Confessions of a Marketing Automation User:

The Good, Bad & Ugly Lessons

Best Practices is a Journey,

not a Destination

By Gary Sadamori

May 3, 2012

Outline • The changing market

• What is marketing automation?

• Marketing automation system diagram

• Key issues before, during, and after MA

implementation

• Better practices

Gary Sadamori 2012

My Background • 15+ years of marketing and advertising

experience

• 5 years of marketing automation

o Multiple implementations with eTrigue

o Single implementation with Manticore

• I’m not with a MA software company or MA

agency

Gary Sadamori 2012

Prospects Source Info and Qualify Differently

Purchase

Time

Level of

Buyer

Activity

Awareness Consideration

“I’m just

downloading

stuff.”

“We have

a project.” “We’ve

made a

decision.”

“We’ve

shortlisted

vendors.”

“I’m just browsing.”

Gary Sadamori 2012

Source: Craig Rosenberg, Focus

What is Marketing Automation? • There is no accepted, universal definition

• I favor a soup-to-nuts definition

o Email, web behavior/analytics, mobile, social

media tracking, landing pages, downloads

o Track prospect behavior/activity over time and

different sessions

o Data collection/management/ integration, lead

scoring /routing

o Batch, trigger, and event-driven campaigns, real-

time interactions, nurture campaigns, reporting and

analytics

Gary Sadamori 2012

Marketing Automation – Con’t.

• Marketing automation industry is still young –

only 11 years old and evolving

1999 2005

Gary Sadamori 2012 Source: EffectiveMarketer.com

Marketing Automation – Con’t.

• It’s a software tool - like DTP and CRM

• Similar usage evolution - uniformed optimism,

trough of despair and then a major learning

curve

• Many people think a MA tool alone is a

means to an end – wrong

o People, process, preparation and marketing are

critical for success

• The tool will magnify marketing activities –

good and bad

Gary Sadamori 2012

Marketing, MA and CRM Systems

“Process” Raw Leads Into Interested Prospects

“Harvest” Best Prospects

“Collect” Raw Leads from Online Sources

Return Loop To Prospect Database for Development

Integrated Sales Funnel

Harvest/Distribute Interested Prospects

Stage 2

Lead/Contact Database

Marketing Campaign Effectiveness Feedback

Offline Marketing

Print Ads Public Relations

Trade Shows Directories Direct Mail

Online Marketing

Banner Ads Email Lists/Campaigns

Keyword Search Landing Pages Pay Per Click

Search Engine Opt. Social Media Opt. Vertical Websites

Website Marketing

Develop/ Track

Prospect Interest

Qualify/ Score

Prospects

Stage 1

Gary Sadamori 2012

Homework/Enablers: Before Starting a MA System o Target audience profiles – how well do you

understand audience priorities?

o Prospect’s purchase cycle/stages

o Average sales cycle

o Lead lists

• How are leads prioritized

• State of the current email lists

• Where are new leads, in what database(s)

• How will new leads be generated

o Normalized/easy access data for MA DB

Gary Sadamori 2012

Homework/Enablers: Before Starting a MA System o Content – convert for MA, edit calendar, is it

interesting, relevant and compelling

o Website – SEO, SEM, drive registrations

o Sales and marketing alignment

• People, processes and efforts

• Aligned, understood, approved

o CRM system - is it working or broken

o What activities need to be automated

o How will success be measured and monitored

Gary Sadamori 2012

Key Focus: Before Starting a MA System

• This will be a marathon – be prepared

o Marketing strategy – target buy cycles

o Touches – can’t be siloed, integrate process

o Contacts/prospects – MQL and SQL stages

o Edit calendar – fresh, relevant content

o IT/SFDC admins – are they onboard

o Time, staff, budget – it will usually take longer

Gary Sadamori 2012

Starting a MA System • Friendly support – prepared to help

o IT and PC support -- Firewall access, email

authentication, etc.

o SFDC/CRM Admin -- Integration permissions

• Lead generation plan – how many leads to

start with, how to continually grow

• How to maintain the behavioral/culture

change for the new process to succeed

• Plan for quick wins & positive examples

Gary Sadamori 2012

Running a MA System - Ongoing Homework -

• Track against business, marketing and sales

goals – monthly & quarterly

• Track reverse funnel math – monthly &

quarterly

• Develop more content (bait) inventory that

targets buy cycle steps

• IT and SFDC admin – help them plan for what

you need, when you need it

• Manage expectations, communicate

Gary Sadamori 2012

Best

Practice Average Laggard

1. Raw Leads 10,000 10,000 10,000

Conversion Rate to MQL 10% 4% 85%

2. Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) 1,000 400 8,500

Conversion Rate to SAL 75% 58% 4%

3. Sales Accepted Leads (SAL) 750 232 340

Conversion Rate to SQL 61% 49% 11%

4. Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) 458 114 37

Conversion Rate to Closed 15% 15% 15%

5. Closed/Booked Business 69 17 6

Average Revenue per Deal $50,000 $50,000 $50,000

Total Revenue $3,431,250 $852,600 $280,500

Marketing Automation Conversion Rates to Revenue

Gary Sadamori 2012

NOTE: Conversion rates were used to illustrate relative efficiency and usefulness by stage. Your conversion rates may vary.

The Conversion Funnel (through a prospect’s eyes)

Source: Scott Brinker, president and CTO of Ion Interactive

Marketing

Funnel Stages

Unaware of Solution

Aware of Issues/Pain

Researching Issues

Evaluating Options

Contact Options/MQL

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • Start with good marketing practices

o Who - are the audiences

o What - is important to them

o Where - are they having issues

o When - will they decide to change

o Why - care about your solution vs. competition or

status quo

What info do they need to go to the next step in

their purchase cycle

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • Filter everything thru a 2nd perspective

o How would you (as a prospect or a buyer or a

customer) want to be treated

o What would be relevant and helpful to you

o Is the content good enough to give up your

contact info

Will this info help you move to the next step in

your buy cycle

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • Deliver what your prospect’s expect

o Expertise

o Consistent value

o Relevance

o Educational information

Will your content meet/beat these expectations

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • People and processes are key to success

o People - training, encourage adoption, gaining

buy-in, sales and marketing alignment

o Process – strategizing, planning, clarifying,

programs, campaigns, executing

o MA Tool – use it to perform tasks, synch to CRM

system, reporting

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • Sales team

o Develop strong relationships with leadership and

the “A” reps

o Meet often about lead definitions, prospect

qualification rules, attributes of ideal client and

business/market targets

o Assume nothing and over communicate,

especially in the first 90-120 days

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices • “Buyers are seeking intelligence, not content“

o Quantity of content has become overwhelming

o Buyers becoming more selective – will “junk”

perceived non-relevant content

Is your content relevant, compelling, actionable

Gary Sadamori 2012

Better Practices

Marketing’s role has changed

Do the right things for prospects;

marketing automation

can make things easier

End game – effective marketing automation

is good, but we really need to do

effective marketing

Gary Sadamori 2012