I’m an avid sports fan. Lucky for me, I have managed the majority of Oracle Eloqua implementations for our sports team clients. This has allowed me to work in some exciting and unique environments like the Honda Center for the Anaheim Ducks and Sports Authority Field for the Denver Broncos. I probably wouldn’t get much done if a stadium was my office building. It would be awesome but way too distracting.
During my time with our sports clients, I’ve often been asked how to start off successful with marketing automation. Although there’s always room for improvement along the way, here are a handful of things that I would recommend to ANY customer implementing Oracle Eloqua.
#1 Get Excited For The Challenge Of Being Overwhelmed
“When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw, 14 seasons (1970-1983) in the NFL; #12 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Oracle Eloqua is a big platform in terms of its capabilities. I often describe it as an email marketing tool on steroids. Start simple, or, as we say at Relationship One: crawl, walk, run. At some point, you may leap from crawling to speed walking, but remember there is a learning curve. As that learning curve levels out, stay focused. Turn your vision into actionable steps that can then be executed. Identify your goals, create a timeline for each goal and the expected target date of completion and assign resources. Each completed task and project is a win, but keep your eye on the prize of the long game. There’s no doubt that conquering this platform and squeezing every ounce of value out of it takes effort, but get excited, because it will pay off.
#2 Prepare
“I never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready and that gives me piece of mind.” – Peyton Manning, Current Quarterback for the Denver Broncos
From setting up your Oracle Eloqua instance’s system basics to executing your first campaign, do your due diligence so that you can be confident in your decisions. Athletes visualize their sport to prepare mentally for a game. How should you prepare?
Train: Take the time upfront to learn as much as you can. Take Eloqua University courses. Hire a partner to do 1:1 sessions. Watch webcasts available on Topliners (topliners.com). As an ever-evolving technology, allocate time to continue learning about the tool’s offerings and new functionality.
Count On Your Coach: Ask questions of your implementation team to make sure your making the right choices or understand the best way to accomplish something. Think of them as your coaches and count on them to provide solid direction.
Get Inspired: In sports, players take inspiration from their teammates and competitors. Marketers can do the same. There are infinite resources to spark ideas and trigger new ways to do something in Oracle Eloqua. Subscribe to the Modern Marketing Blog. Review Markie Award entries. Troll Topliners for customer posts. Ask your Account Manager for case studies. Write down your ideas to use as a brainstorm portal to return back to when you need a winning idea.
#3 Use The Stats To Promote Change
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan, 15 seasons (1984-2003) in the NBA; known for his years as #23 for the Chicago Bulls
My experience has shown me that change is the biggest obstacle for the implementation of Oracle Eloqua. The excuse of “That’s not how we have done it in the past” is a losing statement. Change can be scary, but it’s a must for marketers to accept in order to keep up with the ever-evolving profession. However, sometimes simply stating that change is required doesn’t force it to happen. Sports coaches rely on stats to make decisions; we should follow. Oracle Eloqua provides the ability to assess your performance. Use this data to drive decisions for your campaign strategies and processes. A gut feeling can be a decent compass, but you’ve got hard stats at your fingertips to support change and to persuade others to get on board.
#4 Think Outside The (batter’s) Box
“If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” – Ronnie Lott, 15 seasons (1981-1995) in the NFL; #42 with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs
The phrase “Think outside the box” is overused, but it’s completely relevant for Oracle Eloqua customers. It’s the ability to look at what you’re currently doing and realize there may be a better way. Or, you have an objective that cannot be reached by a native solution so something custom can be developed. You may have heard the phrase “the shortest path between two points is a straight line”, but how many times do we find ourselves zigzagging to our goal?
For example, in sports marketing, there may not be a native integration option for online or mobile store data to be imported into your database. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Since this data is crucial for digital marketing, by utilizing a partner like us that understands the back-end API, a custom integration solution can be created to allow the golden data to be seamlessly imported and used for marketing campaigns.
What I’m recommending is to change your mindset and not think of Oracle Eloqua as a platform with solid, concrete walls. Rather, set the attitude that there must be a way to achieve what you want because there likely is.
#5 Learn From Your Mistakes
“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi, NFL Coach; widely known for his Head Coaching career with the Green Bay Packers (1959-1967); Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor
Understand that Oracle Eloqua is a powerful and extensive platform that allows for marketers to be more efficient and productive, but it is not the answer to ensure every one of your marketing touches is successful. Set yourself up for a home run by having an upfront strategy, setting goals and documenting your game plan. To be realistic, anticipate challenges, be flexible, and know there will be poor performances. As Babe Ruth said, “Never let fear of striking out get in your way.” Don’t let the fear of failure set you back in your growth. Instead anticipate failure and take it as experience to learn from in order to meet your goals.
These are my recommendations for setting yourself up for success as a new Oracle Eloqua customer. Perhaps this information will aid my sales team in selling the platform to the Vikings so I can get into the new stadium. 😉
If you have Eloqua and you need support with implementation, please contact us! We love helping companies transform their marketing automation.
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