Demand Generation Usability Scores - Part 3

Usability Items for Complex Marketing Programs
(note: this is a slightly revised version of the original post, reflecting vendor feedback.)

This post will complete the demand generation vendor usability scores by looking at items that contribute to usability for complex marketing programs.

Explicitly direct leads from one campaign to another. Users can directly send leads from one stage in a campaign to a different campaign. The underlying logic was explained in last Friday's post: marketers running complex programs need precise control over flows among many different campaigns. Marketo gets a half point because it can direct leads to lists, which in turn feed campaigns, but not to campaigns directly.

Explicitly direct leads from one campaign to another
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
1	1	1	1	0.5	1	1

Linear campaigns embedded in larger campaign flows. Marketers can define a large campaign flow that links the small, linear campaigns. Each small campaign would complete a single marketing project that may have multiple stages, such as prospecting campaign or Webinar. This approach lets users specify the flows among linear campaigns without opening up the rules within those campaigns. This saves effort and makes the flows easier to understand. Encapsulating the linear campaigns as single objects within the larger flow also makes the flow easier to work with.

Linear campaigns embedded in larger campaign flows
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
0	0	1	1	0	0	1

Integrated a/b testing. The system has features to support split tests of content versions or other treatments. These may be set up by associating multiple versions with a piece of content or by setting up splits within the campaign flow. Inclusion of this item is somewhat aspirational on my part: too few marketers actually do this sort of testing. But they should, and their systems should make it easy.

Integrated a/b testing
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
1	0	1	0	1	1	1

Rule-based content selection. Marketers can embed logic within an email, Web page or survey that shows different contents depending on the data associated an individual. This is more than simple personalization, which displays a name or other data read from the individual's record. It simplifies complex marketing programs by allowing a single asset to support different customer segments, products, offers, and regions. In the case of Market2Lead, this entry also encompasses an ability for rules to select entirely different assets at the same point in a campaign flow. Manticore Technology and Marketbright receive half credit because they users must write selection rules in a scripting language, which many marketers would find difficult. Silverpop gets a half point because it supports rule-based content for email but not forms.

Rule-based content selection
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
1	0.5	1	0.5	0	1	0.5

Multiple scores per lead. The system can calculate and store multiple scores for a single lead record. Different scores might relate to different products or business units.

Multiple scores per lead
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
1	1	0	1	1	1	0

Central rules control when leads are transferred to sales. Leads are transferred to sales according to a set of rules that operates outside of individual marketing campaigns. The central rules typically execute on a regular schedule or are triggered by events such as a data change or score update. Central rules are necessary in complex marketing programs where there are too many campaigns to define the transfer conditions separately for each one.

Central rules control when leads are transferred to sales
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
0	0	1	1	1	1	1

Group-based security. Access to system functions, campaigns, and other marketing assets are assigned to individuals, either directly or based on group membership. This degree of control is necessary for large operations where different people may be responsible for different products, regions, customer segments or other slices of the entire marketing program. This reduces the amount of information presented to each user, making their jobs easier as well as preventing unauthorized activities.

Group-based security
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
1	0	1	1	0	1	1

Total for Complex Items

Total for Complex Items
Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
5	2.5	6	5.5	3.5	6	5.5

Combined Score for Complex Marketing Programs

The complete usability score for complex marketing programs is the sum of the scores for the complex items and for the shared items listed in part 1 of this series. These show Neolane, Market2Lead, Eloqua and Silverpop as the leaders.

Combined Score for Complex Marketing Programs
	Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
Shared	6	6	6	4	6	6	5.5
Complex	5	2.5	6	5.5	3.5	6	5.5
Combined	11	8.5	12	9.5	9.5	12	11

Other Items

My original list of complex items included several candidates that I later discarded because they had more to do with program sophistication than usability. These are shown below. Since the highest scores again belong to Market2Lead, Neolane and Eloqua, the only impact of including these items would be a slight decline for Silverpop.

Other Items
	Eloqua	Manticore Technology	Market2Lead	Marketbright	Marketo	Neolane	Silverpop Engage B2B
company-level lead scores	1	0	1	1	0.5	1	0
progressive profiling in surveys	1	1	1	1	1	1	0
report on asset usage by campaign	1	0	1	0	1	0	1
campaign costs	1	1	1	1	0	1	1
total	4	2	4	3	2.5	3	2

Tomorrow I'll look at some other ratings needed to present a complete picture of the vendors.