All I Want for Christmas is a Fully Functioning CRM

Every marketer knows the dream: Let’s imagine we work in the hospitality industry for a moment, and we excite a potential customer with a Facebook ad for a weekend getaway. The ad was displayed to an entirely new lead based on similarities to an existing customer’s profile; metrics you predicted using sophisticated analytics software. She clicks on the ad, and books her stay at your hotel. You send her the initial thank you and the follow up the next day with a promise of special offers if she downloads your app.

By this point I’m sure many marketers and marketing technologists think I’ve veered too far off into fantasy land...

As we’re dreaming, let’s assume she downloads the app the first time and there’s no reason to send the automated follow ups (text message option included) you’ve planned for the customer journey. Instead, she opens the app and completes a brief survey about her interests – she likes the gym, but isn’t a fan of spas, she’s a foodie, especially if the dishes are internationally inspired and the ingredients are locally sourced. You also ask a couple of questions about what kind of trip they prefer – spontaneous fun or every detail planned? She answers spontaneous fun.

You might even be right, but how’s that going to help achieve your marketing dreams?

After the survey, you prompt her to take a virtual tour of the facility, specifically how easy it is to check in. You also asked her planned arrival time and anyone else traveling with her. She’s going to be staying with her husband, and you prompt her to share the app with him to help plan their itinerary. Of course, he accepts as well and both are now set up for a successful stay...

…by this point I’m sure many marketers and marketing technologists think I’ve veered too far off into fantasy land. You’re busy thinking of your own infrastructure where reservations are in a different system than app users, and neither system knows anything about what’s being served at the restaurant. And you might think it’s like that for everyone else because the last time you called customer service at the cable company even they had to look up your record in multiple systems, resulting in time wasted and aggravation endured.

The best news for marketers heading into 2017 is the sheer number of platforms and services that can get you started down the path to marketing technology perfection...

You might even be right, but how’s that going to help achieve your marketing dreams this holiday season? To borrow the old phrase, the simple truth is that we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and everyone needs to get started somewhere, making the really important question: How can you take the first step without having all of the pieces in place?

The best news heading into 2017 is the sheer number of platforms and services that can get you started down the path to marketing technology perfection. The specific solution for your organization is going to vary based on what platforms you have available and where your data resides, but, as I mentioned in a previous post, a lot of these systems are converging on several key features. The chances are very good that you have access to options to advance your marketing starting immediately. The important thing is adhering to the right principles and having the right long term plan to align yourself with the ideal solution for your organization’s needs.

As you plan for the new year and beyond, here are a few tips to help jumpstart your success:

• Measure and repeat -- even if the numbers aren’t entirely complete. This should go without saying, but there often remains any number of reasons why we can’t precisely, perfectly measure the ROI of a specific campaign, and we end up running place instead of moving ahead. In my opinion, the answer is to measure everything you possibly can this time around and make improvements next time. Once you start presenting more detailed metrics, you will likely start to see your colleagues providing the information you need to improve the accuracy of the calculations.
• Embrace the journey philosophy -- even if your initial attempts are short and sweet. In today’s competitive marketplace, we can’t rely on consumers making a decision after a single brand experience, and we need to make sure we have the tools in place to re-engage. Therefore, all campaigns should include both a re-targeting component and multiple request more information forms tied to an automated email series however brief. This will help ensure you maximize your initial demand generation spend by encourage repeated engagement and also provide additional measurements to improve future campaigns.
• Implement A/B testing -- even if you’re already convinced of the ideal approach. This is another area where we can get into the habit of testing our assumptions, increasing our usage of the powerful new tools available, and generate more measurements. It’s also helpful to demonstrate to leadership the full capabilities of your marketing infrastructure and how data-driven you are making your initiatives.
• Plan for continuous improvement – even if its incremental and the light hasn’t appeared at the end of the tunnel, the sugar plums not yet dancing in your head. In my opinion, this is the area where a lot of us get sidetracked. It’s easy to wait on technology perfection, but the truth is that we are missing out on opportunities to advance our techniques, infrastructure, and results. Instead, I feel we should push ourselves ahead a little further each time. It’s certainly going to taste sweeter than falling behind.

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