Installing a new martech instance and possibly retiring an existing one isn’t always easy when a company is going through a marketing technology transformation. In most cases, you’re looking at a large financial and time commitment. While no marketing or sales team goes into a process with the intention of screwing it up, it occurs all the time. So, how can a corporate leader avoid this scenario? How do you avoid squandering your martech investment?
Here are three key things that every marketer should keep in mind when investing in marketing technology to ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible.
Read Also : Here are 6 MarTech Trends in 2021 and Beyond
Is it better to prevent symptoms or to cure the disease?
A martech transformation doesn’t usually happen out of nowhere. It’s a reaction to something, specifically a problem that your sales or marketing team is experiencing. Perhaps the sales staff would like to be able to acquire more information about leads before engaging with them. Perhaps a marketer wants to be able to track a lead’s actions before becoming a lead and then pass that information on to sales.
They’re thinking about the correct things, but it’s critical to go a step farther to achieve success. That entails not just alleviating the pain, but also conducting a root cause analysis to establish the true source of the discomfort so that it may be addressed.
Failure to do so may lead to the implementation of a technical solution that temporarily eradicates the pain but has a negative influence on the underlying issue. That will make it more difficult to fix later, which is exactly what you’ll have to do unless you want to spend the rest of your time chasing pain points.
Ensure the success of the marketing technology change by managing it
You’re automatically increasing the workload of your sales or marketing staff (or both, depending on the technology and how it’s used) as soon as you decide to invest in new marketing technology. There will be new processes to learn and new actions to take in order to connect your website or email platform with the new automation system or CRM and ensure that the appropriate information gets to the right people at the right time. It takes a lot of effort.
So, if you make a change like this, you’ll have to go through the change management curve, which includes negotiating the “trough of despair.” It’s wonderful to start anything new, but everyone must learn how to use and implement it.
Before you begin, be aware of this and make plans to assist alleviate it. Keep an eye on your staff, speak with them, and evaluate how they’re adjusting to the new situation. Some people will fly right past the abyss of despair and emerge victorious. Others will become trapped, befuddled and frustrated by the transformation process. This has an impact on the smooth adoption of the martech and your team’s ability to get to the point where the martech is genuinely working for you.
Futureproof your decision-making process
Many times, businesses approach a decision like this believing that they are attempting to fix a problem for the present. This is related to the pain issue from earlier, therefore let’s fix it. But, once again, this does not address the root of the problem, the illness that is causing the symptoms. As a result, pain may recur or a new discomfort may appear, both of which are caused by the same real root issue.
Martech is always focused on the journey rather than the final destination. Solving your problem for today at the expense of thinking about the future will result in new problems in the future. Consider what you’ll need a year from now, three years from now, five years from now, and 10 years from now.
What if your sales process needs to alter in three months or you need to enter a new market? Will this technology still meet your needs, or will you have to spend thousands of dollars refactoring your entire martech stack to make it work?
It’s never joy having to break the news to your staff that the exciting new toy you got won’t work for them next year. Before you make a purchase, consider how this technology will affect your business and customers in the future. Don’t buy anything for today.
Slow down to go fast
Of course, if you’re having problems as a sales or marketing team right now, you’ll want to address them right now. It’s only natural that this happens. However, when it comes to marketing technologies, this isn’t always the best course of action. It’s often preferable to live with the discomfort for the time being so that you can plan more carefully for the future.
Instead, than focusing on the pain itself, consider conducting a root cause analysis to determine the source of your discomfort. Consider how you can teach and support your team as they navigate the change management curve, reducing the difficulties of implementation and acceptance to the bare minimum.
Conclusion
Consider where you want to go in the future and what technology will help you get there without having to refactor every 3–6 months.
Don’t be hasty with any decision you make. Feel confident in making a long-term commitment to your marketing technology strategy.
