Media Intelligence: How to choose the right marketing platform?

Because of the large number of tools available, it’s best to start with your business needs and then eliminate the products that aren’t appropriate to meet them. On that note, here are some suggestions and questions to think about before parting with your money.

User-Friendliness

The simplicity of use – and not just how easy it is for you to use it – is an often overlooked criterion when choosing the most suited software solution. While you may be a technology expert, it doesn’t mean your entire staff is. In most situations, it is adoption, not technology, that prevents new tools from being implemented. It would help if you decided whether you require an all-singing, all-dancing solution or whether your requirements are simple enough that you can get away with something more fundamental.

So, before you choose digital marketing software, make sure it’s user-friendly for the various levels of experience signing in.

• A checklist of ‘easy of usage’ questions:
• In my team, how diverse is the skill set? Is the bulk of the group advanced or novice?
• Is the technology easy to use for people, team structures, and business processes?
• Is there a way to try out potential providers for free?
• What is the procedure of onboarding?
• Are there any other training courses that we may attend?

Management of accounts

According to Gartner, marketing professionals barely employ 58 percent of the potential of their MarTech stack. There are various reasons for this, but it all boils down to product enablement in the end.

If you don’t have a dedicated account manager who works with you as an extension of your team, guiding you on how to get the most out of the tool, the solution will probably end up collecting digital dust on your desktop.

However, if the simplicity of use is high, the necessity for an account manager is low, so you must consider which is more important to you.

A list of ‘account management’ questions:

• Do we have a dedicated account manager to assist us?
• Where can you find Account Managers throughout the world?
• What is the account manager’s job description?

Future-Proofing

When it comes to marketing platforms, the most common question that marketers have is, “What can this tool do for me?” While this is an essential factor, one that is sometimes missed is “Can this tool meet the needs that I currently have and will have in the future?”

Changing providers can be challenging depending on the marketing tools in question, mainly if they’re used globally. With this in mind, it’s critical to consider both your future and current needs strategically.

Checklist of ‘future proof’ questions:

• Does this tool help me achieve my present objectives?
• Will this tool assist me in achieving my long-term objectives?
• Is this vendor available in various countries and languages, and does it provide support in those languages?
• Is this vendor able to provide bespoke solutions if what I require in the future cannot be met with an “off the shelf” product?
• Will I need to integrate this tool with other programs in the future, and if so, which ones will they be, and does the provider support them?

Data Integration

We briefly covered the necessity for data integration before, but it deserves its section given the topic’s importance. Data, you know, shouldn’t exist in a vacuum, yet it does, sadly. As a result, the majority of today’s transformation activities are centered on breaking down silos.

It’s only a matter of time until your CIO examines your marketing data to determine how siloed it is. With this in mind, it’s critical to invest in tools that operate well together. While some marketing solutions are designed to work well with existing technology, others can be difficult to integrate.

A checklist of ‘data integration’ questions:

• Is there an API that I can use?
• What APIs does the vendor support from the outside world?

Options that are all-in-one

Many marketing tools provide integrated solutions that cover a wide range of digital marketing topics. If you already use one of these features, it might be convenient and beneficial to look into additional options offered by your software supplier.

A social media management tool, for example, might be used by social media marketers to plan and deliver their content. If they run influencer marketing efforts as well, it’s worth seeing if their software supplier has a capability for that.

Checklist of ‘all-in-one options’ questions:

• What other services does the company provide?

• Is there a discount for purchasing multiple products together?
• Do the vendors have a good track record in the business-critical areas that I care about?
  read more: How to create a marketing report?