How to Effectively Choose a Marketing Tool?
Choosing the right software can burn at least a few hours of precious company time and can pull you away from what’s important. We can save you some time and cut your workload in half.
Let’s venture an answer with a question: What is the purpose of online marketing? We can blend some answers from many experts, books and websites and say that:
The purpose of online marketing is to develop and utilise a strategy that has the lowest predictable cost and risk in order to maximise sales and receive a high return on investment (ROI).
This is of course oversimplified, but nonetheless a very accurate definition. It’s all about being effective. To all of us it means something different, that’s why the first thing you must do, is to determine what your needs are:
- What is the need for introducing a new tool to the company (what purpose will it serve)?
- What must-have qualities/features should this tool have?
- What nice-to-have qualities/features should this tool have?
- What ultimate business goal can be satisfied by using this tool?
In order to achieve the goal of maximising profit, a marketer has to also think about his or her brand. There is a shift in the world of modern marketing which demands a deeper understanding of a company’s history, online presence and goals. It’s all about the brand’s DNA. To choose the right marketing tool is to understand the DNA of the provider of the tool. Is the company focused on product value or just the money?
“Product value” seems vague, so let’s break it down to understand it better. The tool you’re looking for should have:
- A low entry level for everyone to use, publish and share the results of work
- The option to create or work on a file independently, leading to a total control over the process
- The option to create multiple accounts with various security levels and privileges
- The ability to deliver high quality results
- A short window of time between the beginning of the work and the end effect
- Effect optimization and automation options
- A support center/knowledge base/online chat/social media group for instant, 24h help
- A future-proof architecture for easy updates and new features
- Integrations with third-party tools for even greater value
- Reasonable pricing and a free trial option
- A strong online presence indicating that helpful content marketing and social media matter to the company
- A direct match between the company’s projected image and users’ opinions
If you’re the only person that has to choose a tool:
- Write down and compare key feature lists among several software candidates,
- Check the pricing and an option for the free trial period,
- Make notes summarizing your observations, highlights and key benefits observed after the trial period
If the decision about choosing a tool is out of your hands and you’re the person making a recommendation:
- Back your pick with facts, numbers and data
- Show your team or a person in charge how your favourite software will cut time on projects
- Make a slide underlining the single, most important advantage the company will benefit from by choosing a particular tool
- Make a slide summarizing your observations, highlights and key benefits observed after the trial period
- Prepare a roadmap for content transfer to the new tool and what communication/cooperation regarding the tool will now look like
- Prepare a short FAQ for your team with the answers to the most probable questions from your team
The tool that you end up using should be chosen based on what you need as determined by the strategy. Use our bullet lists above and don’t settle for bullet lists of features on the tool provider’s site. Compare, test in practice, check the pricing and look for indicators of a professional online presence:
- A cohesive visual presentation
- Clearly established DNA and business value(s) delivered to customers
- Elements beyond visual look — content marketing with a practical, customer-focused scope, intelligent and funny social media activity
- A strong tie between what a company projects content-wise and what the product delivers
And don’t worry, whatever you choose it won’t be like a marriage. You can take a date to dinner and say “Let’s be friends”. But if you find “the one”, it’s going to be golden. Take your time, choose wisely.
