Factors Influencing the Choice of a Marketing Automation Platform

You can read the first part here – Factors Influencing the Choice of a Marketing Automation Platform Part 1

You have to burn to earn (you have to spend to earn)

As in any business, price is one of the key factors when selecting tools, and this holds true for marketing automation platforms as well.

Pricing models can vary based on several factors: the size of the mailing list, the number of customers, the number of emails sent monthly, available features, or integration options. A reliable marketing automation system for e-commerce can range from a few hundred to several thousand or more per month.

Make sure to clearly define the budget your company is willing to invest when choosing a platform. Of course, it is possible to go beyond this amount (especially if you successfully appeal to management for a budget increase 😉 ).

The key, however, is to find a marketing automation tool that fits within your budget while offering the essential features you need.

Things to Consider Regarding Costs:

• Return on Investment (ROI): A well-implemented marketing automation system will likely increase your ROI, potentially covering the operational costs of the system (and more, if implemented properly).
• Additional Features: Some systems are more expensive because they offer a wider range of advanced features. Evaluate the efficiency of having these features in one platform rather than spread across several tools.
• Training and Support: If you don’t know how to use the system or troubleshoot issues, you won’t maximize your ROI. Some higher-priced systems provide more comprehensive training and support, which saves time and effort. However, this isn’t always guaranteed.

Marketing automation is an investment in both time and money; just paying for the platform won’t make it work—you need to invest time to learn how to use it effectively.

Ease of Use

Another important factor is the ease of use of the marketing automation tool. If your employees cannot understand and use the tool easily, implementing it won’t be worthwhile, even if it is reasonably priced.

The best way to ensure ease of use is to request a trial period and “click through” the system with the help of the solution provider.

• Edrone
• SalesManago
• iPresso
• Klaviyo

You can test it yourself or hire an agency to help guide you through the process of selecting the best tool.

Human Resources

Automation is only as effective as the marketing automation specialist responsible for its implementation and operation. In today’s increasingly complex communication environment, it’s no surprise that marketing automation specialists are in high demand.

These specialists are primarily responsible for three key areas:

• Marketing Automation Tools: Ensuring optimal use of tools to run planned campaigns.
• Data: Integrating the data used and generated by campaigns, and leveraging it for ongoing optimization and automation process development.
• Analytics: Monitoring performance and providing insights for marketing and business decision-makers to develop increasingly effective campaigns.
  
  

While these three areas are clear, just knowing how to operate marketing automation tools or analytics dashboards isn’t enough. A study by ChiefMartec revealed that only 19% of martech specialists have a background in IT, engineering, or science, while the rest come from fields like economics or business. This indicates that a purely technical mindset is not a prerequisite.

So, what makes a great marketing automation specialist so valuable? Here are five essential skills:

1. Marketing Knowledge: Marketing automation experts are responsible for driving business results and understanding marketing goals to help achieve outcomes. They may be “technical,” but they’re expected to have a high level of practical marketing expertise.
2. Mastery of the Marketing Automation Process: MA specialists can define and document the functional and technical requirements for executing (developing, implementing, managing, tracking, and measuring) automated campaigns. This directly impacts UX (User Experience) and CX (Customer Experience)—MA professionals are responsible for ensuring seamless CX across the entire customer journey.
3. Project Management: MA specialists define operational schedules, plan and execute complex customer journey projects, and prioritize campaign execution. This requires strict adherence to project management best practices to ensure tasks are completed on time and efficiently.
4. Analytics and Insights: MA specialists manage data-driven projects, continuously analyzing performance to improve campaigns. They understand how to read, interpret, and visualize data to aid in decision-making for other departments.
5. Consulting: Marketing automation specialists act as mentors within the company, continuously working to increase ROI by:
   • Maintaining close contact with technology providers to stay up to date with system updates, new features, and functionalities. Innovating workflows to increase scalability, efficiency, and marketing effectiveness.
   • Helping make informed decisions on investing in best-in-class tools and new platform integrations to meet evolving needs.
     
     

There’s no doubt that marketing automation experts are among the most in-demand professionals today. Finding a specialist with the skills listed above is a long and challenging process, but the effort pays off with measurable benefits, increased competitive advantage, and faster business growth.

Summary

Choosing the right marketing automation platform, integrating it with existing systems, and then implementing and launching it is a challenging and time-consuming task. However, the benefits of investing in a marketing automation platform are substantial, and the competition isn’t standing still. If you don’t want to handle this on your own, there are plenty of options available to help you!