Agil˙ Marketing Automation - assets.cdnma.comassets.cdnma.com/5/assets/PDC/Agile_Marketing_Automation.pdf · Marketing Automation is a technology solution that supports the marketing

AgileMarketingAutomation

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AGILE MARKETING AUTOMATION

We are movers. We are shakers. Our thoughts, our interactions, and the technology we use, is constantly moving toward a more optimized state in which speed is rewarded and revered. We are going the distance. We are going for speed. The one fundamental of speed that we should all know is that you need to be smooth. Overcorrection guarantees disaster. Lack of communication invites calamity. The only thing between you and the gas tank you’re sitting on top of is knowing your options, having a plan before you meet the obstacle, and a thin layer of carbonizing clothing with a team to help you out of it. Your plan for consistent modifi cation, correction and optimization is the only way that you will make it around the track in one piece. We might be fast. We might be “agile”. But, a tire only has a limited supply of adhesion to o� er. A tire beyond its limit of adhesion is either spinning, skidding or sliding. Which of these are you doing?

Agility is the darling of business logophiliacs. Strategists, managers and marketers are in love with the concept of agility. It puts a spring in your step to think of it -- we are Agile! We are fl exible. We share these values with

our clients. We value individuals and their interactions. We value collaboration and we are not change averse. We are fast, we are spinning— and we are defi nitely not skidding or sliding. Who wouldn’t want to be agile! Oh, the places you will go!

The Agile movement emerged as a reaction to the constraints associated with heavily regimented processes. It has grown in favor with each passing decade. In software development, there are whole movements, methodologies, conferences and even licensed products that promise the benefi ts of agility for software, tools, implementations and even daily communication.

Say it ain’t so, but are we the last group to adopt agility?


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SHIFTING TO MARKETING AUTOMATION

Driving the shift to Agile Marketing Automation is the need for continued measurability, increased engagement and lower cost of acquisition. Marketers have more “responsibility” than ever before. Marketing ideas can now be tested, reviewed, and optimized with campaigns, metrics and deeper data. There’s customer responsibility, social media marketing, content marketing. So many disparate functions to manage and support. So what is agility really? Just because you can be fast doesn’t mean you should be. Thinking before acting is a lesson we have earned through experience and insight. There’s a big di� erence between deftness and disarray. In reality,

agility really requires a lot of doing. It is intentional. It is purposeful. It requires improvement.

The benefi ts of an agile process are outstanding. There’s the ability to change direction, to correct course, to modify your approach, to receive and integrate feedback, to stay under control in the driver’s seat, and to win the Piston Cup! You are driving the approach; the approach is not driving you. Therein lies the crux of of Agility in Marketing Automation. So let’s take a look at the application of Agile Development practices to Marketing Automation.


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THE AGILE MARKETING AUTOMATION PROCESS

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Agile Marketing Automation enables fast, yet controlled changes. It supports marketing, benefi ts sales, and proves ROI with a powerful suite of tools and features that can be easily adjusted on demand.

Agile Methods is a moniker for software development methodologies that value communication and feedback; that recognize that all information is not known in advance; and that support change through iteration. Marketing Automation is a technology solution that supports the marketing and sales process by capturing leads, defining criteria that determines the relevant content to provide to leads, and then nurtures those leads to become sales ready. Therefore:

The Mission of Agile Marketing Automation:

To continually ensure marketing and sales alignment with business goals

To increase communication and collaboration between marketing/sales/clients

To enable rapid and adaptive campaign development

To respond to change with modifi cation, correction, and optimization


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THE AGILE MARKETING AUTOMATION LIFECYCLE


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THE PROCESS

Short and iterative cycles (less than 1 month)

Daily communication through stand-ups

Clients and Marketers brainstorm to generate user stories with success metrics

A backlog is created to host the user stories

Marketers build/evolve campaigns based on user stories

Testing occurs throughout the lifecycle

Acceptance criteria are defi ned by marketing, sales, clients before build/implementation

Focus on what can and should be done now

Customers try out the prototype campaign/service/feature and evolve their requirements

Changes are “timeboxed”

Agile Activities:

Active user involvement is a must: end user, marketer, sales

Marketing is empowered to make client service decisions

Frequent and regular delivery of directed collateral is a priority

Business benefi t drives all decisions

All changes made during development of campaigns are reversible

Initial requirements are defi ned very generally

Testing occurs constantly— this includes analytics, opens, campaigns

Collaboration between all project participants is essential — sales and marketing

Governed by Principle:


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DEDICATED TEAM

R e s p o n s i b l e fo r g a t h e r i n g requirements, managing and prioritizing backlog, generating campaign acceptance criteria, and planning the release

Responsible for prioritizing the sprint backlog, estimating the e� ort to implement User Stories, testing campaigns, identifying obstacles, and participating in daily standups

Responsible for prioritizing the sprint backlog, estimating the e� ort to implement User Stories, testing campaigns, identifying obstacles, and participating in daily standups

Product Owner Product Team Stakeholder


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KEY TERMS

Epic Multiple user stories that describe one feature/produce/service.

Impediment Items that prevent forward progress.

Product Backlog A wishlist of features to be implemented for your service/product/campaign.

Product Owner individual responsible for gathering requirements, managing and prioritizing backlog, generating campaign acceptance criteria, and planning the release.

Product Team Responsible for prioritizing the Sprint backlog, estimating the effort to implement User Stories, testing campaigns, identifying obstacles, and participating in daily standups.

Scrum Master An individual that removes impediments, ensures the sprint is progressing smoothly, and ensures that every team member has the tools they need to get the job done.

Sprint A duration of time, typically two weeks or a month, in which to implement the feature/product/service or campaign.

Sprint Backlog The task list of activities from user stories to be completed in the sprint.

Sprint Burn Down A chart that measures the progress made and the remaining effort. This "burndown velocity" should trend downward daily.

Sprint Commitment

An agreement by the team to complete all the stories by the end of the sprint.

Sprint Review A meeting to review deliverables, estimates, velocity and next steps.

Stakeholder Clients, customers, members of the sales team.

Standup A daily meeting that asks three questions from each team member.

Story Points A value that is placed on the user story that represents its simplicity or complexity.

Success Criteria The metrics that indicate that objectives have been met. (Improving estimates. Daily decreases on sprint burndown.)

Team A group that includes marketing, sales, developers, testers, other stakeholders.

User Story A sentence that describes the purpose and intent of what you want to accomplish focused on the value or result.


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KEY TERMS

Epic Multiple user stories that describe one feature/produce/service.

Impediment Items that prevent forward progress.

Product Backlog A wishlist of features to be implemented for your service/product/campaign.

Product Owner individual responsible for gathering requirements, managing and prioritizing backlog, generating campaign acceptance criteria, and planning the release.

Product Team Responsible for prioritizing the Sprint backlog, estimating the effort to implement User Stories, testing campaigns, identifying obstacles, and participating in daily standups.

Scrum Master An individual that removes impediments, ensures the sprint is progressing smoothly, and ensures that every team member has the tools they need to get the job done.

Sprint A duration of time, typically two weeks or a month, in which to implement the feature/product/service or campaign.

Sprint Backlog The task list of activities from user stories to be completed in the sprint.

Sprint Burn Down A chart that measures the progress made and the remaining effort. This "burndown velocity" should trend downward daily.

Sprint Commitment

An agreement by the team to complete all the stories by the end of the sprint.

Sprint Review A meeting to review deliverables, estimates, velocity and next steps.

Stakeholder Clients, customers, members of the sales team.

Standup A daily meeting that asks three questions from each team member.

Story Points A value that is placed on the user story that represents its simplicity or complexity.

Success Criteria The metrics that indicate that objectives have been met. (Improving estimates. Daily decreases on sprint burndown.)

Team A group that includes marketing, sales, developers, testers, other stakeholders.

User Story A sentence that describes the purpose and intent of what you want to accomplish focused on the value or result.


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USER STORIES

User Stories should be a short description of something you intend to accomplish that’s focused on value or a particular result. A great template for User Stories comes from Mike Cohn of Mountan Goat Software who argues that the use of a pronoun in the user story helps personalize the e� ort and gain buy in. This approach is written from the point of view of your client in the language that they would use. Here’s the template.

As a <type of user>, I want <some goal> so that <some reason>

As a brand, I want to create content that generates demand to create a community, build awareness, so that I can provide the right information to the right prospect at the right time.


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ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

1. Managed delivery mechanism/ technology.

2. Integrates with existing systems.

3. Tracks e� ectivity.

4. Reporting.

1 . I m p ro v e d c u s t o m e r v a l u e , retention, loyalty.

2. Measure and improve online ROI.

3. Measure and improve campaign ROI.

4. Measure and increase response rates.

1. More campaigns/fewer resources.

2. Reduce cycle times.

3. Reduce marketing and sales costs.

4. Lower customer acquisition costs.

Technology Considerations Brand E� ectivity Overall E® ciency

User Stories are not written in a vacuum. They are typically done with the client and the team. Working with the client ensures that you have buy in and that you have defi ned the acceptance criteria. This discussion will help the team break the story down into manageable parts that can be completed within one Sprint. The Planning Game will help assign story points/estimates to the story to confi rm the level of e� ort needed. That information is prioritized into the Sprint Backlog and daily Standups provide feedback for the Sprint Burndown measurement. The output of this e� ort is a clearly crafted User Story, with a priority, acceptance criteria, assigned resource and Story Points.

With each iteration, your team will improve each and every component of the Agile process. Improvements in User Stories, acceptance criteria and story points will be made over time.

User Stories need to be measurable for client acceptance. Consider breaking the story down into its component parts to focus on the value that you are delivering.


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STAND UP

A standup is a daily meeting limited to the amount of time you are literally standing -- which for many people, is comfortable at about 10 minutes. The project team sets aside this time to report on their projects by answering three questions. The Product Owner can help eliminate impediments (separate from this meeting) when they arise.

1. What did I do yesterday?2. What am I going to do today?3. Are there any impediments in my way?


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CONCLUSION

While there are many success stories with Agile Methods for Marketing Automation, it’s important to remember that the goal is to deliver value in a repeatable, defi ned and predictable way. Determining which Agile Methods approach works for your organization requires a strong team leader and a clear understanding of the benefi ts, features, and measurements necessary for success. Agile Methods value feedback and communication; recognize that all information is not known in advance; and support change through iteration. Picking and choosing features of the Agile process, rather than committing to the whole

practice, will confound and confuse your team and client. Leveraging this process and an Agile Marketing Automation tool will support both the marketing and sales departments by capturing leads, defi ning criteria that determines the relevant content to provide to leads, and then nurturing those leads to become sales ready. Agile Marketing Automation is a powerful organizational tool that proves ROI.


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We believe Marketing Automation should be simple to obtain, easy to manage and have a signifi cant impact on revenue. We believe in the philosophy of Marketing Automation, not just the technology. We believe in the synergy of marketing and sales. And we believe that leads are lifeblood, not just data. Our Marketing Automation tool is built to serve our clients and agency partners fi rst, last and always by providing easy-to-use tools, outstanding marketing support, best practices and the industry’s only white label Marketing Automation product.

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Agil˙ Marketing Automation - assets.cdnma.comassets.cdnma.com/5/assets/PDC/Agile_Marketing_Automation.pdf · Marketing Automation is a technology solution that supports the marketing