preparing for marketing automation: don't get the cart before the horse

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Preparing for Marketing Automation: Don’t Get the Cart before the Horse

Charles Besondy, PresidentBesondy Consulting & Interim Management LLC

& Certified MathMarketing Funnel Coach


Today’s Agenda

1. Are you ready for a MAP?2. Building a foundation for MAP3. What processes to align first4. Data quality5. Content & personas6. People7. Management expectations8. Building the blue print for a MAP decision9. Questions, access to resources

Thanks to the following companies and people for contributing insight for this webinar: Marketo, ActOn, Steve Gershik and Joseph Zuccaro.


Warning #1

“An organization is a system perfectly designed to produce the results it is producing.

If you want to change the results, you have to change the design!” -Richard Eppel


Warning #2

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.

The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates


Can you achieve fast time to value?

Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, 1992

You want the truth? You

can’t handle the truth!


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How to know you’re not ready for a MAP

1. Buyer’s journey???2. Who’s our target, really?3. “Processes? We don’t need

any stinking processes?”4. We haven’t updated our

contact list in over a year5. Love that spray and pray

email strategy

6. A few big deals a year – that’s all we need

7. Our IT department totally controls the website

8. What content?9. Who’s going to drive this

thing?10. Does the boss know?

You’re company isn’t mature enough yet to benefit fully. Any one of these points could cause significant delay in time to value for a MAP.


Marketing maturity

Marketo Benchmark to Revenue Study


How to know you’re ready

Push me!


How to know you’re ready

1. You and the sales manager know the ABCs of your MQLs and SLAs

2. Processes are aligned to the buyer’s journey

3. You’ve been conducting integrated email and web marketing programs

4. Your DB is accurate and can be segmented

5. Content exists and resources are available to create more

6. You can create a landing page without needing a note from your mother

7. Sales welcomes integration with their CRM

8. Top management is on the bus9. There is a resource for MA Admin,

or Marketing Ops (inside, contractor, agency)

10. Campaign planning and data analysis skills are in-house or a phone call away

Your company is mature enough to realize a fast time to value with a MAP if most of these situations are present


A platform for the platform

Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


Managing expectations

• Transforming the marketing function, not applying a technology

• Building an engine for revenue growth, not automating marketing

• You must have a champion in the C-suite


Time to value

• Most companies take over 7 months to reach ROI for MA

• More than half say they haven’t achieved “best value possible” even if ROI objectives have been achieved

• Only 15% of marketers believe they are using their MAP to its fullest potential - SiriusDecisions


The platform for the platform

Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


Processes

• Sales and marketing alignment– Buyer’s journey– Integration with CRM– Lead scoring– Lead definition– SLA


Buyer’s journey / Sales journey

Unknown and unaware

Positioned in category

Interest

Problem - MQL

Need to solve - SAL

Offer understood

Preference formed

Decision

Contract

Sales stage 1, 2Sales stage 3Sales stage 4, 5Sales stage 6Sales stage 7Sales stage 8



Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


People

• Not your father’s marketing department– Marketing ops– Data analyst– Content– Creative– Campaign strategy– Data manager– Social media– Digital media– Traditional media



Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


Data

• Contact list accuracy• Comprehensive• Quantity• Building vs. existing



Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


Personas & segments

• Knowing your buyer intimately is a sign of marketing maturity

• Customized and personalized messages/offers produce higher conversion rates

• MA enables highly personalized nurturing campaigns



Management Buy-in

Aligned Processes

Content Persona

Skills

Data


Content

• Content is both bait and fuel for engagement

• Align to buyers journey stages and persona

• Start simple• Quality (value) vs.

quantity• Build a stable and a war

chest


Content

Unknown and unaware

Positioned in category

Interest

Problem

Need to solve

Offer understood

Preference formed

Decision

Contract


Keep the goal in focus

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.

The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates

You are building an engine for revenue growth, not automating marketing


Building a blue print for MAP, the FunnelPlan™

• Sales objectives• Strategy

– What– To whom– Through whom– Against whom

• Stages of buyer’s journey– Lead definition and hand-off

• Funnel math / model• Tactics to produce required

results and velocity• ID gaps in resources• ID where MA is required to

make the plan happen• Prioritize the required MA

functionality

Three days that will put your company on the right course for a successful MAP implementation


Contact

Charles Besondy

[email protected]

www.BesondyLLC.com@CharlesBesondy

Tips, tools, info and programs for pre-Marketing Automation planning

www.BesondyLLC.com/pre-MAP-help

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.besondyllc.com/

http://www.besondyllc.com/pre-MAP-help

preparing for marketing automation: don't get the cart before the horse

Business

content content

processes sales

platform management

content personas

buyers journey sales

data quality

marketing automation

data analysis skills