The real challenge is making sure your team is leveraging its full potential. Many organizations invest in SFMC but struggle to maximize their return on investment due to underutilization or knowledge gaps.
The Hidden Cost of Underutilization
Think about it: Your team has access to one of the most sophisticated marketing platforms available, but are they using it to its full capacity? According to recent studies, many companies use less than 60% of their Marketing Cloud capabilities. This means you could be:
- Missing opportunities for advanced segmentation and personalization
- Manually handling tasks that could be automated
- Failing to leverage valuable customer insights
- Operating without key performance metrics
Signs You Need a Marketing Cloud Adoption Review
1. Campaign Execution Challenges
- Your team spends excessive time on manual processes
- Campaigns lack sophisticated personalization
- Journey Builder implementations feel basic or limited
- Email templates require frequent troubleshooting
2. Data Management Concerns
- Customer data sits in silos
- Segmentation strategies remain simple
- Real-time personalization seems out of reach
- Cross-channel coordination proves difficult
3. Analytics and Optimization
- Reporting requires manual compilation
- A/B testing is infrequent or basic
- ROI tracking feels incomplete
- Performance metrics lack depth
Unlock your potential - Schedule your 30-minute adoption review consultation
The Solution: A Comprehensive SFMC Assessment
ROI is a key alert indicating that we are not performing well. Let’s imagine a company with a negative ROI.
A negative or unexpected ROI is a clear signal we need to assess our Marketing Cloud adoption. This involves several points, but for this practical example, we will focus only on the "Current State Assessment."
In the sections below, we'll explore each component of the "Current State Assessment" in detail. For each element, we present our findings, discuss potential factors contributing to the negative ROI, and propose specific recommendations to improve the situation.
1. Inventory of utilized features and capabilities
|
Assessment Findings
|
- The company is only using basic functions, such as bulk email sending, without leveraging advanced tools like Journey Builder, Automation Studio, or AI Personalization (Einstein).
- Advanced segmentation capabilities or A/B testing are not being used, which reduces campaign effectiveness.
|
|
Conclusions
|
- Underutilization of the platform implies paying for advanced capabilities that are not being used.
- Generic campaigns fail to capture customer interest due to the lack of personalization.
|
|
Next Steps
|
- List the functionalities available in Salesforce Marketing Cloud and their current usage status.
- Identify key campaigns where advanced segmentation or A/B testing can be applied.
- Organize training sessions on Journey Builder and Einstein Recommendations.
- Launch a pilot with a personalized campaign using Journey Builder.
|
2. Analysis of existing workflows and processes
|
Assessment Findings
|
- Workflows remain manual or inefficient, nullifying the benefits of automation.
- Effort duplication exists between Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other marketing tools, increasing costs without adding value.
|
|
Conclusions
|
- Redundant processes generate inefficiencies in time and resources.
- Lack of automation in repetitive tasks increases operational costs.
|
|
Next Steps
|
- Map current processes and identify redundancies or manual tasks that can be automated.
- Prioritize Salesforce Marketing Cloud integration with CRM to centralize data and workflows.
- Implement basic automation using Automation Studio for repetitive tasks such as sending and reminders.
- Monitor the efficiency of automated processes after a month of implementation.
|
3. Review of data management practices
|
Assessment Findings
|
- Customer data is poorly managed or incomplete, resulting in incorrectly targeted campaigns.
- Data cleaning and deduplication strategies have not been implemented, causing erroneous or duplicate records.
|
|
Conclusions
|
- Poor data quality affects segmentation and personalization, reducing campaign effectiveness.
- Low trust in data by the marketing team decreases tool usage.
|
|
Next Steps
|
- Conduct a complete audit of data quality and health in Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
- Implement ETL tools to clean and deduplicate data before loading.
- Configure SQL Queries in Automation Studio to identify duplicates and generate cleaning lists.
- Establish a semiannual schedule for reviewing and cleaning data.
- Integrate Salesforce CRM (if applicable) to leverage duplicate rules in the CRM and synchronize clean data with Marketing Cloud.
|
4. Evaluation of reporting and analytics usage
|
Assessment Findings
|
- The team is not utilizing advanced reports or dashboards offered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud, limiting data-driven decision-making capabilities.
- Key KPIs are not reviewed periodically, making it difficult to identify successful or underperforming campaigns quickly.
|
|
Conclusions
|
- Lack of visibility into campaign results hinders real-time strategy adjustments.
- Lack of awareness of critical metrics prevents campaign optimization based on results.
|
|
Next Steps
|
- Review current reports in Salesforce Marketing Cloud and compare them with established KPIs.
- Identify key metrics to measure campaign success, such as conversion rate, retention, and ROI.
- Configure automated dashboards to assess campaign performance in real time.
- Hold monthly meetings to discuss results and adjust strategies based on analysis.
|
Having powerful tools isn't enough—you must ensure your team can leverage them effectively. A Marketing Cloud adoption review isn't just an audit; it's an investment in your team's success and your marketing program's future.
Don't let your Marketing Cloud investment go underutilized. Schedule your adoption review today to take the first step toward optimization.
Ready to maximize your Marketing Cloud ROI?
Contact our team to schedule your 30-minute adoption review session.