Keeping up appearances
After a few years with your marketing automation platform (or even a few months), things get comfortable. We’ve all done it. An odd file saved where it shouldn’t be, that function that no one touches because you don’t want to break something. At first, these little quirks seem completely harmless – and on their own may be a quick fix. But eventually, they snowball into an organisational nightmare, usually without you even realising it – and before long the mess seems normal. At this point, it could feel like it’s too late, or not even worth cleaning up. But that is not the case.
In this blog, we’ll share the true impact of this disorganisation, show the potential of your MAP, and help maximise its use long into the future.
A disorganised MAP leads to nowhere
Be honest, are you looking past the obvious signs of disarray? As a regular user, you might not notice the countless lists, falling email engagement rate or thousands of unengaged, unsubscribed and bounced contacts. But they’re (probably) there – clogging up your database and driving up monthly costs.
Asset management is just as important. Digging through folder after folder searching for that all-important email header may be adding wasted time to your daily routine.
Even the excitement of scoring your brand-new lead lifecycle may have vanished once day-to-day tasks got in the way, and now they’ve been left untouched for years, while leads are still being updated without you knowing.
These issues may well have cropped up on one of your many to-do lists at some point, but then found themselves firmly pushed to one side. What would happen if you finally got round to them?
What could your MAP look like?
For a start, you could actually trust (and therefore use) your data. You’d know how and where each field is being updated and where it’s come from. Suddenly, you’d no longer need to use old static lists for each dispatch, instead opting for targeted dynamic lists that use your newly understood data to pull leads in. The move to real-time lists would ensure you’re always emailing your most engaged leads, which is a key part of any good email marketing strategy.
Speaking of emails, you’ll find and report on them far easier (along with all your other assets) using a sensical naming convention and folder structure. Now, you can open a whole new chapter for reporting.
After clearing out all that wasted data (and potentially lowering your monthly cost), attention can now shift to optimising your lead qualification system to benefit both marketing and sales. Even with a simple lead lifecycle process and scoring setup, the impact would be immediately clear and act as a leverage for future qualification.
With a brand-new email template, that dream of an automated nurture journey to support the content you’ve worked hard on, would finally be a reality.
So, where to start?
One of the best ways to organise your marketing automation platform is with an audit. Ideally done externally to avoid complacency, this should look through the entire account, describing the current setup and any recommendations for improvement. A thorough audit will cover everything from account-wide admin settings, data quality, performance of assets, overall contact management, reporting and more.
Along the way, it would become clear which areas require a considerable amount of work and which are nearly there with just a few quick fixes. The final output will be a clear overview and plan to get started.
A helping hand
At Fox Agency, we perform audits regularly. Our clients range from long-term MAP holders to newly onboarded teams. We can help you by doing a thorough audit of your platform and supply a clear overview of where you stand and the best next steps.
We’ll walk you through our findings and work as part of your team to address all the tasks outlined. This will allow you to plan ahead with confidence, making sure you’re getting the most out of your platform. Get in touch today to learn more about how our audit can get you back on track.