When you work in Marketo long enough, you’re bound to have had some “learning experiences” along the way. And even if you can’t think of a cringe-worthy marketing operations misstep, it’s often the case that we learn the most when we jump in and get to work. It’s through logging countless hours in Marketo that you pick up tricks of the trade, hone your skills, and transform into a seasoned Marketo expert.
But we know that transformation doesn’t happen overnight; over years of work, our team of Marketo consultants has garnered an impressive wealth of collective experience. With that, we share our words of MOPS wisdom, or what we call “Perkuto Proverbs for Marketing Operations.”
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Everyone has deadlines, everyone wants to move quickly, and everything has to be done by yesterday. Hey, we get it! We’ve been there! Over the years, we’ve learned that trying to move too quickly results in projects taking longer than expected (and at a greater cost!) Instead, spend the extra time upfront to ensure you have a clear vision of business objectives and translate them into specific business requirements that are documented, and ensure everything is formally approved before you start any program modifications or builds. — Jason Olliver
Better Safe Than Sorry
Hindsight is always 20/20. By thinking through the use cases of the identified goals and requirements, we can quickly identify the success path, detours, and true or false journeys of the programs we are testing. The time invested in the Quality Assurance process enables us to evaluate the effectiveness of the program(s) and eliminate defective criteria or flow steps, which will result in an improved process to support the customer experience even if operating in the background. — Judi Cousineau
Count the Cost
When planning for new tech integrations, get complete buy-in from all stakeholders on the resources, budget, and time needed to do it well. Go beyond the software fee and be sure to include the cost of adoption, training, updating systems, and integration with existing technologies into your budget. — Justin Norris
Lie Down with Dogs, Wake Up with Fleas
Choosing a Marketo agency partner can be overwhelming. Avoid agencies that have too many logos on their partner page, as consultant knowledge will run wide but not deep. To quickly narrow your options, focus on what matters most: depth of expertise, quality assurance, project management, and agency reputation. — Alex Buckles
Look Before You Leap
The dangers are real when not properly QA’ing a program or email build: sending to the wrong list, including a typo, or ruining a valuable touchpoint with your customer. Think about the consequences before rushing to deploy and take your time! Create a QA (Quality Assurance) process and grid, and carefully complete a side-by-side check before hitting send. — Hilary German
Haste Makes Waste
Don’t discount the importance of proper documentation. Taking the time to document requirements and technical design ensures alignment. Specifically, all considerations have been accounted for, and everyone clearly understands what the outcomes will be before you launch a major initiative— saving you hours of reworking later. Documentation will also save you when training a new team member, updating related systems, or need to demonstrate compliance with email or privacy legislation. — Michelle Miles
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
Inevitably, you will send out an email with placeholder copy. You will forget to activate campaigns. Remember, Marketo does what you tell it to do even when you meant to tell it to do something else. Give yourself a break and take a minute to laugh about it, because we’ve all been there. — Jason Raisleger
Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Necessity and change are the primary driving forces for improving MOPS processes or creating new marketing technologies. But before taking the leap, squaring out what you really need and validating it supports your business goals is what will differentiate innovation from a viable business project. — David Desrosiers
Two Heads Are Better Than One
MOPS professionals often work with a lot of autonomy, which is a blessing and a curse. Without a widespread understanding of how things are built and why they are built that way, an organization will suffer in the long run when inevitable turnover and growth occur. Invest the time in creating documentation that gives context into why decisions were made so team members are able to build ideas off of each other and collaborate. — Chelsea Stinnett
Mise en Place
As the chef of your Marketo instance, it is important to set yourself up for success by doing a proper mise en place. Little actions will go a long way in helping you be highly efficient when you’ll start cooking your next Marketo chef d’oeuvre. For starters, organize your “kitchen“ (instance) in a well-thought folder structure so you know where to find all your ingredients for success. This includes reviewing the Marketing Activities, Design Studio, and the Lead Database sections. — Maude Belanger
Patience Is a Virtue
When designing your core operational programs, take the time to build things properly the first time, test them, and involve all relevant stakeholders. It may take more patience amidst your excitement to get the program off the ground, but by taking your time with the design, build, and testing, there will be less need to modify and rebuild as time goes on. — Lindsay Khan
Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail.
An effective strategy is more than just words; strategy is about allocating the proper resources— people, technology, and financial— to ensure your success. — Sarah Frazier
A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
Collaboration allows us to truly deepen our impact by pulling together rich collective experiences for a better end product. Plus, in the bustle of day-to-day work life, it’s a relief to know that your co-workers have your back. — Alia Gray
Between already full workloads and the complexities of marketing operations itself, we know two things: that Marketo will always keep us on our toes, and that the learning process is never truly over in the path to mastery. We’re grateful for all the Perkuto Proverbs we’ve learned along the way, and are eager to continue going deeper in our craft.
Is your team in need of Marketo guidance or wisdom? Let’s talk.
