In a nutshell: Robust Functionality + Insufficient Documentation + No Training Materials = Underutilized Tools & (Very) Frustrated Users
October 09, 2017
In a nutshell: Robust Functionality + Insufficient Documentation + No Training Materials = Underutilized Tools & (Very) Frustrated Users
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Marketo Real-Time Personalization
We leverage Marketo's Real-Time Personalization (RTP) module to deliver personalized content to our website visitors based on targeting criteria that we set (i.e. known vs. unknown visitor, on-site activity, etc.).
- RTP empowers organizations to create personalized experiences for website visitors at scale to increase engagement, conversions, etc.
- Out-of-the-box RTP campaign templates allow for quick setup & launch
- Ability to save custom campaign templates makes this a scalable solution for advanced marketing teams
- Lack of training materials, support (even at the premier level), internal expertise (a majority of those I've spoken to with Marketo aren't very knowledgeable about RTP functionality, use cases, etc.), and basic documentation
- As with a majority of Marketo's modules, the robust functionality tends to overwhelm even the most experienced marketers.
- In a nutshell: Robust Functionality + Insufficient Documentation + No Training = Underutilized Tools & (Very) Frustrated Customers
- Higher website visitor engagement metrics (i.e. increased time spent on site, higher # of pages per session)
I'm well-versed in Marketo's RTP module and HubSpot's smart content offering, and HubSpot's smart content has ultimately become my personalization tool of choice. Here's why:
- HubSpot's smart content tools are simple to grasp and easy to implement from start to finish. There's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to ease of use and overall user experience within Marketo's RTP module.
- For less tech-savvy marketers, HubSpot's training documentation and support team is an absolute lifesaver. Marketo has failed us time and time again on this front, despite the fact that we pay an additional fee for Premier Support and quarterly consulting.
- Marketo's tool is more robust and more powerful, but they don't take the time to create supporting documentation to help end-users leverage RTP, nor do they take the time to train their support staff on how it works. HubSpot's smart content does what we need it to do, and we don't burn time in the process trying to figure out how to use it.