Evaluating Marketo, HubSpot, or any other marketing automation platform? The most successful implementations and migrations identify all your “users” and then create Marketing Automation Platform “user stories” based on what they want to do. User stories are common in the product development process, and it’s an effective framework to use whenever you’re evaluating a new tool.
>> Related: What a Marketing Automation Platform Actually Costs <<
Here are 29 sample user stories for a Marketing Automation Platform:
| “Story” | “Definition” |
| Automated Lead Follow-Up | As a BDR/AE, I need automated tasks to follow up with an Inquiry so I don’t forget.
Ideal automation: |
| Lead Assignment | As a BDR/AE, I need Leads automatically routed to my queue so I can accept and work them in Salesforce.
This includes: accessing a Lead Queue, accepting a Lead from the queue, and being notified when a new Lead is added to Salesforce. |
| Admin Support | As a marketing ops admin, I want to ask someone questions about the platform when I’m troubleshooting. |
| Admin Documentation | As a marketing ops admin, I need formal documentation about how the platform is configured so I can reference it when I have questions. |
| End User Documentation | As a demand generation marketer, I need formal documentation about how the platform works so I can reference it when I have questions. |
| Admin Training | As a marketing ops admin, I need to learn how to create templates, landing pages, users, email programs, etc. |
| End User Training | As a demand generation marketer, I need specialized training to show me how the platform works and the functions I need to perform. |
| Security | As a platform user, I want to use single-sign on. |
| Preference Page | As a marketing ops admin, I want all email templates to link to a subscription page where visitors can update their email preferences. |
| Email Nurture | As a marketing ops admin, I need to create email nurture campaigns and automate follow up actions based on schedules or actions taken by the prospect (clicks, opens, etc.). |
| Marketing Reports | As a demand generation marketer, I need to see how my emails perform. |
| Email Authentication (SPF & DKIM keys) | As a demand generation marketer, I need to send emails through my actual domain so that my emails aren’t filtered as spam. |
| Vanity Tracker Domain | As a marketing ops admin, I need my landing pages and forms to appear to come from our website, so that our prospects have a seamless transition between pages. |
| Website Tracking Code | As a demand generation marketer, I need to see visits to my website, including time spent browsing, so I can see how visitors interact with my website. |
| Salesforce Lead to Contact Field Mapping | As a marketing ops admin, I want the Lead fields mapped to Contact fields so that when a Lead is converted to a Contact in Salesforce, information is seamlessly passed through without any loss. |
| Opportunity and Account Field Mapping | As a demand generation marketer, I need Opportunity and Account fields to be mapped so that data can seamlessly pass between the MAP and Salesforce. |
| Contact Field Mapping | As a demand generation marketer, I need Contact fields in Salesforce to be mapped to Prospect fields in the MAP, so that data can seamlessly pass between Salesforce and the MAP. |
| Lead Field Mapping | As a demand generation marketer, I need Lead fields in Salesforce to be mapped to Prospect fields in the MAP, so that data can seamlessly pass between Salesforce and the MAP. |
| Update Campaign Layout | As a demand generation marketer, I need to add campaign members from Salesforce to MAP lists within Salesforce, so that I can push Prospect and Contact data from Salesforce to the MAP. |
| Update Lead Page Layouts | As a BDR/AE, I need to see MAP information related to my Lead, so that I can have a 360 degree view of their interactions. |
| Update Contact Page Layouts | As a BDR/AE, I need to see MAP information related to my Contact, so that I can have a 360 degree view of their interactions. |
| Salesforce Insights | As a marketing ops admin, I need our Sales team to have real-time insights into our prospects. |
| Installation | As a marketing ops admin, I want to view the MAP connector installed in Salesforce. |
| Contact Us Form | As a BDR/AE, when a prospect fills out the Contact Us form on the website, I need the lead automatically created in Salesforce. |
| Importing Prospects | As a marketing ops admin, I need all my Contacts and Leads loaded into the MAP so I can track all their information there. |
| Landing Pages | As a demand generation marketer, I want landing pages built and available in the MAP so I can add them to email templates and web pages. |
| Email Templates | As a demand generation marketer, I need to send mass emails. |
| Campaign ROI Report | As marketing director, I need to track Primary Campaign Source on Opportunities so I can track which marketing campaigns are successful. |
| Salesforce Campaigns | As a demand generation marketer, I need to create a campaign in Salesforce so that I can plan and track my marketing initiatives in one central location. |
No MAP does it all, but writing user stories will ensure whichever MAP you pick is a good fit.
Know exactly what you want/need from a Marketing Automation Platform? Download the Scorecard Template for Comparing MAP Vendors >
