Situation
In 2014, as marketing automation gained popularity, Simantel, a marketing agency I worked for, needed to expand its offerings to include not only marketing automation strategy but also execution. This required building in-house marketing automation capabilities, particularly with Oracle Eloqua, the technology chosen by our largest client and offering enterprise-scale capabilities beneficial for other clients. Achieving Eloqua certifications became a key goal to ensure expertise and credibility in the field.
Actions
Phase One: Learning the Platform Inside and Out
- Intensive Training: Spent hundreds of hours on Oracle University training courses, live bootcamps, and hands-on work, creating 113 dummy campaigns to master the platform.
- Hands-On Experience: Conducted extensive practice, experimenting with various features and functionalities of Eloqua to understand its full potential.
Phase Two: Earning Credentials
- Certification: Completed additional training courses to earn several Eloqua certifications, solidifying expertise and preparing to build advanced marketing automation campaigns.
- Knowledge Expansion: Gained a deep understanding of Eloqua’s capabilities, positioning myself as a marketing automation expert within the company.
Phase Three: Improving Agency-Wide Marketing Automation
- Process Improvement: Collaborated with colleagues to enhance internal processes for conceiving and managing marketing automation campaigns.
- In-House Training: Developed a set of in-house training documents and one-page briefs, supplementing Oracle training materials with agency-specific guidelines to ensure consistency and efficiency.
Results
- New Department Creation: Established a new department dedicated to marketing automation, expanding Simantel’s service offerings.
- Talent Identification: Identified the necessary people and skillsets to power the new marketing automation capabilities.
- Certified Partner: Achieved status as a Certified Oracle Eloqua partner, enhancing the agency’s credibility and attracting new business opportunities.