What does your company need before you implement a Customer Data Platform (CDP)?
This is the question we pose in our latest white paper – a CDP readiness checklist that’ll help you figure out if it’s time to jump into a CDP with both feet.
The reason we wrote a whole white paper about it is because a lot of clients come to us thinking they need so much more than they do. Years-long commitments. Dedicated data scientists. Big IT teams to wrangle the technology.
People assume CDPs are always a big commitment.
But the truth is that your team is probably more ready than you think.
In fact, here are five things people think they need before they can benefit from a CDP—but they actually don’t.
1. Mad tech skills
CDPs sound high-tech and complex. But if you think you need a data science degree or a deep understanding of machine learning technology, think again.
In fact, with a CDP built for marketers (like Lytics), you can build audiences, view insights, push data out across your marketing channels, and even automate personalization for customers at a 1:1 level with no tech expertise required.
You will need an IT team or contractor to help with some setup, but your marketers shouldn’t need extensive training in order to hit the ground running with a good CDP.
2. Detailed use cases
Now, we probably sound like we’re contradicting ourselves here. Because we are big fans of knowing your use cases and using them to determine which CDP is the right fit for you.
But—and this is a big but—if you don’t have use cases and goals already in mind for your CDP, you can still get started. You just need a vendor with the tools to help you define your goals, as well as execute on them and see results.
At Lytics, our 60-day implementation program (StartSmart)does just that. It helps you define your goals, launch your first campaign, and start generating results—fast and without a long-term commitment.
3. Marketing automation tools
Don’t have marketing automation tools yet? No problem. A CDP doesn’t require marketing automation.
In fact, a marketer-friendly CDP might replace some of the features you’re looking for in a marketing automation platform. Depending on your use cases, you could be killing two birds with one stone.
4. Data science skills
Data science is a core component of the best CDPs on the market today. But that doesn’t mean you need to be a data scientist to use them.
In fact, automating data science within a CDP actually means your team needs less data science skills. You aren’t doing the heavy lifting of data science. The CDP does it for you.
Is it great if you have a data scientist in your organization? Absolutely. Is it a prerequisite to getting a Customer Data Platform? Not at all.
5. Anxiety about automation
Okay, so nobody thinks they need anxiety. But you might be surprised how often people feel anxious about whether automation might take their job. Could it be that CDPs are here to replace us all?
The answer, you’ll be glad to hear, is no.
Automation extends the reach of marketers. It doesn’t replace us.
It means a team of two or five or 10 can reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of customers. It means the campaigns your creatives come up with can be funneled to the right customers at the right times. It means instead of doing the tedious work of interpreting data, manually setting segments, etc., your team is freed up to do big picture work, strategy work, creative work.
Automation isn’t here to make marketers obsolete. It’s here to multiply your efforts.
Is your company ready for a CDP?
Check out the CDP Readiness Guide to see if your company is ready to get started. Or contact us to chat with one of our experts live and see Lytics in action.
