The most important criteria for selecting a marketing automation system

Chart of the Day: What makes you choose your marketing automation platform?

There is so much choice with marketing automation platforms now, with nearly every Email Service Provider (ESP) adding them to their grades. But what are others choosing their platforms for?

Marketing Automation platforms aren't cheap, even the ones that are rather simplistic. So these are expensive investments, but what would drive a business to choose one platform over another?

In the chart below we can see that the most important reason why a business goes with a specific marketing automation platform. 54% said that it was the ease of implementation. Now, I have implemented a fair few marketing automation platforms and ESPs, and yes they are a ball ache and can take a lot of time and planning. But is this really a fair reason to go with a specific platform and spend all that money? Just because it's easy? I do no agree with this at all.

The other points make far more sense, with the cost of ownership at 43%, analytics capabilities at 40% and even cross-platform integration at 39%.

Remember this is for your company, so, what are the most important criteria for you to select a marketing automation system?

• Define your business goals - what do you want to achieve?
• Avoid shiny object syndrome - what functions are essential, key features and desirables
• Cost - look at how much you can afford, don't look out of your price bracket. There are a lot of different pricing options available
• Challenge vendors with a scenario - think about what you want to use it for, and ask the different vendors how their platforms could fit your requirements

• Source: State of
  Marketing Automation 2017
• Sample Size: Research subscribers 228
• Recommended Resource: B2B Marketing Automation Guide