Common Marketo Implementation Challenges to Avoid

Based on our first-hand experiences I am sharing the most common Marketo implementation challenges to be aware of as you implement/scale your Marketo Instance

If you are implementing or enhancing your Marketo footprint you are already working with one of the best platforms for marketing automation. Marketo will be the core of your marketing technology stack along with your CRM system and a driving focus for the marketing teams. Making Marketo work well for your teams should be a focus and doing it right is imperative for the success of your marketing teams. I have had the privilege of overseeing the implementation and maturity of Marketo instance at a number of organizations of various sizes and industries and based on first-hand experience I am sharing the most common Marketo implementation pitfalls to be cognizant of. 

1. Align Teams Across the Organization

Get all your internal teams rowing in the same direction and doing it to plan.  A successful Marketo implementation will require cooperation and continued support from teams like Digital/Web Operations, CRM and IT, Sales Operations, Content, General Marketing, and others. Make sure that you have a champion from each of these teams that is completely on board to make the implementation and adoption of Marketo seamless and quick.

2. Ensure Expertise on the Team

If you are new to Marketing Automation or lack marketing automation expertise and muscle, secure professional services to navigate through the process. Not necessary to purchase professional services from Marketo but secure a resource (consultant or agency) that can not only meet your resource needs but can also guide you through the implementation and help project plan it for you. Make sure you budget for it right up front because if you do not you will likely regret it. Have a long term view and get the Marketo Agency or Consultant to provide an expected maturity curve and time frame so that you can track your progress over time.

3. Understand Technical Implications and Have a Plan For Them

Make sure you have technical resources lined up because whether you like it or not as you will need to get technical. Marketo will be interfacing with a number of elements of your companies technology stack and you may run into unexpected technical issues related to Marketo. Make sure the technical issues arising from your Marketo implementation are well documented for future references and maintain technical architecture documentation from day one. With growing Martech stack around your Marketo instance, you will need to refer and build this documentation over time. 

4. Build Winning Templates For All Major Marketing Programs and Campaigns

A marketing process cannot be consistent and optimized for speed if each new request uses a unique approach and requires new Marketo templates. Build templates in Marketo for all your marketing needs as much as possible. For example - if your company runs webinars, make sure the end to end webinar marketing process (invitations, registration landing pages, thank you pages, reminder emails, and final emails, etc) is running on templates based on best practices. This will help you bring an unprecedented scale to your marketing teams. Though built on best practices make sure you AB test the templates on a continuous basis to optimize for conversion.

5. Expect and Celebrate Success in Crawl, Walk and Run Stages

Let the extended team and the organization know when you are succeeding. Don't overdo it but make sure to share your small successes throughout your Marketo implementation and continue to build confidence around the system. Market your success and continue to enjoy the sponsorship you need to drive the best possible results from your Marketo Implementation.
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We at Growth Natives love to implement or rejuvenate Marketo instances for our customers. Getting started with Marketo or looking to get your Marketo Implementation in top shape drop us a line at info@growthnatives.com 

P.S. We offer one free audit worth $1500 every month and would love to do it for you if possible.