Today’s consumers expect relevant, personalized brand engagements. With automation providing the only way to deliver these customized experiences at scale, brands are increasingly dependent on marketing technologies (aka martech). But effectively integrating and optimizing the solutions at the more complex end of the martech spectrum is often beyond the capabilities of a brand’s in-house teams, meaning simply investing in these technologies doesn’t always yield the expected value. This is why so many look for expert guidance in the form of external martech service partners. 

With the right partner, onboarded at the right time, brands can get real value from their marketing investment. They can make sure platforms are deployed, integrated, and optimized to deliver against business objectives. Ah but there’s the question. When is the right time to engage a martech service partner? 

We recently surveyed business decision-makers across the US and the UK about their relationships with martech service partners. You can see the results for yourself right here. 

The study showed that over 60% of businesses brought in a service partner either at the implementation stage (36%) or shortly after, having realized they needed help (27%). This latter figure rises to 34% for smaller businesses – a likely reflection of budget constraints driving attempts to embed technology without outside support. 

But there are solid arguments to suggest that the optimum time for calling in reinforcements is at an earlier stage of the journey. Let’s take a look.

Picking your partner prior to your platform

Onboarding your service partner while you are still exploring potential technology platforms can help with the selection process. Almost a quarter (24%) of businesses taking part in our research stated they had taken this option – and there’s compelling logic to it. 

At the technology selection stage a partner can offer a consultative approach by analyzing business goals, determining the use cases needed to achieve those goals, and suggesting the most appropriate platform (or platforms). If you already have a solution in mind, a partner can function as a valuable resource to validate your choice and help you through key steps such as operational readiness assessments and internal data reviews, before budgets are committed.

Furthermore, engaging a partner before implementation speeds up the process of realizing value from your martech, because:

• Most SaaS tech vendors require upfront payment.
• It typically takes brands between four and six months to select a service partner.
• You don’t want to waste four-to-six months’ worth of platform fees while you’re choosing a partner to implement the technology. 

It’s never too late to pick a partner

So there’s a strong case for going early in picking a martech service partner. But there’s really no bad time to begin such a relationship. Of the brands that took part in our research, 13% looked for a partner once the technology was fully implemented. 

Post-implementation, partners can deliver enormous value in reviewing tech stack performance, identifying improvement opportunities, and plugging gaps in how the technology is being used. Their consultative approach is often called upon at this stage by brands looking to:

• Realize the originally anticipated (but not quite realized) martech value.
• Build out new use cases as the technology is scaled throughout the business.
• Manage the technology on an ongoing basis to stay aligned with business needs.

The when impacts the what 

Working with a martech service partner yields significant benefits, whenever you decide to start. But the point at which you engage a partner may well influence the type of partner you want to work with, as well as the skills and experience you’re looking for. 

Check out How to pick a Salesforce Marketing Cloud service partner: A guide to driving real value from your martech investment, which includes a next-steps timeline to help you determine what to look for, according to your point on the implementation journey.     

We’d love to talk to you about how you can maximize value from your own martech investment, so please do get in touch to start the conversation.