We have had meeting after meeting with manufacturing companies and every one of them have their doubts about transitioning their current sales and marketing systems to a new one.
But I’m here to tell you…It’s actually pretty easy!
There are nearly 11 times more B2B companies using marketing automation now than in 2011, according to SiriusDecisions’ “B-to-B Marketing Automation Study” (2014). As the marketing automation field has matured over the years, an increasing number of manufacturers find themselves wanting (or even needing) to make the transition. I’ve heard almost every reason, from dissatisfaction with their current vendor to needing an upgrade of an outdated system.
Whatever the reason may be, don’t let updating your marketing automation system be the cause of not investing in inbound marketing. It would be a mistake, trust me.
80% of marketing automation users saw their number of leads increase, and 77% saw the number of conversions increase. – VB Insight “Marketing Automation, how to make the right buying decision” (2015)
Have you made the decision to update your marketing automation system? Good! Here are 8 steps I recommend to do so easily.
(Note that the Marketing Automation System in this example is Hubspot, one of the systems we use here at Marketing Essentials.)
1) Round Up Your Inventory
Run through your workflows, contact fields, lists and content. Take note of everything you have in your existing marketing program, from landing pages and emails to blog posts and images.
2) Time to Clean Up
If you’re going through this transition, it’s a great opportunity to clean up your old offers and other assets you don’t need anymore. You might also want to think about combing through your contacts and deleting some of those email addresses that have bounced or failed to engage for awhile.
3) Determine What Needs Changed
Identify any changes or updates that need to be made in your workflows that are being carried over. An outdated workflow is never any good.
4) Exporting
Export all of your data, contact lists, etc. into the format required for your new system. And make sure to keep it in a safe place so it doesn’t get lost!
5) It’s Time to Rebuild
Begin with landing pages and emails. You’ll have to take your current landing pages and emails and recreate them in the new system. It can be as easy as applying the old style and template to them or updating them with a new look and feel.
6) Sync Your Contacts
Upload your contacts and start re-creating workflows, lists and forms using your new platform (e.g. Hubspot).
7) Test, Test, Test
It’s important to test to make sure everything is working properly. There may be some hiccups along the way, but it’s all part of the process. According to HubSpot, companies might want to run the old and new systems in tandem for a period of time.
8) Bye Bye
You don’t need that old system anymore...shut’er down. Hasta la vista. Nice knowing ya! E.T. Go Home! Closing Time. However you want to say it, it’s over.
So What Now?
You’ll quickly notice that when using a marketing automation system such as Hubspot, it’s quicker, easier and provides a lot of great data and insights to continuously improve your marketing automation process.
I’m also going to advise that you not try this yourself. If you want your manufacturing company to have a smooth transition, it would be easier to hire a digital marketing agency to assist with the process. Nobody looks forward to migration projects, but with good planning and realistic expectations, you can complete this process without losing sleep.
