Enterprise marketing software is widely recognized as a key enabler for improving effectiveness and efficiency of marketing teams. However, for marketers who are already facing intense scrutiny over budgets and campaign effectiveness, few are willing to stick their necks out to recommend implementing a marketing automation system.
The CMO's Hot Potato:
Implementing Enterprise Marketing
Software Without Getting Burned
MARCH 2009Enterprise marketing software is widely recognized as a key enabler forimproving effectiveness and efficiency of marketing teams. However, for mar-keters who are already facing intense scrutiny over budgets and campaigneffectiveness, few are willing to stick their necks out to recommend implement-ing a marketing automation system. This is because traditional vendors haveset a bad precedent with software that's expensive, difficult to deploy, oftenrequires significant customization, and in the end doesn't meet their needs.
"CMOs recognize A typical expense ratio is one-third software costs to two-thirds professionalservices - where the implementation can triple the original cost of the soft-that enterprise ware. Once implemented, marketers may have to retrofit their processes towork within the established framework of the vendor's software, barriersmarketing software between operational silos must be broken down and teams have to be trainedto adopt new skill sets - all increasing the risk of failure, and putting theis needed now CMO's job on the line.
Enterprise marketing software can be a double-edged sword. Despite anxietymore than ever over selection and implementation, CMOs recognize that enterprise marketingsoftware is needed now more than ever because they are required to be morebecause they are efficient and to do a better job measuring the impact of their campaigns whileensuring marketing resources are optimized.required to be Due in part to the expense and exposure on the return on investment (ROI)more efficient and front, the responsibility for actual implementation of marketing systems getspassed around, like a hot potato, with no one willing to risk getting burned.to do a better job With a lack of ownership, the projects are doomed to fail.
measuring the One of the goals of this white paper is to help marketers overcome the miscon-ceptions that enterprise software is too difficult to implement. It will provide animpact of their overview of the positive impact enterprise software can have on improvingcustomer value and offer advice for evaluating and selecting the right softwarecampaigns while for your organization.
ensuring marketing Driving Customer Value By Improving Customer ExperienceMost experienced marketers understand the direct correlation between cus-resources are tomer experience and loyalty. In down market cycles, this connection becomeseven more critical, forcing organizations to re-examine how they interact withoptimized." customers and prospects. Are offers and branding consistent across channelssuch as email, web and mobile? Are communications regular and relevant tocustomers' historic purchase behavior? According to Forrester Research,"since new customers are harder to come by in an economic downturn, firmsneed to pay even more attention to building loyalty with their most importantcustomers. If firms lose pace with competitors' customer experience, they may(1)end up attenuating the negative impact of the economic downturn."
Even when facing difficult economic pressure, organizations can't justify turn-ing on the fire hose with a constant barrage of emails, direct mail and textmessages in hopes that something resonates and a purchase is made. Morethan ever, communications must be focused on customer needs with valuableoffers and information aimed at developing a two-way dialogue. Consider theimportance of precision marketing effectiveness, defined by the AberdeenGroup as sending the right message to the right person through the rightchannel at the right time. Based on a recent survey, Aberdeen reported that 61
2 MARCH 2009percent of respondents said precision marketing effectiveness has a higherpriority now than before the recession. And precision marketing effectiveness(2)should ultimately translate into higher returns on marketing investment.
Similarly, when Forrester Research conducted a survey asking direct questionsabout the economic downturn and customer experience, 63 percent of respon-dents said it will become more important, with 48 percent saying they plan tocut spending on customer experience at a lower rate than they do other items."...communications Approximately 50 percent of respondents have some sort of companywide(3)program focused on improving the customer experience across channels.must be focused Here's wh... [download for more]
