Having recently deployed a marketing automation system within our company, we truly understand the pain points. To help others looking to deploy their own marketing automation process, we thought we would share our top tips on what we have done and thereby making your deployment run more smoothly.
Top Tip One: Cleaning your CRM
This is an essential step to successfully deploying a marketing automation system. It involves removing any duplicate or irrelevant data, leads or contacts that are currently on your system. Data de-duplication is key to ensuring companies can backup and store more pertinent data. In a recent survey, it was found that by de-duplicating irrelevant data, you can reduce your current storage needs by up to 80%.
There are many data de-duplication software programs to choose from, examples include: Talend; DQ Global and Cloudingo.
Top Tip Two: Verifying email addresses
Once your marketing automation system has been deployed you will be sending more emails than you ever have before. It is important to verify email addresses prior to the release date to ensure they are working. Many marketers end up frustrated, or their marketing process fails due to bad analytics and the assumption that emails are reaching their destination. This one simple step will give you surefire success. However, don’t forget to regularly verify email addresses as you go.
Examples of email verification software you could use: MailChimp; DataValidation; and more.
Top Tip Three: Defining what a lead is
You need to understand and agree with both the sales and the marketing teams, what classifies a lead as ‘hot’, ‘warm’ or ‘cold’. And what happens to a lead once it has been classified. Generally ‘hot’ leads go direct to the sales team to convert into a sale, whereas ‘warm’ leads go to the marketing team to continue nurturing. The marketing team will then work towards turning ‘warm’ leads, into ‘hot’, which can then be passed to the sales team.
Top Tip Four: Letting the sales team know
Before deploying the marketing automation process, ensure all members of the sales team fully understand how it will work. Take time to communicate clearly at every step of the way, and invite ideas and comment throughout the implementation process. This will avoid unecessarily frustation and miscommunication later.
Top Tip Five: Stick with basics, first
When your marketing automation system has been deployed, remember not to get too carried away. You will undoubtedly see fantastic add-ons that you can enable, but don’t. First, understand the basic system. And once you do, then enable these add-ons to increase productivity and streamline your process even more.
We hope these tips have helped, watch out for more software tips to come.