Marketing Technology Customisation; the heart of cross-platform conversation

by Grant Keller, Director for EMEA at Acceleration

The evolution of marketing technology looks something like this:

· In recent years, there has been a surge in the adoption of marketing technologies by marketers

· Those who have been using marketing technologies for a while, have started to discover the real value and competitive advantage these tools offer

· The savviest of these marketers have realised that they are only scratching the surface of the opportunity.

While the platforms themselves offer tremendous value, those who have “drunk the Kool-Aid” are now looking to get even more efficiencies, better marketing ROI, and ultimately securing the competitive advantage. They are putting marketing technology at the very centre of what they do, rather than bolting it on around the edges as has been the case over recent years.

This requires customisation, as all marketers have unique business goals and unique work flow requirements. Marketing technologies need to be weaved into the very fabric of each organisation.

And it goes further - not only are these marketers looking to customise the capabilities of the marketing technology platforms themselves, but they are looking to have them connect to and talk with the other technology platforms (not to mention billing, workflow and legacy operational solutions as well).

Get this right, and the benefits are obvious. But get it wrong and you can waste a lot of time, energy and resource.

Littered with pitfalls

This requires a deep understanding of the environment in which the marketer operates, as well as practical knowledge of the existing marketing technology platforms. Marketers need experts to guide them through this, as the path to the ultimate solution is littered with pitfalls, and those that have not thought it through properly.

If marketers are looking for partners to help in this area, they need to look for hard credentials. In other words, they need to talk to people who not only can offer the advice, but also follow through with the delivery. Offering theoretical solutions is easy, what you really need to do is speak with veterans - those who have worked intimately with the platforms - and those who have had to deal with the practical realities of execution.

Ask for examples, and to speak with people for whom they have implemented such solutions - they should be more than happy to oblige.

Timing for customisation projects is impossible to define, it can take days, weeks, months. That is the nature of the beast, and each project will be different. Marketers need to bear in mind that their input is needed. If they want a great solution, they need to invest time and energy with those providing it, and work through the process alongside them. Ultimately the solution will only be as good as the input and insights the marketer provides while being taken through this process.

The benefits of customisation are obvious. But the real proof is in the delivery.