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Like many companies this year, yours may be considering ramping up marketing with the use of MarTech software. There are many affordable options to help you market your business, but take time to investigate which is best for your needs before you buy. Marketing professionals continously receive a solicitation from MarTech SAAS companies which is why you need to ‘try before you buy’ to determine if licensing MarTech software is the right decision for your marketing team and your company:
Identifying your company’s marketing needs before you consider the software.
Do you need to increase social engagement, direct email marketing, or traditional marketing? Is your marketing plan content based utilizing blogging, whitepapers, video, or through podcasts? Are you focusing on the company’s marketing or the sales team’s marketing? Identify your need first and then find the MarTech solution(s).
Do you have the staff available to manage the software?
Or provide the components (graphic design, written content, video) needed to make the software a productive part of your marketing strategy? If you are short on bodies and the software is too complicated to use it won’t be worth your investment. Part of the offering from the SAAS provider should be to assist with set up and training of your marketing team. On-going support should always be included as part of the cost.
Evaluate the MarTech software company and their product by trying the software out before you commit to an agreement and payments.
I’m talking a software trial here, not a demo by a sales rep. You will learn a lot about the company when they set up the software test. Do they help set up the software or expect you to jump in blindly? Do you have a support person who trains you and is responsive to your questions promptly? If the MarTech software company has excellent customer support and the software is easy to use, more than likely your experience will be successful and you will license the software. If they don’t provide a trial and expect you to put out money first, you may want to reconsider their offering.
Related: The 5 Components of a Content Marketing Strategy
Interview the MarTech software company.
Find out how and when they started , if they developed the software for their company’s purpose, or if you’re dealing with an over-funded startup that may not make it. Truthfully, there’s a lot of MarTech SAAS companies out there right now that are in a start-up phase; what happens to your data and license if they fold? Look for longevity in their business and other companies they’ve worked with to determine if they’re legitimate and on a path to growth. Lastly, ask about technology updates they’ve recently added to the software and if there are any future ones planned. If they are not improving their software, you risk that the SAAS product will become outdated quickly and not provide the benefits of it you were hoping.
Find out if the software can be integrated with other software your company licenses.
Does the software use APIs to integrate with CMS systems or other software you use? Does it integrate with other MarTech software solutions? If the answer is ‘yes,’ consider licensing it. If the other software companies that allow the integration sees the benefits chances are it’s a good fit for you and your company. Smart SAAS companies partner with other SAAS companies in order to increase solutions and the positive experiences their customers receive through integrations.