Selecting marketing automation software for your business includes knowing the components essential to a successful marketing campaign. You may have plans and goals for your business but the right software makes a difference in providing the support your business needs. Once you understand how the software may help your business and the marketing automation program you want to establish, the next step is to find the best option suitable for implementation.
It is important to review your options carefully and get educated on which options provide the most value to ensure it is an investment that will encourage productivity into the future.
Getting started with a plan
Managing, creating, and tracking campaigns for your business requires planning. Using a tool such as marketing automation software may help with each of these aspects. It is important to consider what campaigns you establish and who will rely on the software during the creation and execution process. Consider all aspects related to your campaigns including how often they run and where they appear. Elements such as data, leads, and channels used to run campaigns provide useful information to help narrow down potential software choices that will meet these needs.
Distinguish the goals you want to accomplish
Having goals for what you want your marketing campaigns to accomplish helps focus on the features and user experience you want to obtain from the marketing automation software. Your goals may be anything from wanting to increase leads to encouraging better sales and marketing collaborations. It is also a good time to determine how to funnel your marketing efforts.
If you are using a selected marketing automation software, think about how it will assist with one or more other tools you will use. For example, you may plan to use the software with social media articles. You may plan to rotate and use the software to encourage customers to purchase an item or service through your website.
Know related costs to set a budget
Knowing how much the software costs is important for many reasons. Some may require regular updates or you may need to install them on multiple computers. Sometimes there are hidden costs for using certain features. Understand the cost of the software and learn about any associated fees upfront before purchasing. Since software products are known for making pricing details unclear, it is important to research the product and learn about service features and potential costs you could incur. Fees you may be charged include setup fees, training, and customer support. Sometimes software options may cost more if requesting more leads.
Review customer support options
Understand the level of customer service your business may need in case something goes wrong with your software. It is important to know who to contact and how when you have questions or need assistance. Quality support should respond to you quickly. Using marketing automation software may include dealing with troubleshooting issues. Your options for this software should provide the support you can trust at any time. Products may offer different levels of support including email, phone, online chat, and social media. Look for software options that provide a fast and secure way of providing support for their product.
How accessible is the software for your business?
Your business should have a software system that is dependable and available whenever you need it. It should be easy to access and it should provide the support you expect. The software option should be committed to helping your business achieve goals and carry out essential operations based on your needs. Learn how the software assists with your business operations by reviewing the service agreement or terms of service details.
Software may encounter downtime periods like any other software if a glitch occurs or additional maintenance is needed where users are not able to access the contents. Learn if the software you are considering has encountered related situations and how long it took to get things back up and running. Such details may be useful to your business in the future if a similar situation occurs again.
Understand the limits of software and your business needs
Many software options for marketing may impose limits on how often things are sent to people on your customer list such as newsletters and emails. There could be limits on how many people you have saved on your contacts list. Such limitations may impose additional fees if you go over the limit. If planning to build your contacts you should find an option that doesn’t impose a limit for the number of users. Just keep in mind it may cost more, but it may be a worthy investment if the software helps grow your email list efficiently.
Think about how often your business plans to send out communications such as emails and newsletters. Use these details to help select software that will meet your related marketing goals. If your business has multiple departments look for software that is compatible in this manner. Experts suggest software with these abilities strengthens the company’s ability to achieve and collaborate with others.
Is the software easy to use and customize?
Quality marketing automation software should be easy to use with simple steps to follow. While each software option is different, you should be able to start using it right away with guidance from clear instructions or tutorials. Also, you’ll want to be aware of any required training necessary to use the software effectively. Consider what measures are necessary to ensure your team members are trained. Overall, assess how well the software platform is feasible for your business.
What options does the software present for customization? Each business is different and while considering useful marketing automation software for your needs, the software should allow some form of flexibility for personal preferences. Being able to customize the software gives your marketing strategies a great advantage and it’s a sign you’ll have a solid platform to help reach your goals.
Can it integrate with current or future systems?
Determine integration marketing options for the software you are considering. Depending on the systems you’re currently using and what you may adopt later your marketing automation software should seamlessly integrate to assist with meeting your marketing goals.
Therefore, you should understand opportunities to integrate your platform with other marketing tools including solutions for social media marketing. You’ll want to evaluate how these components will help your business and how it will look to customers when implemented.
Look for signs your data will be safe and secure
Data security is important no matter the size of your business, but the more sensitive data you collect it may be a critical issue. Note you may have to pay extra for certain software options providing enhanced security features. For any option you’re considering review security features and compare them to other software products.
Understand the level of encryption your business needs that is suitable for the standards of your team. If you have additional questions or concerns about data security, contact the software company in question and get more information.
Review features provided your business will benefit
Learn the capabilities of the marketing automation software you’re considering for use. These options should provide comprehensive marketing services that will help your business now and in the future. It should provide insight into how your marketing efforts are progressing through features such as data management, search engine optimization (SEO), and website tracking.
Other useful capabilities to look for include event management, campaign management, webinars, SMS, advanced social media automation tools, digital ads, referrals, blogging, e-commerce, and landing pages. You should have an idea of what the software is capable of doing for your business based on the integration ability stated in the previous point.
Determine user ability based on customer feedback and reviews
Learn what other customers are saying about the marketing automation software product. You may find review sites providing insight from customers, but you may learn feedback by attending events and connecting with people directly who have used the product. When you act on software reviewed by peers you have an idea of what to expect when using the product.
Pay attention to what people like about the product and its most valued features. Even if there are negative reviews take notes on what people noticed throughout their user experience and why they would recommend the product to others.
Now that you have an idea of what to look for when selecting quality marketing automation software, what are you waiting for? The software you select will make a difference because it will affect how you choose to use your marketing platform. Be flexible with your budget and check product reviews to learn more details about the services and features.
Understanding significant elements related to choosing software such as cost, integrations, limitations, availability, and customer support will ensure your business needs are taken care of while helping your business grow productively and financially. Be open to exploring new ways to create, manage, and develop your marketing strategies to keep things interesting and to stay current with trends related to marketing automation.
