While your CEO is concerned about ROI, your CFO is focused on the value of marketing automation tools and your marketing head is thinking about streamlined processes, your developer has his own concerns.

There is no doubt that marketing automation has enabled companies of all sizes to reach more customers on a far deeper level than ever before. These tools offer great value to many different industries, from tiny startups all the way to large-scale pharmaceutical companies.

Like any other SaaS, however, the true effect that this software is able to have on your business comes down to how carefully you choose the system. The right system has the power to revolutionise the way you market your business. The wrong system, on the other hand, can end up causing more harm than it is worth.

Your developer will have many questions and concerns. The biggest of these will most likely centre on whether the system is compatible with your apps, website and other systems. Your developer may have many technical questions that are not always easy for marketing teams to answer. On the plus side, who better to help you choose the perfect system than the developer who has the greatest understanding of your technical needs and requirements?

One of the biggest questions your developer is likely to ask is why your company should consider buying or outsourcing a system when it could be built in-house. Although many developers have the ability to build such a platform, there are a number of reasons that it is best to invest in dedicated marketing automation tools. These reasons include the following:

• An easy to use platform benefits, everyone. While your dev team may be able to build a unique system, they may lack the background in marketing to be able to create a user-friendly tool that can be used even by those without any technical expertise. The easier the platform is, the more likely it is to be used company-wide.
• A good platform takes the stress of the dev team. Unlike a custom system that may require a great deal of technical support, an outsourced, dedicated system will not require as much assistance from the dev team. This takes off a great deal of stress, leaving your developer free to focus on his everyday duties.
• The right system will offer customer support. This includes marketing assistance that helps you create campaigns and get the most from your marketing automation tools. Although your developer can help from a technical point, they may not be able to assist with specific campaigns and automation problems.

With that in mind, what should you focus on when you are pitching marketing automation tools to your developer? Keep reading to find out.

How to Sell Marketing Automation Tools to Your Developer

One of the first things to clarify is your developer's role in the integration and use of your marketing automation tools.

Your development team may be involved in the implementation phase, and they will have plenty of value when it comes to choosing a vendor as well. As tempting as it may be to consider leaving them out of the loop until you have found the right platform, it would be far more effective to talk to your developer and get their help in choosing the best marketing automation tools for your needs. This will help you get a better idea of the functions most important for your current systems, along with the questions you should be asking vendors, and the role that your developer may play in sourcing the software. Getting input from your developer can also be useful when making a short-list of potential platforms.

What questions should you be asking from a technical standpoint? Some of the most important questions that your developer would likely ask include the following:

• How flexible is the system from a technical point of view? This could relate to how much the system makes data available to other systems you may be using. Ideally, you want a system that offers robust, open APIs, with the ability to export features. This allows a data in, data out functionality. The more flexible the data access is, the easier it will be to scale as needed.
• What technical documentation is provided? Clear documentation and clean code is essential for easy integration. As such, the quality of technical documentation is vital. Developers need to be able to implement the tools without strange use cases and a lack of specifics. The easier it is for the system to be up and running, the more quickly you will be able to start using it across the company.
• Is there a support system for improvements or bug reporting? Your developer will also want to know if there is any way that they can reach the software's developers through community sites or other reporting and improvement features. While not as essential as the points above, this is still useful to know.
• Will the system allow you to grow? Although not a technical question, it is also worth finding out how easily the system is to scale. If you invest in a system that grows as you grow, you will not have to worry about replacing the system when your needs and processes adapt. This will also prevent you from getting stuck with limited functionalities.
• Does the system allow you to automate a variety of channels? Once again, this question is more of a broad concern. If you cannot ensure omnichannel marketing, there may not be real value in the tools you are considering. Make sure that your system allows you to automate across email marketing, mobile and other channels.

It is not always as easy as it should be to consider new systems. Implementation is often something that needs to happen across multiple departments in order to truly be effective. The most efficient way to implement new tools is to get help from every department and company leader. This is your best shot at company-wide adoption.

If the process feels difficult, or you feel as though you are seeing resistance from your development team, continue to look at the bigger picture. Once you finally have your systems in place, your entire company will soon realise the value that marketing automation tools have to offer.