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INSIGHT are designed to make your life easier, an overpacked toolbox can make your day-to-day management significantly more difficult. Once you’ve determined that a tool will help you in one aspect or another, you’ll want to ensure that it will integrate seamlessly with the other pieces of technology to which you’re subscribed. When tools don’t work together, managing an arsenal is just another task for which you might not have time. ●●Try before you buy Virtually every marketing technology offers a trial, a sample account or an interactive demo. One thing is for certain: If the option to play with the tool on your own before making an investment is part of the provider’s business model, take advantage of that opportunity. That said, when a trial does exist, take some time and see how the product might work into your day-to-day operations. If you can see the value there, then you can move onto running a cost-benefit analysis. ●●Be mindful of investments There are those expected investments - like monthly cost - that can be found right on the website of the tool you are considering. But the more taxing investments are those that can’t be seen; these include investments like human capital and time. Will you need several team members trained to use a tool properly? Will you get enough out of the product (based on monthly subscription costs) with the resources you currently have to allocate to it? These and other questions need to be answered (often with the help of a trial) before deciding on a new technology. point, and once you’re ready to integrate technologies, follow these pointers and this direction in order to ensure that you are making the right decisions to help you achieve your goals. y Padveen Name: Core uary, 14:00 br When: 5 Fe 1 Where: Room Conclusion There are several best practices that marketers need to be aware of, but those listed here are certainly among the most important. The world of technology particularly marketing technology - is rapidly expanding. In order to keep on top of what’s hot, what’s new and what’s worth your time and investment, these practices are going to be essential. Again, the key to remember is that technologies are complements, not the total solution. A strategy should be your starting COREY PADVEEN is the Director of Global Social Business Strategy at t2 Marketing International. He has helped develop data-driven strategies in markets ranging from gaming to notfor-profit. Corey regularly writes for international publications, and has been featured at conferences and summits around the world. Affiliates Build Partnerships Through the GPWA MEMBERSHIP IS FREE and made possible by the support of our sponsor affiliate programs. JOIN US AT GPWA.ORG