Marketing automation software adoption tips for cynical team members

You know that marketing automation will improve your productivity, make your marketing initiatives more impactful and increase sales. But software only helps if it is used by not just you, but your entire team. Unfortunately, getting all your staff on board can be challenging. They may feel like they already have a process that works and learning a new system takes precious time. Follow these 6 tips to ensure a smooth rollout.

Choose your marketing automation platform wisely.

If your goal is to have everyone at your company using the software, be sure and choose an approachable, intuitive system. Marketing automation systems that require multiple days of training can result in a painful adoption and high abandonment rate. If it’s possible, encourage your team to try out the systems you’re thinking about and ask them for feedback.

Giving team members the opportunity to weigh-in on the decision process can make them feel empowered as they recognize they are an important member of the team.

If you're starting the marketing automation comparison process, check out our chart »

Enlist the help of influencers

Getting influencers on board right away will encourage the snowball effect. By influencers we simply mean team leaders. It’s best to include influencers from a variety of roles or departments. If you can hold a meeting with leadership right at the start, and at least get them excited, it's likely it will trickle down to those they manage. 

Clearly tell your staff what problems marketing automation will help solve.

Identify 2-3 important needs that marketing automation could help improve immediately. Consider your audience. If you’re trying to convince team members from sales, marketing and operations why they need marketing automation, use real examples that matter and resonate with each of their separate roles. Highlight the benefits of the marketing automation platform, not just the features, as this will paint a clearer picture.

Pay for training.

When you see that “training” line item on the proposal, make sure you select it. Too often, companies opt for skipping the training because they want to save a little money. Training may seem like something that’s not required, but in the long run will save you loads of time, help you adhere to best practices and get you up and running much quicker than a DIY approach.

Customize training for your team.

Chance are, how quickly new software is learned will vary from person to person. Some team members will learn the software with ease while others may find the whole process draining and frustrating. Recognize that people learn in different ways and make sure you offer a variety of training options. Clearly communicate training options so your team can choose what works best for them. 

Start small, celebrate and evolve

Take an agile approach to marketing automation and be open to how it continually evolves. If you wait until everything is perfect, you’ll never start. As you get more processes automated, build on what’s working and improve what’s not. Keep morale strong by celebrating small wins along the way.

Plan collaborative work sessions

While you’re getting things rolled out, it’s crucial to regularly check in to see how things are working. Make sure you have plenty of coffee, water or Red Bull and go over what you did that month and how/if it had any impact on your business. Team work sessions will help ensure that objectives and goals are clear to everyone on the team and keep people excited. 

These tips should highlight just how much a team can help make your automation investment worth it. We also hope they inspire you to keep in mind that whole "team work makes the dream work" notion. If you need to add some help to that team as you get started with your CRM, reach out to us at ArcStone and we'll alleviate some of that initial headache.