Do you want to be able to do more than you’re able to right now? If your organization has reached its peak and limitations due to traditional systems it’s time to bring marketing automation to the mix. You will need automation if you hope to bring growth to your organization. That being said, choosing the right automation solution is not simple.
The popular automation tools won’t necessarily bring you success as your strategies and requirements may differ from the majority. Choosing the right automation tool that can provide you efficiency and give you a competitive edge is key to stay ahead of the alternatives.
Here are 5 steps that can help you narrow down your list of potential automation tools to pick the most suitable tool that goes with your objectives:
Step 1: Set Your Goals
The most important step you need to take before approaching the marketing automation agency would be setting up your goals. You need to be clear about what you plan to accomplish to move in the right direction.
Understand your business to know what benefits you are trying to seek. Have the requirements ready when you approach the marketing agency and find if they can help your needs. Providing them with clear goals will make them better equipped to help you.
The goals could be anything your company truly requires. They could be lead generation, gathering more traffic, clicks, gaining followers etc. Specify the time by which you plan to achieve those goals for the marketing automation agency to adapt to the required approach.
Account for the marketing automation budget as well to prevent exhausting your resources. Acquire basic knowledge of the industry to calculate how far the resources could be spent without compromising the overall budget structure.
Have an outline of the present scenario and the future scenario you wish to achieve. Setting up the goals helps you have a structure to assess the marketing automation agencies. These goals can be further shortlisted to sync with the marketing automation agency.
Step 2: Extensive Research
Having stated your goals won’t guarantee every marketing automation agency can provide them. You must go through a lot of research to find the right agency that can be of help instead of wasting your time and resources.
Keep your options open at the initial stages and consider multiple agencies to look into and decide which is more suited for the goals. Find out the major capabilities of these agencies to have a general idea of your options.
While every marketing automation agency provides you the same basic tools they might differ in their strengths and weaknesses. Create a list of the plus points and minus points and compare which tool’s strengths outweigh the alternatives.
You will need to learn more about the tools to take full advantage of their features. It is important to know them as each automation tool provides different features. Consider if these tools can also enforce the existing tools you have been using.
Limit your options within a handful of selections as too many options will seem overwhelming. Rank the importance of each option based on its essential features and key features. This should make it easier to choose which automation tool suits you best.
Step 3: Questioning And Clarification
Your research can only go far but to answer your biggest questions you will need to approach the marketing automation agency. Feel no hesitation to ask a lot of questions. You are obliged to ask everything about their services.
If possible try to conduct in-person meetings to better understand their stand on your requirements. Ask comprehensive questions and industry-specific questions. Listen to what they have to offer to meet your targets.
Identify the expert marketing automation agency amongst them that can give you a competitive edge in your industry. The automation tools are gonna be used very frequently and hence you need to be certain it meets up to every team member’s expectations.
Try to resolve even the slightest of issues before proceeding to make a purchase. These unresolved questions might be problematic eventually. Ask for demos so you can have a first-hand experience of their services.
Here are few topics for questioning to help you narrow down your options:
- Communication methods.
- Plans and pricing.
- Framework.
- Results of previous clients.
- Technologies used.
Step 4: Reviews And Testimonies
After hearing directly from the marketing automation agency you can now turn to the reviews and testimonies. Browse through their previous clients and verify if they were satisfied with the agency’s services.
The agency might not necessarily be as good as they say they are. This is why you need to consult the reviews the ex-clients leave about the marketing automation agency. Reviews can reveal hidden facts about these services.
They can be the features or the issues hidden by these marketing automation vendors. The companies will mostly focus on displaying their strengths. You will need to conduct a background check using the reviews to uncover their weak areas.
Go through case studies and testimonials to know the opinions of existing clients to have an idea of the experience of using these services. These opinions are more reliable and can provide you with an authentic view of automation solutions.
The size of the user base is also a good aspect to consider. A larger user base not only makes it a popular choice but also a reliable choice. A bigger user base inadvertently means their services have been very satisfactory to a majority of users over the years.
Step 5: Finalizing And Onboarding
The final decision on choosing which marketing automation comes at the very end. This important decision can be made once you go through your research, company proposals, and client reviews. Pay attention to every single detail of the agency’s proposal.
In case the proposal isn’t very attractive do consider the negotiation of terms. Tweaking the contract at the beginning stages is best for your interest. Choose the marketing automation agency only if they successfully meet your requirements.
Once you’ve finalized your decision you can look into the onboarding process. Start learning how you can utilize the automation tools to their full potential. Ensure every team member is familiar with it for a smoother transition into automation systems.
Onboarding processes can be difficult as it is a jump from a traditional system to an automated system. Complete the software integrations and import your company’s data. Formulate a new strategy to adapt to the automation to give you the best results.
Create a plan that can successfully sync the software with your objectives.
Conclusion
Finalizing a marketing automation agency can be tricky. You cannot pick a random automation tool without thorough research or you will risk wasting resources. The automation tool must have all the necessary features to enforce your objectives.
The effort and time spent on choosing the right automation tool could be extremely beneficial in the long run. The time spent on this search will fade into comparison with the returns it brings. That is why you need the perfect automation tool in place for maximum profits.
Does the whole concept of choosing the right marketing automation agency still seem complicated? Our team at Growth Natives recognizes the importance of such a decision and can help you find the right automation tool.