Marketers live in an exciting time for what this new environment has created for them. Application suites from the likes of IBM, Microsoft, and SAP were the safe bets of the day (a suite is a collection of software, usually application or programming software). You’ve probably heard the expression “ no one ever got fired for buying IBM .” However, the shift toward choosing “best-of-breed” solutions is gaining momentum, and there are several good reasons for this.
Marketing automation: best-of-breed or all-in-one?
Your marketing department chooses its own tools
Implementing solutions such as a marketing automation platform was list of bahamas whatsapp phone numbers typically handled by the IT department . Their expertise in the digital world meant that they were in control of budgets and resources because, in the end, it was their job to manage the technical complexities during the integration of the tools into the current infrastructure. Application suites were the safest bet, as they offered components that were already “compatible” with each other.
The arrival of SaaS was a great relief in this sense, since marketers became much less dependent on IT . These software programs did not require installation or maintenance, and all the tools became accessible from a web browser and a stable Internet connection.
Better yet, with SaaS you always have the latest version , no updates required. As a result, implementation takes much less time than it used to, increasing productivity and “Time To First Value” (the time between closing the sale and starting the first actions). When we started 20 years ago , SaaS was a revolution, but today, fortunately, it has become the norm.
The API (Application Programming Interface) economy and the birth of IPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) are the next big steps in software integrations and deployment.
Today, marketers are able to set up data feeds autonomously, using tools like Zapier , without any IT knowledge . Even technical teams can take advantage of players like Blendr.io to increase their scalability and agility with simple drag & drop interfaces.
The combination of SaaS and iPaaS allows IT teams to be less burdened by months or even years of implementation, making companies less dependent on technical constraints when choosing their different software vendors.
Which brings us to the marketer, the end user. Rather than sticking with tools that have passed rigorous IT testing, marketers can now choose the tools that truly meet their specific needs . Decision-making is becoming more customer-centric in this regard: with sites like G2 Crowd , marketers can now interact with their peers to evaluate a technology before even reaching out to a sales rep. These days, we buy cutting-edge technology like we buy shoes on Amazon.
Don't lock yourself into a suite
Sounds like a warning to a new hotel employee, right? One of the dangers of choosing an application suite is that you lock yourself into it because you rely on multiple applications in the suite . Your data will be less exportable, and all the custom development you have done will make it harder and more expensive to switch providers.
Similarly, application suite vendors tend to add additional applications at a much lower price when they feel threatened by a competitor. Your management (who have less understanding of marketing issues) will have a hard time understanding why you wouldn't take the bargain, even if that additional application doesn't meet your needs. It will then be harder to defend any other preferred platform , and you may end up with something that, despite its lower price, still doesn't deliver the ROI you expected.
Best-of-breed solutions are interchangeable. Each piece of software has a designated job to do, and you have the freedom to replace it as needed . Plus, APIs make it easier. Rather than having to replace your entire car, you put a new engine, brakes, or tires on it and you’re back on the road.
There is no point in running
Ask yourself how you want to progress : do you want to buy a big package at once where you will have to wait a long time for implementation or do you want full control and be able to track the progress of each element?
When you work in an SME or a large company, technology is no longer cheap. This “first value” is essential to convince yourself and especially your management that the investment will be able to generate a return on investment quickly. This is what we mean when we preach agility : test, learn, iterate; think big, start small .
Between the signature and the first value, there is the set-up, the implementation, yes, but there are also teams to integrate and elements to prepare. Thus, a gradual, iterative approach is the best way to measure the progress of your efforts and to focus on the problems to solve first.
Combining dedicated solutions gives you the opportunity to have a smaller team of experts working in parallel. They can focus individually on your specific needs according to their area of expertise. This will allow you to pick your battles and address one priority at a time.
You can also choose what level of subscription fees you want to pay for each service, giving you more flexibility to adjust your budget and invest in the most essential items along the way. Instead of having a large suite that offers many features at once, your team can start with starter plans for each tool and upgrade when they really need additional features. Less onboarding time means faster time to value .
Another interesting read (apart from this article, of course) is The end of Enterprise Suites by Frans Riemersma. This article explains how companies use very little of the modules and features of their suites. So why pay for all that?
There is no point in running
“Best of breed” versus “Best of suite”?
Ultimately, the choice is yours. This isn’t to say that suites don’t offer advantages or benefits: they’re still very popular. But the game has changed, and emerging players offer agility that a tech giant simply can’t.
In 2019, we saw large companies get acquired by even larger tech giants. Adobe bought Magento, a large e-commerce platform, and Marketo, a leading B2B marketing automation solution for enterprises. Salesforce opted for Tableau, a large analytics software company, and ClickSoftware, a publisher specializing in field force management.
Acquisitions are nothing new, of course, but they show how quickly large cloud solutions are expanding into other markets in order to meet customer expectations and the ever-expanding martech world. Getting large platforms to talk to each other and be in perfect sync is something no technology company can do overnight.
Meanwhile, new players are setting up partnerships, packages, and connectors between them every day. Tools like Zapier and Blendr.io allow you to link these applications in just a few clicks. New possibilities are opening up to you every day and it’s up to you to start connecting the dots to create the marketing stack of your dreams.
