This potential partner looks like a great fit — but can they scale?
Ok, you’ve just attended the IFA 2020 convention and met with lots of companies in search of the right marketing partner. Some seemed ok, some not a fit, and a few who could really help your business.
The main concern: can they scale?
In 2020, “scaling” requires modern marketing automation. The complexity of digital buying has ended the days of manual efforts in supporting hundreds or thousands of locations.
Here’s how marketing automation will improve your marketing strategy, operations, growth — and make your CFO happy.
“Systemwide uniformity”
David Mortenson, President/Co-Founder at Self Esteem Brands, spoke at the IFA 2020 conference sharing the lessons learned scaling to thousands of locations in all seven continents. He made it clear enabling systemwide uniformity became mandatory.
Our view at Eulerity is consistent as we believe marketing technology provides the operational consistency needed to apply towards mundane tasks holding back the scaling of multi-location marketing. Without marketing technology, achieving systemwide uniformity is an uphill struggle that only gets harder as you grow.
What marketing functions can technology operationalize? This boils down to shifting higher value tasks to your teams + implementing automation for tactical operational items.
This includes multi-channel and ad format creative re-sizing. This can be done in real-time increasing your launch times. Always on reporting doesn’t mean having a spreadsheet sent at a desired frequency. Real time data should be presented in an easy to understand interface easily accessible 24/7 (this means your mobile devices when you need it).
If you are paying internal or agency teams to press & adjust buttons to deploy consumer ad targeting across various digital platforms, there is a better way. Marketing technology can set targeting parameters and adjust automatically when performance is needed daily.
Speaking of performance…aren’t maximizing media optimization? Now’s a perfect time to start.
Establish a glide path to Machine Learning with a partner investing in robust engineering capabilities. Enabling machine learning to optimize your media doesn’t have to be hard.
By partnering with an updated technology company like Eulerity, it’s easy to strip away the jargon and experience the results to support your hundreds/thousands of locations. This form of media optimization is the most effective way to handle small budgets with maximum reach while honing into high performing channels. Read more about machine learning from our contribution to the IFA.
The operational consistency alignment with marketing technology.
As a marketing leader having control of your brand across the internet at your fingertips is essential. Marketing tech provides the opportunity to understand what creative is out there, what needs to be pulled back, and what to turbo-charge.
Tracking local marketing spend of business owners is key to ensuring spending requirements are meant. With marketing software corporate teams have full transparency into your system spend at anytime.
Access and consistency to key performance indicators is paramount. At the convention we heard business owners frustration when having to chase down marketing KPI’s from the agency partner they hired. Has this ever happened to you?
Your location owners and corporate team deserve better. They should have always on access at their fingertips that is visual, simplistic — and deep enough to provide key KPI’s important to your marketing investment.
Lastly….ok what’s in it for my CFO?
The world of SaaS pricing compared to agency management fees should make your CFO ecstatic.
If you aren’t familiar with the hidden tax in digital advertising, click to read our thoughts featured on the IFA’s FranBlog.
SaaS pricing offers tremendous opportunity to keep your costs down while operationalizing your approach to marketing. Traditionally marketing services companies can take a % of your media efforts. Essentially this creates an incentive for pressure to spend more $$. The more you (or your owners spend) the more the partner makes.
In marketing technology, SaaS pricing means fixed subscription recurring monthly pricing, which allows your financial team to have predictable and annual lower costs. Having aligned incentives with your partner certainly provides comfort in controlling any bias.
Closing thoughts
If you visited the IFA 200 convention this past week you likely entered the vendor hall. How in the world can you know if a potential partner can scale?
Look for technology companies in your partner selection that meet today’s current needs of your organization. Some of the above points may help in your selection process as you make your next choice.
Get a reference from a current customer who has used the technology you are considering. While the pitch may look great, make sure the technology isn’t just serving a marketing & powerpoint purpose. You don’t want to make a new partner choice only to find out later their technology is really for their internal teams — not for you.
While manual processes without self serve marketing technology may work for one location or a few — it will prove limiting for growing brands.
Let your dilemma of scale turn to the dilemma of possibilities.
For more on how Eulerity can help you scale up and modernize your marketing, drop us a line at sales@eulerity.com.
Adam Chandler, Chief Operating Officer, Eulerity
