software, answer these questions first:
1. How does it integrate with your current CRM?
The first thing you need to know is how the new software will communicate with the tool that manages your relationship with contacts. If the integration is not natural and efficient, the information between the two platforms will not flow well, and your campaigns will be in trouble.
Some tools offer automation and CRM in one place, such as HubSpot, but if they are independent, they work correctly together.
2. What other applications does it integrate with?
Once the CRM issue has been resolved, the next step is to find out what possibilities your new tool offers. The more integration alternatives it offers, the more robust and complete your technological inventory will be and the better campaigns you will carry out.
Also, consider the ease with which these integrations are done, will you need the help of an agency, will it take much time, how many resources will you have to allocate?
3. How user-friendly is the platform?
There is no worse investment than a tool that is not used. So if you're planning for your team to use marketing automation platforms themselves without relying on an agency or technical administrators, you should be aware that the platform's usability is critical for you and your team.
The simpler your new marketing automation to use, the more likely your team will use it. On the other hand, if it is a complex tool with a steep learning curve, the chances of being disregarded will be high.
4. How much does it really cost?
One of the worst tastes you can have after choosing a marketing automation software is discovering that the platform has extra costs that you did not consider once the implementation period started.
It is essential to verify what are the additional costs involved to budget for it if needed.
usually, they fall under one of the following categories
- contacts tier
- specific features or tools
- The cost of implementation and data migration
- The cost of any integrations
- Training and onboarding for your team
5. How customizable are your reports?
Your new marketing automation platform must allow you to generate reports to analyze data to help you gain insights into your marketing operations and make better data-driven decisions.
It is essential to choose a solution that offers easy report creation that your marketing team can build and read without the need for a data scientist.
6. How is the support provided by the tool?
When you start with a new marketing automation platform, there are always questions that need answers. You should know what type of customer support each platform offers before choosing.
Check if they have in-app support, offer phone, chat or email support, the level of support, and a network of solutions partners that you can leverage to do the heavy lifting for any migration, integrations, etc., or new user onboarding.
Choosing the right marketing automation software can be a daunting task. With so many platforms to choose from, how do you know which one is best for your needs? Whether you are trying to decide whether or not it's time to switch over and start using HubSpot or if this is your first foray into digital marketing automation tools, some questions need answering before making any decisions.
Take the time now to ask yourself these essential questions about what kind of tool will work best for your business and develop an actionable strategy to make sure you have success with whichever platform you end up choosing. You deserve nothing less than stellar results!
