11 Methods to Set Your Advertising and marketing Automation Platform up for Success within the New Yr

By Lisa Heay, Vice President of Enterprise Operations at Heinz Advertising and marketing

One other yr is quick approaching – are you able to imagine it? This can be a nice time for a recent begin—a possibility to set your intentions and a few objectives for the following three hundred and sixty five days. Earlier than Advertising and marketing Operations head out for the vacations, it’s a good time to wash up and manage your programs, study from the earlier yr, and put together for what’s to come back. 

Listed below are 11 issues you are able to do now to set your self up for achievement in your advertising and marketing automation platform within the upcoming yr.

1. Replace the copyright dates that seem in your e mail and touchdown web page footers

If you happen to haven’t arrange tokens, updating the copyright yr is a frightening activity. Each e mail template, scheduled or triggered e mail, lively touchdown web page, and touchdown web page template must be up to date. I’ve carried out this activity manually, and it’s a ache to say the least.

As I discussed in a earlier weblog publish, should you’re not utilizing international tokens, you could be. Take the time to know the hierarchy of tokens and the way they’re inherited down the folder tree. If you happen to plan your folder construction and tokens appropriately, updating the copyright yr ought to be a couple of 30-second activity.

It’s not onerous to get began with international tokens. Now we have a “!Common” folder inside Advertising and marketing Actions that all the pieces else lives in. The only function of that folder is to arrange international tokens that apply down to each advertising and marketing marketing campaign or asset we now have arrange.

2. Archive final yr’s packages

File away final yr’s e mail packages, webinars, and occasions to clear the litter for 2026. It’s finest to reflect your folder construction within the archives, so as to simply reference previous packages later, if wanted.

Take into account that archiving packages doesn’t routinely flip them off. Ensure you deactivate any triggers or flip off any scheduled batch runs earlier than shifting your packages to the archives.

3. Arrange your folder construction for brand new packages

If you happen to’ve organized your occasion by folders and archived final yr’s packages, create your new 2026 folders now in order that it’s clear the place new packages ought to be filed. For me, after I’m busy making an attempt to crank out packages, my organizational expertise exit the window, but when I’ve arrange my construction efficiently forward of time, issues have a tendency to remain neat and tidy. To not point out I get much less questions from others about the place issues ought to go or the place they will discover one thing.

4. Merge your duplicates

Put together your database for achievement within the new yr. Do you could have duplicate leads taking over house? If you happen to keep on high of it, this doesn’t need to be a giant activity. We evaluate our system’s duplicates on a month-to-month foundation. No matter your cadence, this ought to be a part of your common upkeep.

If you happen to handle a big database (and price range to spend), a reproduction administration software could be the strategy to go.

5. Cleanse and append your database

Everyone knows that individuals transfer on to new roles on a regular basis, and knowledge can rapidly go old-fashioned. Now’s the time to evaluate your database to find out who’s partaking with you, what number of leads you could have inside your ICP, and the place the gaps are. It’s best to come out of this train with lists of leads you’ll be able to delete (if they aren’t partaking and never a goal, they don’t must take up worthwhile house in your database!), and lists that want an replace or an append to fill in lacking knowledge.

6. Evaluate your nurture content material

Nurture packages are sometimes set after which forgotten about. If you happen to haven’t reviewed what you’re sending at a daily cadence, take this chance within the new yr to learn by way of every e mail to make sure the content material and your messaging continues to be related, well timed, and in step with your group’s targets for the yr.

Additionally evaluate your entrance and exit packages. Are the fitting leads getting into the fitting tracks? Are your nurture streams efficiently assembly their unique targets? Is there a possibility to construct tracks to assist help new firm targets?

7. Audit lead scoring

Are the scoring attributes you’ve used nonetheless related to advertising and marketing and gross sales? Do they match your ICP? Are the triggers working as you’d deliberate? Do the purpose values related to every one nonetheless make sense? Take this chance to evaluate your scoring packages and the MQLs it produces. Are they assembly the fitting expectations? Is there a possibility for enchancment?

8. Test in together with your gross sales group

What’s working? What isn’t? Are they getting the standard of leads they anticipate? Are lead alerts, duties, attention-grabbing moments, and lead assignments working as they want them to? Is the SLA being adopted between each groups so far as who ought to be doing what at every stage of the lead movement? Are there shared dashboards the place groups can monitor and handle to anticipated KPIs?

Staying in tune together with your gross sales group will assist guarantee confidence and alignment between groups—and analysis exhibits that sales-marketing alignment is the brand new progress engine for B2B.

9. Evaluate new knowledge privateness rules

The world of information privateness continues to evolve quickly. Ensure you’re in control on the legal guidelines that influence your group. You’re most likely aware of GDPR, CASL and CCPA, however many US states are rolling out their very own variations, as nicely. As of this writing, 19 US states have signed their very own privateness payments, and 5 extra are in progress.

As we transfer into 2026, getting ready your MAP for a cookieless, privacy-first world is crucial. With third-party cookies practically gone and knowledge rules tightening, your automation platform should depend on sturdy first-party knowledge assortment, clear consent processes, and clear choice administration. Evaluate how your MAP captures, shops, and shares consumer knowledge, guaranteeing it integrates cleanly together with your CRM, CDP, and consent instruments. Constructing this basis not solely protects compliance—it additionally strengthens your capability to ship customized, reliable experiences in a privacy-centric panorama.

10. Reporting

You could be wrapping up reporting from the earlier yr, however ensure that to align the system to the brand new yr’s KPIs. Perceive what experiences might be essential to see, who might want to see them, and guarantee your system is ready up accordingly. This yr’s objectives are doubtless completely different from these from final yr, so put together now.

11. Evaluate your consumer record

Check out your record of customers. Are there individuals who have moved on out of your group? Contractors you not work with? Are there group members whose roles have modified? Are there individuals with assigned licenses that haven’t logged in in a very long time? Now’s the time to wash up your consumer record—you’ll be able to at all times re-add somebody later, if wanted.

Take the time now to set your self and your advertising and marketing operations group up for achievement with a daily cadence of evaluate throughout your programs. Blissful New Yr!

Wish to chat? E-mail us for a free brainstorm session!

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