Marketing automation is trending. And for good reason: the idea of automatically generating more sales is simply too tempting for many companies. But how do you actually find the right marketing automation tool for you and what should you look out for? I share 5 tips with you in this article.
5 tips on how to find the right marketing automation tool for you
Marketing automation is on the rise. According to the study „Digital Safety First: Marketing Automation in DACH 2019“, 42 percent of companies plan to implement marketing automation software in the next two years.
But what exactly is behind the term marketing automation? According to marketingich.de, marketing automation is defined as „a systematic process to attract potential customers to your website, encourage them to leave their contact details (keyword: lead generation) and build trust so that the lead becomes an order (keyword: lead nurturing).“ In summary, marketing automation helps you manage all processes that arise from lead to order.
This is where a marketing automation tool or marketing automation software comes into play, which helps you set up and automate certain processes. But how do you actually find the right marketing automation tool for you and what should you look out for?
5 tips on how to find the right marketing automation tool for you:
- Consider what exactly you want to do with the marketing automation tool
- Find out about the marketing automation tools that are suitable for your company
- Take a look at the tool and see if you can work with it well
- Ask yourself if the price-performance ratio is right for you
- Research how you can further educate yourself
1. Consider what exactly you want to do with the marketing automation tool
You want to implement a marketing automation tool to introduce and optimize marketing processes that will automatically help you achieve more reach, leads, and revenue.
In the course of this, you should consider two things: (1) the processes you want to map using the marketing automation tool, and (2) other requirements you have for the tool.
Let’s start with the processes: My recommendation here is to use the introduction of your marketing automation tool as an opportunity to review your existing marketing processes. Otherwise, bad manual processes will quickly become bad automated processes.
If you are just starting with topics such as reach building, lead generation, lead nurturing & co. as part of the software introduction, that’s great: This way, you can draw on experience and best practices from the beginning to set up your processes optimally. If you don’t have any idea about this yet, seek support from a professional or a sparring partner who may have successfully implemented this before.
In the end, you essentially have a list of processes that you want to implement with the marketing automation tool.
Afterward, you should record other requirements that are important to you: Is a connection to your CRM easily possible? Is a CRM integrated? Is the data located in Germany/in the EU? etc.
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Practical tip: Experience shows that you might be looking for the „all-singing, all-dancing“ solution, and not every tool will meet all your requirements. The price-performance ratio (more on this later) will certainly also play a role. Therefore, I recommend that you prioritize again afterward:
- Which points are "must-have requirements"? (MUST)
- Which points are "nice-to-have requirements"? (CAN)
With this list and the corresponding prioritization, you have an excellent starting point for finding the right marketing automation tool for you.
2. Learn about marketing automation tools
After you have thought about what you actually want to do with the marketing automation tool, the next step is to find the marketing automation tool that meets as many of your requirements as possible.
Therefore, read up online on what marketing automation tools are available and what makes them special. The aim here is to get an overview. Pay attention to neutral perspectives as much as possible, because some articles are also written and/or sponsored by the manufacturers themselves 😉
In addition to the general advantages and disadvantages of the tools, I would pay particular attention to the following:
- Scope of functions: What can the tool do? What can it not do?
- IT know-how: Do you need IT knowledge to use the tool or not?
- Suitable for: What company sizes is the tool designed for?
You probably already have a preference for 2-3 marketing automation tools that you think might be a good fit for you.
3. Look at the tool and see if YOU can work with it
No question, the selection of marketing automation tools is large, and I know you probably prefer to delegate the responsibility to someone else who tells you which tool is right for you. But, and this is the crucial point: YOU will be working with it, and that’s why YOU should decide which tool suits you.
At this point, it is therefore essential that you take a closer look at the marketing automation tools you have shortlisted. Most providers either offer you free access, with which you can try out a few things, or you can request a demo where you can get a first impression of the software.
This is incredibly important because you should choose a marketing automation tool that is intuitive and pleasant for you to use. The goal should not be that you get annoyed every time you use the tool. So experiment and click around and see if you feel comfortable with it.
In fact, in the past, I chose one tool over another for precisely this reason: because one was more intuitive for me to use than the other.
Always remember, you ideally want to work with it long-term, and then you should also enjoy doing it. Otherwise, your results will probably suffer too.
Ask yourself if the price-performance ratio is right for you
Monthly payments, basic fees, payment per user or for subscribers – marketing automation tools also differ greatly in their pricing models. Here it is important that when choosing your marketing automation tool, you ensure that the pricing model matches what you envision. Basically, it’s about finding out whether the marketing automation tool with the corresponding services is worth what it costs for you.
For me, for example, it was incredibly important in my business that I didn’t have such high monthly costs, but at the same time could work with email automations. The latter was a must-have. That’s where the selection becomes smaller. But these are exactly the thoughts you should be having.
So take your list that you have created and see which tools have integrated your must-haves and possibly nice-to-haves and for what price. And then you look at what best suits you and your requirements.
Research how you can further educate yourself
To work with a marketing automation tool, you usually need some further education in the form of instructions, how-tos, tutorials/videos, etc. The more there is for a marketing automation tool, the better it is for you. Because that makes it easier to work with.
My recommendation: Check whether the marketing automation tools you have shortlisted offer any form of support, online academy, etc. included. Perhaps they also have an extensive page where you can find various how-tos and instructions. Furthermore, I would see how much material you can find online for free, e.g., on YouTube. As a rule, every tool has its little problems that someone has certainly already dealt with.
Conclusion:
Finding the right marketing automation tool for your business case is not that easy. There is certainly no single right software that fits everyone. Rather, as a user, you should look at what is important to you and which marketing automation tool can best help you to automatically generate more reach, leads, and sales.
This article was written by:
Marie-Christin Holland is the founder of marketingich.de – a platform where she helps marketers and entrepreneurs in B2B achieve more reach, leads, and sales with know-how and personality. 5 years ago, Marie successfully introduced marketing automation software with her team and passed on her knowledge in numerous training sessions. She is one of the few experts in the market who can demonstrate both strategic and operational experience. With marketingich.de, she lives her vision and prepares today’s marketers and entrepreneurs for tomorrow’s challenges.
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