One thing is clear. Marketing technology today is an essential component of organisational transformation, helping marketers and their organisations attract, grow and retain audiences and customers and increase income too.
For Membership Organisations it is critical. With a range of marketing channels available, from marketing membership to promoting products and services, it will become increasingly important to get the right technology to enable effective communications, reaching specific audience segments, generating income and measurable too.
Gartner puts marketing technology at around 26% of an organisation’s total marketing budget with marketers using only 58% of their existing technology capabilities.
That means the challenge is not just the increasing choice of technology, but the skills and capabilities required to implement and integrate the right tools and technologies, the selection process, the structure of organisations, measurability, procurement, negotiations, cost, usage and efficiencies.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) will play an increasing role too.
So how do membership organisations navigate the complex path of ‘which marketing technology will suit and fit our goals and objectives’? What steps can membership organisations take to ensure the right plan, team & structure, technology and operations and execution are in place to achieve its goals?
Following a 10-step process will help guide you.
Implementing Marketing Technology in 10 Steps.
1. Have in place your organisational objectives and goals. You’ll going to need to have them to ensure that your marketing technology strategy, plan and choices are aligned.
2. Undertake an audit of your current audience / customer journey (CX).
- Where and how do they come into contact with your organisation?
- What marketing tools are you currently using to Attract, Engage, Convert and Retain your members?
- List the tools inventory you are currently using across advertising & promotion, commerce & sales, data, management, social and content.
3. Audit, analyse and review the cost and value of your current marketing tools and technology. You’ll want to use this as a benchmark for any future changes including new investment.
4. Create a GAP Analysis that includes what tools you think you might want to lose, retain, optimise or invest in as new and research the market to determine what other tools would make a good fit and look at how to get the best out of those you wish to retai
5. Undertake an honest review of your ability as an organisation to implement new changes. How well developed are you in your marketing technology skills and capabilities (planning, people, platform and processes)?
6. Think about the current state of your team and structure:
- Who owns or will own marketing technology?
- Is it currently sitting with IT, Procurement or Marketing?
7. Start constructing what your new technology stack might include:
- What are you proposing to include?
- What value will it drive?
8. Construct a procurement and vendor selection process based on your marketing technology stack selection and include your current budget and expenditure as a benchmark.
- Provide a detailed brief of goals, objectives.
- Establish a vendor scorecard measuring strategic fit, functionality, SLA, team chemistry.
9. An agile but strong operational plan under constant review, is key.
- Monitor vendors, track contract timelines, costs and price increases.
- Ensure effective on-boarding and training.
- Put in place data and governance policies.
- Establish effective analytics and reporting.
10. Include ESG & Net Zero criteria for your vendor line up and ensure their associated products and services are carbon credible.
And so, with the continued growth and expansion of marketing technology (some 8,000 + vendors) following these 10 basic steps should make the experience of identifying, selecting, purchasing and activating, a little less complicated.
Auditel help membership organisations navigate a procurement path that ensures they are getting the best possible value for their spend. For more information, please contact Gavin Miller.
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