There are several Marketing Automation Platforms (MAP) out there for B2B brands. The list includes HubSpot, Marketo, Oracle Eloqua and SalesForce Pardot. Each provide unique benefits depending on a company’s end goals.
With so many options, you can’t go wrong, right? Think again. We can all agree that strategy and good content are critical to success, but it’s a big mistake to think that any platform will do the trick. Each come with a ton of pros and cons.
But before you even start to get ideas about which is right for you, Evaluate MAP’s through these 4 considerations:
Know your on-boarding criteria.
Find out what tools you need to help your team get the most out of your MAP. Find out what resources the MAP vendor provides – like training, tutorials and templates – to maximize your use of the technology. These assets can really impact the success of how the platform is utilized.
Integrate.
Be sure that your MAP can integrate with your brand’s CRM and website as seamlessly as possible. Some do better than others.
Track, measure and assess.
Reporting and analytics capabilities help accurately assess and measure the success of your Inbound Marketing efforts. Understand the level of granularity and insight that the MAP provides and what supplementary tools are needed to fill the gaps. The truth is most MAPs can’t do it all.
Know your budget.
Price is always a deciding factor in any situation. Decide what you are willing to pay first so you can narrow down your options. This will also influence the above points. Make sure to factor in indirect and opportunity costs as well.
At the end of the day, the hope is that your sales and marketing goals will be aligned and with a new MAP, you can efficiently generate, track and evaluate your leads. With these considerations, you’ll already be ahead of the game and closer to finding what works for you.