Estimated read time: 3 minutes, 9 seconds

Marketing any service involves extensive campaign management: organizing, categorizing, targeting, and monitoring messages. It’s a big task, particularly in the multichannel environment of the internet.

Campaign management software simplifies the process. Like a marketing department working behind the scenes 24/7, the right platform keeps everything running smoothly while triggering messages at precisely the right times to drive profitability.

Which campaign management software is the best fit for your company? To help you decide, look for these six features.

#1: Intuitive Interface

First and foremost, the software you select should have an intuitive layout that’s easy to learn. Some campaign management software is so focused on including every bell and whistle that it takes hours and hours to understand.

A good rule of thumb: If you can’t navigate all of the basic functions within 20 to 30 minutes, it’s not a well-designed tool.

#2: Multichannel Messaging

If the software can only handle messages across a few channels, back away quickly. Sure, 10 years ago, companies could get away with only marketing within a few traditional outlets. Today there are hundreds, even thousands, of marketing channels you could be missing out on.

At the very least, your campaign management software should be able to handle messages across the 10 basic internet marketing channels:

  • Email
  • Text
  • Social Media
  • SEO
  • Retargeting
  • Podcasts
  • Whitepapers
  • Webinars
  • Blogging
  • Live Chat

It should also have a way to handle non-internet marketing messages, such as:

  • TV/Radio Commercials
  • Mailers
  • Billboards
  • Newspapers
  • Press Releases
  • Signage
  • Brochures
  • Conferences
  • Public speaking
  • Contests

#3: Active Lead Generation

Good campaign management software shouldn’t just passively spread your message. It should actively generate leads you can use in selling and marketing your service. If the tool doesn’t have a lead hopper – a list of active leads – it’s not complete.

You should be able to see lead scores – a measure of activity level – for every campaign, so you know who’s clicking on which links, how long they looked at your message, whether they subscribed, and so forth. This allows you to customize future messages for maximum ROI.

#4: Payment Support

The ideal campaign management software incorporates payments and digital commerce as part of the process – meaning if your software ignores billing, it’s incomplete.

It’s easy to forget that payment is a huge part of the customer experience. Purchasing and subscribing shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should be a flawless part of the process that builds trust and loyalty.

#5: Powerful Analytics

Without analysis, your data sits silently in the software. Don’t let this happen. You could be using metrics to evolve your marketing strategy and boost profitability. Your campaign management software must help you measure success with just a few clicks.

The best platforms support all of the following analytic tasks:

  • Real-time campaign viewing and updating
  • Sales leads and lead ratings
  • Delivery/open rates
  • Response times
  • Conversion rates
  • Retention rates
  • Cart/order abandonment rates
  • Speed to payment
  • Per channel performance view
  • Per channel ROI measurement
  • Benchmarking and alerts for poor performance
  • Customer lifetime value measurement

#6: Personalization

A major benefit of campaign management software is that it automates your marketing efforts. But beware of falling into the automation trap: Automation should not mean cold, canned responses.

Everyone hates reaching out to a company and receiving a standard reply that has no relevance. So make sure your messaging builds a warm, inviting, friendly story with every interaction. And ensure your software works seamlessly with helpful humans to provide full-stack customer support. It’s key for customer retention and loyalty.

FastSpring, an innovator in ecommerce software solutions, fills gaps in customer experiences through comprehensive acquisition, payment, and customer service support. Consider partnering with FastSpring to help handle the back-office tasks, while you focus on growing your business. Our awards speak for themselves.