[Posted by Ed Hadley
Senior Marketing Manager, Neolane, Inc.]

There’s a very natural parallel between marketing automation and cars.  This idea started to take shape thanks to an impromptu brainstorm on Twitter with Carlos Hidalgo from the Annuitas Group.  Perhaps inspired by that exchange, Carlos recently told the story of the first car he ever bought, using it to illustrate the importance of buying a marketing automation platform that meets your needs versus settling for the cheapest option:

I remember the first car I ever bought.  It wasn’t necessarily the one I wanted, but it was cheap…. 3 months later I ended up selling that lemon to a junk yard for $75…. I should have looked to buy what I needed, not what was cheapest.

Automation is the same way.  Don’t look for the cheapest option.  Instead, look to identify what solution will best enable you to meet your objectives, support your process and meet your requirements.

Often, the biggest factor determining whether you buy the right car or a lemon is the engine.  Before stepping onto the proverbial lot, think about how you’re going to use the vehicle.  If your needs are basic, a compact car with a small engine is probably sufficient.  However, if you’re going to push the limits with sophisticated nurturing and segmentation, high message volumes, multi-geo deployment, or complex IT requirements, then you’ll need a powerful engine with plenty of horsepower.

Here are eight additional car comparisons to help you think about marketing automation:

1. GPS = Targeting/Segmentation Capabilities – Ideally, they’ll guide you to the right customers and prospects.  However, if the GPS can only bring you to the city center—not the exact house/building—you could seriously get lost.  In other words, for optimal results, you must be able to market to individuals, versus broad segments.
2. Steering Wheel & Dashboard = User Interface – It determines how smoothly the car drives and how easy it is to make use of the various features.  If the driving is rough—or you need to consult the manual every time you change the clock—you’re going to be miserable.
3. Auto Pilot = Automated Multi-Touch Journeys – While cars don’t have autopilot, many marketing automation platforms do.  These workflow capabilities allow you to create automated “journeys” that trigger a series of messages, each at the right time and via the right channel.
4. Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems = Contact Fatigue Management – A growing number of cars have built-in systems for monitoring tire pressure.  Similarly, many marketing automation platforms intelligently manage contact fatigue by suppressing certain messages to avoid burnout.
5. Gauges = Reporting and Analytics – They provide real-time insight into the engine’s performance and alert you to potential issues.  It would be pretty annoying if your engine overheated or you ran out of gas simply because there was no gauge, right?
6. Tow Hitch = API – It allows you to easily connect to external databases/systems, including CRM and Web analytics applications, in order to pull (and also pass) information.
7. Lanes = Communication Channels – Your car should be able to switch seamlessly between lanes.  Imagine how much longer—and frustrating—the journey would be if you had to switch cars each time you switched lanes.  Cross-channel marketing is no different.
8. Fuel = Creative/Content – The engine is useless without it.   Moreover, because it’s gradually consumed, one tank won’t last forever.  Be sure to refill periodically.

Want to know what’s in store for the “2012 models” of marketing automation systems?

Join David Raab and Neolane for a free webinar, Marketing Automation in 2012: How to Navigate Change and Future-Proof Your Selection, on Thursday, November 10^th at 1:00pm ET.