To figure out if your company needs an enterprise email marketing platform you need to do the same things you would do for any software adoption. You need to look at your business needs and resources, your staff, your management support and your budget.
Use the following questions as a guideline to determine whether an enterprise email marketing platform is right for you.
- Do we have the right human resources in place? To succeed with email marketing, you need people who can handle all the features that a platform offers. This covers everything from design and content to data and strategy. Depending on the platform, you may need different levels of skill to create email templates.
- Does our customer data reside in disconnected silos throughout the organization? When different departments like sales, marketing, procurement or customer support don’t work together, your customer may not get the best or most relevant experience with your brand. A platform for email marketing at the enterprise level can help you link these separate systems and understand your customers better.
- Do we have customer knowledge gaps that could be filled with trusted second- and third-party data? Your brand’s relationship with customers is based on first-party data, such as email addresses, which are becoming more valuable as Google and Apple phase out third-party data sources like cookies and mobile IDs. You can enrich your customer database with other data about who they are, where they live, what they buy and more. This can help you fill in the blanks in your customer knowledge. As you get better at collecting and matching data, and access more shared data sources, you may be able to create a complete picture of your customers.
- Are we in compliance with CCPA, GDPR and other data privacy regulations? Data privacy is a big issue these days, as more and more cases of data breaches and misuse come to light. This means more rules and regulations to follow, like the GDPR in the EU or the CCPA in the US. Using data to market your brand can give you an edge, but it can also put your brand and your legal status at risk. Many platforms for email marketing can help you comply with the changing laws and build more trust with your customers.
- Do we have C-level buy-in? Email may seem simple, but it can be tricky to manage at a large scale. A platform for email marketing can help businesses overcome these challenges. To convince top executives of the value of a new platform, you need to show them the results of test projects and agree on what success looks like beforehand.
- Can we invest in staff training? To get the most out of a new platform, you need to train your technical, design, content and marketing teams regularly. Some platform providers include or charge extra for training, so check with them about this.
- To what extent do we need to share data and reports with non-email marketing staff? Some platform providers help you connect data across your business, so other teams like customer service and product development can also see the whole customer picture. If you want to use these features, make sure the connections, interfaces and reports work for other people in your organization too.
- Have we established KPIs and put a system in place for tracking, measuring, and reporting results? You need to have a clear idea of what you want your email marketing to do. Do you want to turn newsletter readers into buyers, or more loyal buyers? Maybe you want to make them like your brand more and guide them through a longer buying process. Having specific goals will help you figure out if you need an enterprise platform and which one suits your business best.
- Do we have realistic expectations? Switching to a new email platform can take a while to pay off, especially if it’s very different from what you’ve been using. You may need to change your culture and your workflow. Having realistic expectations and goals will help you get support from everyone in your business.
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About the author
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media’s Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She’s a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
