Your messaging strategy is organized, your team is ready, and your data is clean. Up next: the technical integration.
Undoubtedly, your first question is going to be, “How long will it take me to get integrated with a growth marketing platform?”
A fair question. A drawn out technical integration process can derail your productivity and disrupt the momentum you gained from your detailed messaging and data preparation.
Here in Part 3 of our Growth Marketing Platform Migration Guide, we walk you through how to own your technical integration by preparing yourself for obstacles and choosing a platform provider that can provide valuable assistance to shorten your timeline.
Scoping Your Technical Integration
The fact of the matter is no two technical integrations are alike. And the answer to your question above will invariably be, “It depends.”
There are simply too many factors in play to create a universal process for each and every integration.
However! There are ways to mitigate risks and keep your technical integration on track.
Here are four key factors to keep in mind. If left unmonitored, these could have a significant impact on the length of your integration.
1. Data Clean-Up
We discussed this in Part 2, but it bears repeating. In an ideal world, the data clean-up is completed before you start the integration.
That said, the data clean-up should still be included as part of the timeline. This way you can see the impact on the overall length of integration. The more clean-up you have to do, the longer the integration process.
2. Points of Integration
A technical integration that is simply a few API calls from one back-end system is going to be much quicker than an integration that involves separate systems, such as a web, back-end, and mobile app integration.
Your overall tech stack will also play a part here. If you use platforms that can integrate with the growth marketing platform you’ve decided to move forward with, this will speed up the integration process.
As an example, if you have a customer data platform like Segment that you’re already passing data into from a variety of different sources, this could potentially turn weeks of manual integration work into a just a day or two of setup.
3. Currently Existing Code
Your development team likely has code in place for your current system. If this code can be repurposed with slight changes, then this will speed things up.
For example, your system might be making API requests to your current marketing platform either to create and/or update users or to track actions they’re taking. These could likely be updated to utilize your next platform’s API with little effort.
4. Capability of Your Integration Team
It’s a bit of an obvious statement, but the savvier your development team is, the quicker the process will be. When drafting your timeline, consider the resources you have in-house—both in quantity and combination of skill sets.
Also take into consideration the resources you’ll receive from your new growth marketing platform vendor, who will act as an extension of your team.
For implementations at Iterable, you have access to a dedicated implementation consultant, as well as Solution Architects and your Customer Success Manager—all of whom are product experts. When evaluating platforms, be sure to identify whom you’ll get to work with on the vendor side and understand how they’ll support your team.
It’s a near impossible task to lay out the entire scope of your technical integration prior to getting started with your new platform provider. There will always be integration pieces you weren’t aware of or that don’t work exactly the way you thought they did.
Combat this inevitability by utilizing what you do know to get a general sense of the work your development team has ahead of them.
Your new growth marketing platform provider should have the tools and team in place to help you finalize your technical integration plan.
What to Expect From Your New Provider
The technical integration aspect of the migration shouldn’t be something that scares you. If anything, choosing a new platform should be something that excites your development team.
Your new provider should have systems and teams in place to make the process simple, smooth, and painless. For example, new customers to Iterable are provided with a template they can utilize to lay out their user schema in a way that makes sense within the Iterable platform.
They also get to go through a schema review session with their dedicated implementation consultant to confirm they’re moving forward with a schema that will work well.
As corny as it sounds, there are likely technical aspects of your current platform that your developers don’t enjoy working with. Maybe they cringe every time you ask them to push a code change just to update the HTML of a triggered email.
Ideally, your new platform should be one that simplifies life for both the marketers and the developers.
The technical integration process doesn’t have to be a burden. And it shouldn’t impede your progress. Take the time to find the right growth marketing platform with the right team to address your business needs.
Owning the Technical Integration
Typical technical integrations are rife with obstacles to overcome. There’s no denying it and, truthfully speaking, there is no way to completely eradicate all obstacles.
But you can help yourself by doing your due diligence. Focus on the key factors that could derail your integration, stay organized with your data and messaging, and vet your new provider’s process before starting the integration.
With the right preparation—and an understanding of potential blockers—you can be running new campaigns in no time.
Whether you’ve already enjoyed our entire blog series or are just joining us, be sure to download our full guide to migrating to a growth marketing platform.
