Martech Starter Kit
Selligent Marketing Cloud

What was Selligent’s motivation for launching Selligent Marketing Cloud?

Selligent isn’t a martech newcomer. But much of the company’s success has been in Europe, and much of it focused on email and SMS campaign management. Those were once huge problems to solve, big enough for a stand-alone solution. Today they’re elements of cross-channel or omnichannel marketing efforts. Additionally, Selligent recently overhauled its management team, hired fresh talent, and launched a new vision. Along with all that, the company is coming back with a new name and broadened solution set for a global audience: Selligent Marketing Cloud.

What marketing problem does it help tackle?

Selligent Marketing Cloud focuses on conversion, visitor engagement, and loyalty. The solution set is aimed squarely at marketing leaders looking to build long-term customer relationships with increasing profitability and share of wallet through automated campaigns and triggered events. Selligent is trying to ease existing clients into adopting new capabilities, such as consumer location-based triggers. “We’re allowing them to go at their own pace, and take advantage of new

Selligent Marketing Cloud.pdf

Download a PDF version of this article.

innovation,” says new Selligent CEO John Hernandez.

What opportunities does it help marketers grasp?

The solution aims to help marketers create more sustainable customer journeys, get more from the data they already have about their customers, and take action based on events, triggers, and indicators observed in real time. The company added Selligent Cortex, an AI solution, to punch up its recommendations engine, as well as its ability to perform lookalike modeling. Selligent focuses on B2C solutions, so churn identification and save campaigns are high on the list for many of the company’s target clients.

What size company is it primarily intended for?

Enterprise and companies on the larger end of the mid-market.

What does it take to add this product to a marketing organization’s existing tech stack?

• Estimated implementation timeframe – The company estimates six weeks or less from signature to the launch of the first managed campaign.

• Integrations – Selligent Marketing Cloud has ready-made integrations with solutions including Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and SugarCRM, as well as commerce platforms Shopify, Magento, and Demandware. Additional connections can be developed through APIs.

• Dedicated administrator? – The Selligent Marketing Cloud solution itself is managed remotely. A local administrator manages permissions and configuration, but those duties are typically not a full-time job.

• Typically, who are the users – Marketing administrative and campaign staff. Most organizations have between five and 10 authorized users of the solution.

• Amount of initial training for users – Relationship teams guide initial configuration and provide online training resources.

• Data sources – Marketers can access customer and sales data through integrated operations and commerce systems. Additional data sources can be connected via API or data batched in through secure file transfer.

• Notable process changes – Possible process changes depend on the types of cross-channel campaigns a marketing team plans to deploy. Introducing processes to streamline media and content approval and management is recommended if adopters don’t have processes in place already but are planning to run cross-channel campaigns.

Can you test the product before purchase?

Selligent may offer access to a sandbox environment or narrow pilot program on a case-by-case basis.

Does it come with any consulting or implementation services?

In the early weeks of implementation, Selligent relationship managers will help define the initial campaigns and

ease onboarding.

Who “owns” it over time and where does it sit?

The marketing organization.

What’s the enterprise pricing model?

Pricing for Selligent Marketing Cloud varies based on the size of the client’s customer contact database. This is a move away from Selligent’s previous pricing model, which depended on message volume sent. “We felt that you shouldn’t be penalized for sending communications across channels,” Hernandez says.

What’s the projected time to ROI?

Although one report commissioned by Selligent speaks of a 588% three-year ROI, the company does not offer a general ROI calculator. Projections for new clients are dependent on stated goals and campaign plans.

What’s the solution’s competitive advantage?

As a new entrant to the marketing cloud space, Selligent is positioning decades of experience in marketing automation and a growing feature set against cloud incumbents that have grown beyond focusing on the needs of marketing leadership. “We have a specific focus on the relationship marketer and the agencies and partners that support them,” Hernandez says. “We’re not going into sales force automation, or the call center, or any other functions of the company.”

What’s the word from a customer?

“Selligent has been instrumental in maximizing the ROI and performance of our entire portfolio of email marketing programs.”

–Lincoln Barrett, VP of gues marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group, via a Selligent-published case study

What’s an analyst’s take?

“There’s a desire in the marketplace for a move to the marketing cloud approach. All best-of-breed, all the time is incredibly resource-demanding and draining, and Selligent has the right level of depth to call themselves a marketing cloud.”

– Joe Stanhope, Forrester VP and principal analyst, February 2018 interview

Where can I find more information?

Check out the Selligent Marketing Cloud splash page

Read reviews about Selligent on G2Crowd

About the Author

Ginger Conlon found freelance writer Jason Compton shoved in a desk drawer by her predecessor at CRM magazine. He has covered CRM and marketing topics extensively since 1999, largely in her service.

Find him at @jpcwrites and on LinkedIn.