Are you wanting to add marketing automation to the mix but don’t have any available internal resources? If so, outsourcing to a marketing automation consultant may be useful. With the recent growth of marketing automation, which is expected to reach 50% market penetration in 2015, there are many companies that claim to have the knowledge and experience to conduct successful marketing automation implementations. Therefore, it is important to look for the following three qualities to ensure that a marketing automation consultant can actually deliver what they promise.
1. Experience With Marketing Automation Software and Marketing
It is essential that the marketing automation consultant you engage with has in-depth experience conducting successful implementations. A track record of successful engagements is one of the most powerful indicators of a company’s likelihood of implementing a successful engagement for your organization.
In addition to experience with marketing automation software specifically, you should ensure that the company has extensive experience with marketing fundamentals, as these are the building blocks to a successful marketing automation campaign. An in-depth understanding of the principles of marketing and experience running successful integrated marketing campaigns increases the likelihood that they can deliver a successful marketing automation campaign for your organization.
2. Focus on Your Needs
Every marketing automation implementation is different, so it is important to find a marketing automation consultant who offers customizable packages that can be adapted to fit your organization’s needs. Whether you are seeking to expand or engage your existing database, every implementation will be different. A one-size-fits-all approach to marketing automation does not consider these differences and will not be able to drive the exceptional results that a customized campaign would.
Additionally, the company you engage with should be committed to giving your organization one-on-one attention and operating as a partner in order to generate exceptional results. By working together collaboratively, you both stand to benefit, as the consultant will have a deeper understanding of your needs and your marketing automation implementation will see successful results.
3. Define a Plan of Action
Another quality to look for is a marketing automation consultant who sets out with a defined plan of action for your campaign. The development of a strategic marketing automation plan is essential for a successful engagement and should cover specific strategies that are important to your organization’s goals.
During the development of this plan, all important parties should be involved, including representatives from both your internal marketing and sales teams. The alignment of these two areas of your organization is important to a successful marketing automation implementation, as both are responsible for aspects of the campaign. Additionally, both of these teams should be included in the ongoing engagement and kept informed of its progress.
The Importance of a Quality Marketing Automation Consultant
By ensuring that a marketing automation consultant has the qualities listed above, you increase the likelihood that your organization’s campaign will drive the needed results. With such a large investment of time and money required to run a marketing automation implementation, it is important to work with a company who will actually deliver on the promised results.
Read more about our marketing automation consulting packages and be sure to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest marketing tips and trends.
There are no comments