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Maybe you’ve decided you need to invest in a marketing platform. Perhaps you have decided to change or upgrade your existing solution. For the past five years, MarTech Exchange Survey identified marketing automation platforms as the most substituted solution in the martech array. In any case, the next step is to research suppliers and their capabilities.
Here’s how to get started:
Our new original research, “Marketing Automation Platforms: A Guide for Marketers” is now available for free download.
The most effective RFPs require only relevant information from vendors and provide sufficient information about your business and its needs. Let the vendor know how you plan to use marketing automation, including your high-level strategic goals and KPIs, and how you will measure the success of your marketing automation efforts. Include details of timelines and existing digital technology you have deployed.
If written properly, an RFP will facilitate the sales process and ensure that both parties get the word out
a shared understanding of the purpose, requirements, scope and structure of the intended
buy. From the RFP responses, you should be able to narrow your list down to three or four
demo platform.
Before you decide on a vendor, check out their online community and review sites, and talk to a customer reference or two, preferably someone in the same business as yours. The vendor should be able to provide you with references, but you should also inquire on professional forums or at in-person conferences and networking events.
Set up demos relatively soon after receiving the RFP response to help make relevant comparisons. Make sure all potential internal customers are on the demo call or face-to-face meeting and pay attention to the following:
Questions to ask each supplier include:
Request a demonstration of the specific capabilities you identified in your RFI/RFP. Consider looking for product demos that show basic tasks and basic reports such as:
This is an ongoing relationship — it’s important to feel like your questions are being answered.
For more details on selecting a MAP vendor, download the latest edition of our free report, “Marketing Automation Platforms: A Guide for Marketers.“
Why we care.. For today’s marketers, automation platforms often are the center of the marketing mix. They are not shiny new technologies, but trusted people that marketers can rely on to help them highlighted in a crowded inbox and on the web amidst the flood of content.
How they changed. In order for marketers to win the battle for attention, marketing automation vendors they’ve expanded from relying on static email campaigns to offering dynamic content placement for email, landing pages, mobile and social media. They’ve also included features that rely on machine learning and artificial intelligence for functions like lead scoring, while investing in user interface and scalability.
Dig Deeper: What is Marketing Automation?