{"id":5113,"date":"2022-01-21T14:05:05","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T14:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/21\/11-ways-to-set-your-marketing-automation-platform-up-for-success-in-the-new-year\/"},"modified":"2022-01-21T14:05:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T14:05:05","slug":"11-ways-to-set-your-marketing-automation-platform-up-for-success-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/21\/11-ways-to-set-your-marketing-automation-platform-up-for-success-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Ways to Set Your Marketing Automation Platform up for Success in the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Lisa Heay<\/span><\/i><\/a>,<\/span><\/i> Director of Business Operations at Heinz Marketing<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a new year, and every January serves as a fresh start\u2014an opportunity to set your intentions and some goals for the year. I know in my work life, it\u2019s a good reset, too. We come back from the holidays, refreshed and ready to go, and for Marketing Operations people, it\u2019s a great time to clean up and organize your systems, learn from the previous year, and prepare for what\u2019s to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 11 things you can do now to set yourself up for success in your marketing automation platform in the upcoming year.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Update <\/b>the<\/b> copyright dates that appear in your email and landing page footers<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you haven\u2019t set up tokens, updating the copyright year is a daunting task. Every email template, scheduled or triggered email, active landing page, and landing page template needs to be updated. I\u2019ve done this task manually, and it\u2019s a pain to say the least.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned in a <\/span>previous blog post<\/span><\/a>, if you\u2019re not using global tokens, you need to be. Take the time to understand the <\/span>hierarchy of tokens<\/span><\/a> and how they\u2019re inherited down the folder tree. If you plan your folder structure and tokens appropriately, updating the copyright year should be about a 30-second task.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to get started with global tokens. We created a \u201c!Universal\u201d folder within Marketing Activities that everything else lives in. The sole purpose of that folder is to set up global tokens that apply down to every marketing campaign or asset we have set up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"global<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Archive last year\u2019s programs<\/b><\/h3>\n

File away last year\u2019s email programs, webinars, and events to clear the clutter for 2022. It\u2019s best to mirror your folder structure in the archives, so that you can easily reference old programs later, if needed.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that archiving programs does not automatically turn them off. Make sure you deactivate any triggers or turn off any scheduled batch runs before moving your programs to the archives.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Set up your folder structure for new programs<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve organized your instance by folders and archived last year\u2019s programs, create your new 2022 folders now so that it\u2019s clear where new programs should be filed. For me, when I\u2019m busy trying to crank out programs, my organizational skills go out the window, but if I\u2019ve set up my structure successfully ahead of time, things tend to stay neat and tidy. Not to mention I get less questions from others about where things should go.<\/p>\n

4. Merge your duplicates<\/b><\/h3>\n

Prepare your database for success in the new year. Do you have duplicate leads taking up space? If you stay on top of it, this doesn\u2019t have to be a big task. I review our system\u2019s duplicates on a monthly basis. Whatever your cadence, this should be part of your regular maintenance.<\/p>\n

If you manage a large database (and budget to spend), a duplicate management tool may be the way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Cleanse and append your database<\/b><\/h3>\n

We all know that people move on to new roles all the time, and data can quickly go out of date. Now\u2019s the time to review your database to determine who is engaging with you, how many leads you have within your ICP, and where the gaps are. You should come out of this exercise with lists of leads you can delete<\/a> (if they are not engaging and not a target, they don\u2019t need to take up valuable space in your database!), and lists that need an update or an append<\/a> to fill in missing data.<\/p>\n

6. Review your nurture content<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nurture programs are often set and then forgotten about. If you haven\u2019t reviewed what you\u2019re sending at a regular cadence, take this opportunity in the new year to read through each email to ensure the content and your messaging is still relevant, timely, and in line with your organization\u2019s objectives for the year.<\/p>\n

Also review your entrance and exit programs. Are the right leads entering the right tracks? Are your nurture streams successfully meeting their original objectives? Is there an opportunity to build tracks to help support new company objectives?<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Audit lead scoring<\/b><\/h3>\n

Are the scoring attributes you\u2019ve used still relevant to marketing and sales? Are the triggers working as you\u2019d planned? Do the point values associated with each one still make sense? Take this opportunity to review your scoring programs and the MQLs it produces. Are they meeting the right expectations? Is there an opportunity for improvement?<\/p>\n

8. Check in with your sales team<\/b><\/h3>\n

What\u2019s working? What isn\u2019t? Are they getting the quality of leads they expect? Are lead alerts, tasks, interesting moments, and lead assignments working as they need them to? Is the SLA being followed between both teams as far as who should be doing what at each stage of the lead flow? Staying in tune with your sales team will help ensure confidence and alignment between teams.<\/p>\n

9. Review new data privacy regulations<\/b><\/h3>\n

The world of data privacy is changing rapidly. Make sure you\u2019re up to speed on the laws that impact your organization. You\u2019re probably familiar with GDPR, CASL and CCPA, but many other US states are rolling out their own versions, as well. Virginia and Colorado have already signed their own policies in the last year, set to begin in 2023.<\/p>\n

10. Reporting<\/b><\/h3>\n

You may be wrapping up reporting from the previous year, but make sure to align the system to the new year\u2019s KPIs. Understand what reports will be important to see, who will need to see them, and ensure your system is set up accordingly. This year\u2019s goals are likely different from those from last year, so prepare now.<\/p>\n

11. Review your user list<\/b><\/h3>\n

Take a look at your list of users. Are there people who have moved on from your team? Contractors you no longer work with? Are there team members whose roles have changed? Are there people with assigned licenses that have not logged in in a long time? Now\u2019s the time to clean up your user list\u2014you can always re-add someone later, if needed.<\/p>\n

Take the time now to set yourself and your marketing operations team up for success with a regular cadence of review across your systems. If there is anything I missed, I\u2019d love to hear it in the comments. Happy New Year!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n