We're in danger of a data overload. In fact, we may have reached a breaking point.
Did you know that anywhere from 60% to 73% of data collected isn't even used to drive strategic decisions in enterprise-level companies?
When there's a lot of data, it’s hard to look at the metrics that matter. You can get lost in the numbers and end up turning to vanity metrics — such as social media followers or subscribers — for some semblance of control.
But those don't keep you competitive in today's 24/7 digital economy, especially in the long run. Boosting those numbers is worthless if they don't convert prospects into customers. This is where marketing operations tools can be useful.
Why your marketing operations need tools
Focusing on the right customer-centric metrics and providing immediate user feedback based on actionable data will help get marketing operations back on track.
To get faster results with less stress, consider utilizing marketing operations management tools to make your life as a marketer easier.
Having the right marketing operations management software can help you streamline workflows, get a holistic view of all marketing activities, and centralize your campaign management in one unified hub.
Here are five metrics to keep an eye on, along with the marketing operations tools that will turn those metrics into actions.
1. Team collaboration and management
Metrics to watch: Number of tasks created and completed, team workload, time spent on tasks and projects compared to original plan
Wrike
Wrike is a must-have tool for organizing and handling incoming requests, delegating tasks, and tracking work results and progress. Stop spending time writing and responding to emails and reach your team faster with Wrike’s handy @mentions.
Using Wrike as your marketing project management platform also provides a centralized hub for your team, agencies, and other stakeholders to communicate and collaborate seamlessly in real-time. Produce great content quickly by adding approved brand creatives for faster access and sharing of work.
Slack
Slack is an easy-to-use real-time messaging app that lets you communicate with colleagues through @mentions, auto-responses, custom messages, etc.
Quickly create groups for specific projects or teams so employees can easily share information. Whether your team is situated across the floor or across continents, Slack is a nifty communication tool that helps teams of all sizes stay on the same page and communicate seamlessly.
Widen
Creating and storing content can be complicated. With Widen, you can find, share, and analyze digital assets quickly and effectively.
If you want a simple, no-fuss digital asset management platform, Widen is your best bet.
2. Acquisition Metrics
Metrics to watch: Number of new acquisitions, number of new leads, market share, revenue
Kissmetrics
Kissmetrics helps you build customer funnels and sort website visitors into groups based on common actions and triggers, so you can understand more about how potential customers are engaging with your content/website. Convert trials into paying customers, identify and increase revenue per customer, and reduce churn. Quit measuring website data and make your decisions based on actual user behavior.
Unbounce
With Unbounce’s advanced AI features Smart Traffic and Conversion Intelligence™, you can create and publish custom landing pages that help translate leads into customers.
Use A/B testing to discover which features, website elements, or marketing messages are most successful in eliciting a desired action or response from potential customers. Instead of having your website visitors wander around aimlessly on the website, help them flow towards a dedicated goal while increasing conversions.
Marketo
As customer journeys become more multifaceted, it is vital to measure the right metrics to stay one step ahead and provide a superior customer experience.
Marketo is a marketing automation suite that helps you analyze and improve performance along the funnel, from emails to landing pages to forms. It ensures you collect the right information from potential customers and automatically plugs them into the appropriate nurture campaigns.
Google Analytics
This free marketing suite of tools from Google is powered with advanced machine learning capabilities and unique insights highlighting marketing, content, and product performance. Use actual user data, analyze marketing information, and make smarter decisions for your business. Discover what your customers and visitors are interested in by tracking your website and app metrics.
3. Product Adoption
Metrics to watch: Rate of adoption, new product revenue, time to market
Contentsquare
Want to understand your customers' hidden user behaviors better? With the power of user experience tool Contentsquare, your organization can identify key customer behaviors and use these insights to drive higher revenue and profitability.
Use heat maps to track visitors' mouse movements, clicks, and scrolling, and determine which aspects of your site they're paying the most attention to — and what's getting overlooked.
Qualaroo
Understanding your customers can be challenging. Qualaroo makes it easier to survey your product, website, or app users in a gentle, non-obtrusive way.
Ask visitors to answer short, targeted questions to provide insight into how and why they take advantage of certain features, then use that information to improve user experience.
Userlytics
Are you shifting from in-person research to a remote research model?
Userlytics can help review your mobile app usability to see how customers interact with your product and identify opportunities to encourage adoption. Use this data to optimize user experience and drive better outcomes for your organization.
4. Competitive Analysis
Metrics to watch: Rate of acquisition, growth rate by industry, share of voice
SEMrush
Want a powerful online visibility platform for your company? SEMrush is an all-in-one digital marketing suite that helps you with paid marketing, social media, organic search, content, and competitive research.
Explore top organic keywords, keyword rank, and search volume for keywords driving organic traffic to your competitors' websites and discover opportunities where you can gain valuable ground.
SimilarWeb
Get an estimate of your competitors' traffic across all channels to understand which traffic sources, referral sites, organic and paid keywords, and social channels give them the most visitors. Assess this data to discover key insights and help create an outstanding customer experience for your visitors.
Google Advanced Search
Google Advanced Search is a simple way to find out where your competitors are getting valuable backlinks. Type "Link:" and the domain that you want to investigate to see which third-party websites your competitors are building relationships with and which can potentially send high-quality referrals to your site.
5. Customer Value
Metrics to watch: Referral Rate, Churn Rate, Retention Rates, Customer Loyalty
Zendesk
Excellent support is the backbone of customer loyalty. Track issues, respond efficiently, and build meaningful customer relationships with Zendesk. The award-winning customer service platform helps you achieve better sales and deliver a seamless customer experience all in one easy-to-use software.
Happy Fox
The popular and highly awarded helpdesk ticketing system Happyfox helps you create a delightful customer experience with self-service knowledge bases, community forums, and a robust support ticket system. Build knowledge bases and templates to help customers get the most out of your product.
Fivestars
Did you know that 60% of customers don't return after their first visit? Fivestars is one of the most robust marketing operations management tools that a marketer can use to spike sales numbers.
Using a customer loyalty tool like Fivestars helps you turn customer payments into a robust marketing machine that can double repeat visits, enhance profitability, and automatically generate word-of-mouth referrals.
Can you get free trials for marketing operations tools?
Many marketing operations tools offer free trials. As the marketing landscape is constantly changing and customer needs evolving, adopting a marketing operations tool is crucial.
You’ll want to choose a marketing tool that lets you have a test drive before committing to it.
Leverage the power of marketing operations to grow your business
Wrike gives you a holistic view of marketing results from social media, advertising, and paid marketing with a simple user interface. Unify campaign management and launch campaigns faster with real-time collaboration.
As data-driven marketing becomes more crucial, using Wrike as your marketing operations management tool helps you gain critical insights and make sense of raw data.
Learn how to build your marketing technology stack and fuel your business's success in our free eBook, "5 Steps to Transforming Marketing Operations for Maximum Growth." Then see how Hootsuite uses Wrike to scale their marketing operations, track resources, and improve visibility.
Ready to streamline your marketing functions with Wrike? Get started with a two-week free trial now.
