Hey Smart Marketers!
There are reasons why some projects succeed while others fail.
If you want to stay on the success path, there are 7 Deadly Sins to avoid.
Let’s dive in!
# Poor Data
If possible, I’d recommend a Data Quality Assessment at the beginning of each project.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud consumes data and uses it to segment and personalize communications.
To make the most of any Marketing Automation, you need data. That’s fuel for your automation.
Good data drives conversions.
Poor data hurt brands.
# Lack of Skills
Message to recruiters: Stop recruiting Salesforce Sales Cloud professionals for Marketing Cloud Projects.
And guess what? Marketing Cloud Engagement and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement are 2 COMPLETELY different tools!
When looking for SFMC experts, try and find specialists experienced in the product and the industry.
I believe experience matters more than certifications but if you want to verify Salesforce credentials, you can do it here.
Ask for references.
# Unclear objectives
On the Brand side, objectives should be clearly defined.
The best-case scenario would be clear objectives before purchasing Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement.
Here are some examples of unclear objectives:
- We want to create journeys ;
- We want to send emails and SMS ;
- We want to segment our customers.
A clear objective is SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
# Unrealistic expectations
There’s hype around ChatGPT because we all like magic.
I met a client once who believed Einstein (Salesforce AI) was so smart it would segment for him, personalize, and push the right product at the right time without anyone training or setting up anything…
Had to lower expectations…
Keep in mind that the pre-sales phase increases greatly the client expectations. All the vendors displayed astonishing use cases… and now it’s time for implementation.
Your first job is to set realistic expectations.
# No Cross-Cloud vision
Do you know those projects?
With 2 teams:
- One on Service Cloud
- One on Marketing Cloud
You can even have a third one Salesforce Data Cloud (ex-CDP).
And there are no cross-cloud meetings.
No alignment.
These projects are doomed. Period.
# Poor Planning
The project time frame is critical.
It should be realistic on the project side but also consider business constraints.
Controlling time is every project manager’s hidden talent.
Pay special attention to the IP warm-up phase. It could have a great impact on your planning.
I remember a project for a lingerie brand… The contact database was not large, but the content of the emails seemed too “hot” for some ISPs.
# Change Requests
You defined a Statement of Work (SOW).
Both parties agreed.
Project kick-off + one week: you received your first change request.
A change request is an alteration or an addition to the agreed-upon SOW.
And Marketers love them!
SFMC projects without Change Requests are real unicorns!
Change Requests can blow up your planning: how you deal with them will define your capacity to deliver successful projects.
Don’t say yes to everything but use them to set smart goals.
See you next week!
Other ways I can help you: