This article discusses the key considerations your organization should make before choosing a marketing solution for Dynamics 365. Dynamics 365 Marketing or ClickDimensions – or something else entirely? The answer is not as simple as most people think.
If you simply compare the features of two systems 1:1, you will not choose the marketing system that best suits your needs.
Dynamics 365 Marketing and ClickDimensions (or any other marketing system you are considering) have more or less the same features and most of the features your organization will need.
So that’s not what you should be looking at and evaluating when choosing a marketing system.
It’s something else entirely. But what? – That’s what we’re looking into here.
Most people don’t spend enough time preparing to implement a marketing system alongside Dynamics 365.
The vast majority of companies have already implemented Dynamics 365 and are using it in their sales departments. This can result in the preparatory work not being thorough enough, as it is simply an extension of something IT that the company already uses.
Unfortunately, these poor decisions often result in the marketing system not being used optimally, the marketing department not being able to deliver the results and insights that management expected, and the value of the investment not being realized.
Unfortunately, these wrong decisions are repeated after a few years when management realizes that it is probably the system that is at fault and therefore simply replaces it with another one without looking at the real challenges.
You should start by writing down what you want to achieve with your marketing system.
As consultants, we can only advise you once we know what you want to achieve by using the marketing system.
We recommend preparing a decision document that gives you an overview of what you should consider before choosing a marketing solution in Dynamics 365.
Use it internally to discuss options and bring it to meetings with advisors who will help you with the selection or implementation.
As your advisor, we help you succeed—and the document shows you how to realize the potential of your investment.
Because many projects still end without the desired results – and the marketing department or management ends up dissatisfied with their marketing system for various reasons.
Whether you choose Dynamics 365 Marketing or ClickDimensions, for example, there will be different advantages and disadvantages. Even though the marketing systems have the same functions, there are differences in how you work with them in Dynamics 365.
You need to be aware of the various advantages and disadvantages, and not just based on an IT technical assessment. It is also about the experience and knowledge you have internally in the department. What is an advantage for one company is not necessarily an advantage for another company due to the resources they have employed.
It can also be the size of the marketing department or the industry in which the company operates.
There are differences in how far companies have progressed in their approach to working with digital marketing in Dynamics 365. Some are at a basic level, while others have become more sophisticated.
We have developed a model that shows different phases, and based on this, it is quite simple to focus on which functions you need to implement.
In addition, there are four different areas for each level that you will be working with in your marketing system together with Dynamics 365.
The four areas of maturity must go hand in hand. (Data, Segmentation, Automation, Content)
For example, you cannot set up highly advanced automation flows if you do not have the right data to create the right segments.
Assess where you are now and where you want to go.
The marketing system you choose must fit your strategy and where you want to go.
You should choose a partner who has experience connecting Dynamics 365 data with your chosen marketing system.
A Fact receives many customer inquiries where the system has already been chosen and (partially) implemented—but where the process has stalled.
When choosing a marketing system, you need to make sure that any Microsoft partner you choose is able to help you. They may have experience implementing the IT system itself, but how can they advise or onboard you afterwards if they know nothing about marketing processes, marketing campaigns, etc.?
If your company has not written a decision document and therefore does not have a goal for the use of the marketing system or know when it is a financial success, your project will most often end up after the first pillar in the illustration below.
Consider using several different partners when choosing a marketing system.
As a consulting marketing agency and Microsoft partner, we have had good experiences working with companies’ existing IT departments or Microsoft partners, as they have extensive IT knowledge and know how your existing Dynamics 365 setup is configured. The marketing system should fit into this.
That is why we have had great success with the company’s regular Microsoft partner being brought in after the decision document has been prepared and they are responsible for the actual implementation and setup, after which we take care of onboarding the employees in the marketing department.
Take a look at the diagram on the left. It illustrates the various skills that your marketing department should have when working with data-driven marketing in Dynamics 365.
You may not have all the skills you need internally in your department. It may make more sense to have certain functions internally and then use external partners for other functions.
Some parts relate to those who will be working with the system, while others are more technical in nature.
Download our decision document and get help choosing the marketing automation system that best suits your business and needs.
At the same time, use the decision document to get an overview of all the considerations you should generally make before you start working more data-driven with your marketing in Dynamics 365.