Sitecore, Marketing Cloud & 6 Tips for Better CX

As we discussed in Part 1 of this post, today’s customers are no longer just seeking products. They want relationships with brands, built on trust and two-way communication. And for most companies, that means it’s vital to turn every touchpoint along the customer journey into an exceptional one. But where do you start?

Here are the six foundations for creating a great customer experience (CX):

1. Know your customers, not just their data.
   • What do they need?
   • How do they think, act and feel?
2. Know your customer journey.
   • What do your customers actually do at every stage of the buying process?
   • How do you want them to interact with you?
3. Plan for the whole experience, not just one piece of it.
   • What questions will your customers have when researching your products?
   • How can you best serve them after they make a purchase?

1. Start with the core of that experience, and expand outward.
   • Design and create the most important part of the digital experience. In practical terms, this often means starting with your website.
   • Align your other digital experiences with this core in mind.
2. Measure, measure, measure.
   • Look at your data and performance trends.
3. But treat customers as more than numbers, too.
   • Data doesn’t tell you the entire story.
   • Use it as a springboard for discussion, and ask questions to better understand the “why” behind the numbers.

So Where Do Sitecore + Marketing Cloud Fit?

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Leveraging the integration between Sitecore and Marketing Cloud will enable you to develop personalized experiences and strengthen connections with your customers. But realizing these benefits requires equal parts strategy and technology. Technology alone can’t get you there.

Simple Analogy: Choosing the Right Tools for the Job

I relate this to my personal experience with my table saw and woodworking. If the front and back of the blade are equal distances from the fence, I can easily cut boards to the width that I need. Great, right? But I can make those same cuts using my circular saw and a set of different strategies with a little more effort and a cheaper price.

Mind you, there are things a table saw can do that my circular saw (and other tools) can’t. With the right strategies and upgrades, I can make picture frames from square stock, repeated cross-cuts with a sled, shiplap siding with a dado blade and a lot of other things. The return on my investment (ROI) is much higher on my table saw now that I know its capabilities and I have some direction on how to leverage them. You get the idea, right?

Now let’s bring it back to Sitecore and Marketing Cloud. To fully realize the ROI of these technologies, you need to understand their capabilities and the strategies necessary to leverage them. And once you understand how the pieces fit, you can put them together to create a great customer experience.

Any Questions? Just Ask.

As a trusted partner and advisor, we can help you understand the capabilities of your technology, the different strategies available, and which ones will have the most impact on your customers. Not sure where to start or have specific questions about Sitecore and other platforms? Let’s talk about what’s on your mind.