Prioritize

When you start, its important to understand the breadth of marketing technology and enterprise marketing platforms. The next step is to recognize which of these technologies are applicable within an organization and prioritize their adoption.  If a marketing technology project has already been identified, skip straight to Unica’s section on justifying investments.

Prior to in-depth business cases or ROI models, it is useful to:

• Establish the marketing technology vision
• Understand the benefits of the different marketing technologies
• Assess current infrastructure and capabilities
• Identify the links between marketing technology and a company’s financial performance
• Recognize quick-win investments  and identifying big-impact investments
• Create a proposal for prioritizing and sequencing the investments

Some marketing technologies directly influence revenues while others are designed to better manage the internal expense line. Carefully consider influences on both efficiency (doing things right) and effectiveness (doing the right things).  Balancing quick-win and big-impact investments is the key to a successful long-term strategy.  Additionally, marketers should identify the optimum sequence for making marketing technology investments. Doing so will help develop the business case, and secure executive backing for the adoption.  Remember to maximize the financial impact by tackling the most urgent issues first. Over time build a sustained competitive advantage in core marketing technology and processes that differentiates the company from the competition.

To help prioritize marketing technologies, Unica recommends the following resources:

• Unica’s map of marketing technologies and benefits: Benefits of Marketing Technologies
• An excellent article from Unica’s partner Quaero about how to select marketing technology: Selecting Your Marketing Solution
• Optional resource: Gartner’s How to Prioritize CRM Technology Investments in Different Economic Climates

Click "Start" to gain an understanding of the various types of marketing technology

Click "Justify" for assistance in building the marketing technology adoption business case