Item: Oracle Marketing
Rating: 5
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

First Data uses Eloqua as our main email platform for all email sends across the organization. We have deep integration with Eloqua into our Salesforce instance, and use Eloqua for all campaign tracking and metrics. Eloqua provides email sends internationally. However, the core usage comes from employees in North America. First Data employees create content and strategy, and use an external vendor to create the email file builds, execute the sends, and assist with reporting.

Pros and Cons

Very detailed reporting and analytics functionality.
Flexibility within the emails to create highly customizable content.

Easier to navigate user interface. Overall, the system appears outdated from a user-perspective (the system is not intuitive).
Provide reporting on a platform other than Flash. Flash is a commonly-blocked platform, and I have to "allow" flash to run every single time I try to get any email analytics.
Provide more drag-and-drop functionality for non-coders.

Scalability

This platform is not scalable for us, as most members of our marketing team would not know how to navigate the system. Even if we set up a process for marketers to create their own emails and landing pages, the interface is too complicated for the team to even start. We limit the number of users who even have access to the system, let alone the option to send emails or build landing pages.

Return on Investment

Eloqua has suited its purpose. We've had a lot of turnover both internally and within our Oracle reps, so in the last year, our organization has not maximized Eloqua's functionality.

Alternatives Considered

HubSpot, HubSpot Sales, Act-On Software, Salesforce.com and Salesforce Lightning

I used HubSpot and Act-On in my previous positions, and Eloqua was the platform of choice when I joined First Data. From a user-experience, HubSpot far exceeds Eloqua in terms of its easy-to-use navigation, customer-friendly interface, and incredible self-help resources (though Topliners is overwhelming and poorly organized). Eloqua has significantly more reporting functionality, however, it can be overwhelming to navigate.

Likelihood to Recommend

Eloqua is the 3rd marketing automation platform I have worked in, and by far the most complicated. While the platform contains a huge amount of available data, it's not practical for the average small or medium-sized business with limited technical resources. The "average" email manager or marketer has a very difficult time navigating the platform if they do not have the technical background.

Honest review from a new user

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Oracle Eloqua