How to choose the right marketing automation platform
How to choose the right marketing automation platform
It’s time to take your marketing to the next level. But did you know there are over 7,000 marketing automation platforms available to merchants? How do you know which platform is right for your ecommerce business?
Choosing the right marketing automation platform
Email marketing is the most effective channel you have to reach customers, share your message, sell your goods, and build strong relationships with your audiences. But it’s not the only channel at your fingertips these days.
When looking for your next automation platform, it is important to carefully consider these key factors to ensure you’re getting the most out of your chosen solution.
Immediate needs, future wants
The world of ecommerce doesn’t stand still for long. Choosing a platform that can grow and adapt to the ever-changing demands of an ecommerce marketing team is essential.
Before you begin searching for a new automation platform, write a clear list detailing what you need for marketing tomorrow and what you want to accomplish in six months. Having a clear idea of your goals will help you choose a platform to meet current requirements and prepare for whatever the future may bring.
To meet immediate needs, ensure that the new platform offers:
- Easy-to-use email and automation builders
- Data import capabilities
- Mobile-responsive email templates
- Campaign reporting
- Onboarding and deliverability support
- Support for integrations to ecommerce platforms, ERP and CRM systems, onsite personalization platforms, and so on
As you look toward the future, consider whether the platform provides:
- Additional channels such as SMS and chat
- Comparative reporting capabilities
- Strong relationships with technology partners i.e. loyalty, personalization, payments, search and data
Channels
Email marketing is just one part of a modern marketer's arsenal. Customers regularly jump between channels and devices, which means you need an automation platform ready for everything.
SMS, push notifications, retargeting ads, and chat are just a few of the channels that merchants can use to reach always-on customers. While you hunt down the perfect marketing solution for your business, consider how well the platform works with all your channels. To fully meet the demands of the future, you need a platform that can do it all.
Integrations
For an ecommerce merchant, the strength of a platform’s integration with your online store is the deciding factor. Platforms that require custom development or only offer surface-level integrations will hold you back.
You need an automation platform with integration capabilities ready from the get-go. Adobe premier technology partners offer plug-and-play integrations that empower your marketing teams to sync data fast and connect with customers in the moment.
Ecommerce capabilities
You want a platform provider that understands your ecommerce marketing needs. Additional ecommerce-specific capabilities such as AI-powered product recommendations, ROI tracking, and eRFM (engagement, Recency, Frequency, Monetary value) are more than a nice-to-have for growing merchants–they are essential.
In order for your brand to grow and your profits to soar, you need a platform that innovates with your requirements at their core. Ensuring your new platform can do this and more will guarantee you success in the future.
Deliverability
In the noisy world of the consumer email account, a platform that offers deliverability support is a must.
There’s nothing worse than having your marketing messages flagged as spam and redirected to the junk folder. Look for a solution that has teams dedicated to your deliverability needs to make sure your messages land in the inbox every time.
Onboarding and other services
In addition to deliverability, you need confidence that your marketing automation platform can get you up and running without a hitch. Choosing a provider with dedicated onboarding teams is important to getting you up and running quickly. Working closely with deliverability teams, onboarding specialists are responsible for warming up your IP address which allows you to gradually send more emails over your new IP to establish a good sender reputation, along with seamlessly transferring your marketing lists, and ensuring your integrations are ready from the day you start sending.
But that’s not the only service to consider. With one eye focused on the future, you need a platform that’s ready to help you, whatever your next goal may be. Services such as design and creative can help you with any rebranding or new campaign requirements. It's also important to have training teams available to educate you about new platform features or offer bespoke courses to help you achieve your goals. The opportunities are endless, so it’s important that you look beyond just the channels on offer by your new automation platform.
About dotdigital
dotdigital is a marketing automation platform that empowers marketers to create personalized customer experiences. With channels ranging from email and retargeting ads to SMS and chat, it helps brands and ecommerce merchants engage with customers whenever and wherever they are. The platform is specially tailored to help ecommerce marketers deliver experiences that drive conversion and improve sales, offering powerful tools including AI-powered product recommendations and an eRFM segment builder. Discover how dotdigital can help you improve your email marketing.
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