2. Choosing a Marketing Platform
When choosing a marketing platform, it’s important to take the time to make a researched,
balanced decision. Consider these key points to inform your choice.
What are your five key goals right now?
Narrow down your priorities to pinpoint what is important in the immediate term.
Do you need improved delivery, better analytics, streamlined processes, or brand consistency?
How do you foresee your needs changing in the next three to five years?
Any solution will need to scale and grow as your requirements change. Choosing a solution that
can grow with you and guide you along the way will ensure you future proof your plans.
Will your branding requirements be addressed?
A great deal of time and money goes into building a brand. Are there provisions in place to ensure
these efforts are not eroded due to poor presentation, lack of consistency, or vendor branding?
If you are considering a move from your current platform, how will data migration
be managed?
You will need to consider data such as preference centers, bounces, unsubscribes, and click
activity. Will you be able to maintain or migrate legacy data? Should you perform a data cleanse to
ensure you are working with clean data? Will the new provider offer assistance to ensure valuable
data is not lost or compromised?
How are the relevant data privacy laws addressed?
Most Australian organisations are opting for solutions that ensure their data is not transferred to
offshore entities. This minimises the risk of privacy law breaches. If you need to adhere to local
jurisdiction, do the provider’s terms of use align with your legal requirements?
From a deliverability standpoint, does the technology have what it takes to ensure
your messages get to your audience?
Domain Keys, SPF records, a clean reputation with spam monitors, and domain throttling are just
some of the features to look for in a professional solution. These ensure maximum delivery to your
customers’ inboxes, and make an enormous difference to campaign performance.
Is it easy to learn and use?
It’s easy to get caught up in the shopping list of features. More features usually translates to
complex to use. Look for a solution that provides adequate ongoing training resources, and is easy
and intuitive to come to grips with quickly.
3. Is it an IT solution or a marketing communications solution?
Any solution that requires IT involvement to manage should be avoided. Some IT involvement may
be warranted in the initial platform setup, but if IT is required in the day-to-day production and
deployment of a campaign, then stay away.
How does support stack up?
Even the best technology is useless if you can’t use it properly. Is local support an email or phone
call away? More importantly, how prompt is a practical response?
What are the service level guarantees?
Check system uptimes and performance benchmarks to ensure your chosen platform is up to the
task when you need it. Don’t forget the response and resolution promises. If there is a problem you
need to be sure that a solution is at hand. Note that there is a difference between a “response”
and a “resolution”. A response that simply acknowledges your contact to the support desk is not a
resolution.
Tip: Call the help desk before signing any agreement. Test them out with an issue and gauge both
the level of competency and response times.
Will you be the big fish or the small fish?
Size does matter when choosing a successful partner. If you are going to be a big fish to your
service provider, do they have the resources and experience to meet your needs?
On the other hand, if you are a minnow in a sea of corporate whales, will your voice be heard?
Will this be a user/vendor relationship or a client/partner relationship?
A partnership approach will be more successful, but is usually going to be more expensive.
A straight out vendor approach is usually a lower cost solution, since it is more commoditised, but
will be less adaptable to your specific needs and may require additional internal resources.
What are your commitment options?
Even the best-researched solutions may not turn out to be quite right for you.
Carefully check the terms and conditions to ensure that you have adequate provisions to opt out if
things turn pear-shaped. Check for any default renewal clauses – an auto-renewal clause may lock
you into another term before you know it.
4. Is it too good to be true?
Is there a provider on the radar that just sounds too good, too cheap, or too easy?
There is usually a catch somewhere along the line. Some providers offer a low cost service in
return for access to your data, for example. If budgets are very limited, it may be a fair exchange.
Other lower cost services may have a strictly hands-off approach to support, limiting their
assistance to online forums and knowledge bases. If you have adequate technical resources,
this may prove an economical option.
Does the solution talk to your CRM?
Most businesses are keen to adopt the Single Source of Truth approach for their data.
This usually means that a CRM or central database is the home of the most up-to-date information.
A successful email platform should integrate fully with this source, allowing you to deploy
campaigns with up-to-the-minute data. At the same time, interactions with your campaigns will
enrich your core data source by tracking subscriber behaviours, giving you unprecedented insights
into customer activity.
Will it integrate with your existing website?
You may need a certain level of website integration. Examine your options.
Can you easily integrate a preference centre or subscription form that suits your needs?
A professional solution should offer several options in order to handle the endlessly varying ways
that modern sites are structured.
Is the solution mobile ready?
With over 50% of people accessing their email via mobile devices, how does the solution deal with
mobile optimisation? Is responsive design a standard feature? Will you have access to mobile use
statistics? How do landing pages and forms look and feel on smaller screens?
Is social integration available?
Does the solution allow you to automate your social presence, for example?
Can your audience easily share your content to their networks? Having a solution that
complements your social strategies can help you to exponentially expand your reach.
