When it comes to marketing automation, there is no silver bullet. It’s true.

Too often, we are approached by a company that thinks a marketing automation platform (MAP) can solve all their problems, all at once.

Wrong.

Part of the blame lies with the leading vendors and how they position their solutions.

HubSpot claims:

Our [SIC] marketing software has everything you need to run successful inbound marketing campaigns that make people interested in your business and happy to be your customer. It’s all your marketing tools — all in one place.

Act-On says:

Our [SIC] marketing command center gives you the tools you need to get the right messages, to the right people, at the right time. Create meaningful relationships with your audiences, and measure your marketing success with ease.

Pardot parries with:

Our [SIC] is enabling marketers to exceed their lead generation goals, align with and empower their sales teams, and put all of their favorite marketing and selling tools under the same umbrella.

Marketo just likes the look of their own belly button:

We help you transform your digital marketing with constant product innovation, a vibrant community of marketers, and a robust partner ecosystem.

Sigh…

In most cases, it’s not the tool you choose

We are platform-agnostic for a very good reason. It’s not the tool that matters. It’s how you use the tool.

The best, most powerful, feature-rich MAP cannot get the job done without a great strategy. You need an audience segmentation plan, fabulous content and months (if not years) of experimentation, testing, data analysis and honing.

Ask not what your MAP can do for you…

Instead, ask yourself how you can use your MAP to achieve specific goals.

If your goal is content distribution, drill down to audience segments by role and/or vertical markets and tailor your sends to those parameters. Use your subject-matter experts (SMEs) to position your brand as a thought leader.

If your goal is engagement, MAP is great, but set key performance indicators (KPIs) against which you can evaluate each piece of content. Let the data guide your content plan going forward.

Need conversions? Each MAP lets you plug into a variety of CRMs off the shelf. More specialized CRMs, like Broker Management Systems (BMS) in the insurance industry, will need custom integrations, but once completed can show full revenue attribution and end-to-end marketing ROI.

Don’t go it alone

There is no silver bullet. But there are sharp shooters like Goose Digital who have been in the game for a while and can help you get to your end goal faster. We’ve even built a suite of Accelerators that our clients can snap into their existing programs.

Talk to us about your MAP greenfield or revive. We’ll help you get the most out of whatever platform you like.