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Considering Oracle Eloqua For Your Marketing Automation Solution?

The Oracle Eloqua marketing automation platform was first introduced in 1999 and set the industry standard for enterprise organizations long before the term “marketing automation” was even coined. After twenty years of evolution and becoming part of the Oracle Marketing Cloud, Eloqua is considered one of the most powerful tools in the industry. As such, their subscription packages start at $2,000 per month.

If you’re considering this marketing cloud platform, you naturally want to know if the benefits are worth the price and if you really need all the power that Oracle Eloqua marketing automation will provide your digital marketing strategy. These are the questions we will aim to answer for you today.

At the end of this article, you’ll need to make the decision as to whether Oracle Eloqua is the best solution for your organization. Should you decide that it is, we have a number of checklists at the bottom of this post to help you migrate from your current automation tool to Eloqua.

If time is a factor and you value efficiency and expertise over all else, reach out today so we can set up a time to speak with you about our services and how we can assist you during the migration process.

But for now, let’s move on to our Oracle Eloqua review: why you should use it, which type of organization it is best suited for, and some of the pros and cons of this marketing automation platform.

Why Choose Oracle Eloqua?

Oracle Eloqua is targeted mainly toward enterprise-level organizations that need power and expansive capabilities and third-party integrations. As a veteran marketing automation platform, they have an incredibly intuitive user interface and offer nearly 400 applications and third-party platform integrations, far surpassing other automation tools on the market.

Oracle Eloqua Pricing

Oracle Eloqua marketing automation offers three pricing tiers: Basic, Standard, and Enterprise. The main differentiator between Basic and Standard are the number of users allowed as well as some more advanced features that are available with the Standard package. The third option, Enterprise, is a customized package that you can tailor to your specific needs with an Oracle sales representative. Here is the breakdown for the other two packages:

Basic

• starts at $2,000 per month
• 10,000 contacts
• 10 marketing users
• 5 sales users

Standard

• starts at $4,000 per month
• 10,000 contacts
• 50 marketing users
• 10 sales users

Oracle Eloqua Capabilities

As for its capabilities, you will find that it has many of the same features as other marketing automation software. What differentiates Eloqua from its competitors is that after two decades, and numerous iterations, they have perfected the design and usability of their features extensively. Here’s what they offer:

• Contact Database
• Lead Management/Lead Nurturing
• List Segmentation
• Marketing Content Database
  • Email Marketing
  • A/B Testing
  • Landing Pages
  • Forms
• Dynamic Content
• Email Campaign Management
• Social Media Management
• Drip Sequences
• 24/7 Cloud Customer Support
• API Access
• CRM & Third-Party Integrations
• Dedicated IP Address*
• Advanced Segmentation*
• Real-Time Lead Scoring*
• Data Management/Data Tools*
• Advanced-Data Cleansing*
• Reporting*
• Custom Security Roles*
• Insight Analyzer User License*

* Indicates that this feature is only available with Standard & Enterprise Packages

Oracle Marketing Automation Tool Pros & Cons

Now that you’re aware of Eloqua’s back story, pricing, and product evolution, let’s break it down to the specific reasons we feel that Eloqua really blows away the competition.

PROS

A Veteran in the Industry

If you’re wondering if Oracle Eloqua’s marketing platform is the right choice for your organization, surely their 20+ years of experience refining their product will influence your decision. As the first to market, it is likely that most of their competitors are simply a different spin on a system they designed (and have perfected tremendously).

However, their expertise in the industry shouldn’t be your only deciding factor. Eloqua is a powerful, robust solution for enterprise organizations that require a high level of customization and service. At the end of the day, we believe that what you see is what you get with this tool and we really love it.

Nearly 400 Integrations

As previously stated, Oracle Cloud has a massive selection of integration options to improve your marketing programs, increase efficiency in managing your CRM, documentation processing, and even talent recruiting. This includes a Salesforce CRM integration to support your sales team.

These applications are available right out of the box, are super easy to implement, and go a long way in increasing efficiency during multi-faceted marketing campaigns.

Intuitive UX for Marketers

From a marketing perspective, Oracle Eloqua’s ease of use is the best around. Its user-friendly visual campaign builder has an intuitive design which we find reduces the propensity for errors as well as overall time spent training new users.

Features that tend to have a steep learning curve in automation tools, like lead scoring and form integrations, are easy to understand and implement in Eloqua. Simply put, it just flows really well.

We also love how easy it is to look up a contact and see any communication or campaign that has touched that contact in one place.

Extensive Coding Knowledge Not Required

Another feature we really love is that “custom objects” make some features customizable without the need for coding. This is a relief to marketing teams who don’t have a deep coding background.

In addition to the fact that Eloqua offers robust reporting, all reports are easily exportable and also don’t require a lot of extra coding to implement.

Precise Segmentation Abilities

Segmenting is easy, precise, and reliable with Eloqua. Their segmentation capabilities allow you to slice and dice your data in order to truly find the best audiences for your program.

CONS

As with any product, there will be features that are less helpful or attractive to you. There are a few that we aren’t crazy about but overall, we still believe the Eloqua is one of the best options on the market today.

A Costly Option

With a starting price of $2,000 per month, Eloqua is certainly not the best option for small businesses and bootstrapped startups. As we’ve stated before, this is an enterprise-level marketing tool, best for companies who need (and have the budget for) the higher level of service options that come with this platform.

Template Options Limited

Another factor that we aren’t crazy about was their selection of templates. They do have several to choose from but not as many as we would like and, to make matters worse, they aren’t quite as customizable as the templates in other tools we’ve used.

However, there is a workaround. If Eloqua users have HTML coding abilities, they can go that route and provide far more customization that way. That’s what we did.

Implementation Time

Because of the complex business needs of the organizations typically drawn to Oracle Eloqua as a marketing solution, and its numerous integration capabilities, implementation can take some time. If downtime is absolutely non-negotiable, this may not be the best option for you.

However, depending on the level of service you require, you may not have a choice. And we feel strongly that the time investment put into implementation will see an excellent ROI in your KPI’s when it’s time to measure your marketing teams performance.

What to Consider Before Migrating to Oracle Eloqua

Inventory and Cleanup

Migrating to a new marketing automation platform can be tricky. You really want to take a full inventory of all your assets so that nothing is left behind or accidentally discarded during the migration process.

This is also a great time to do a little “spring cleaning” with your database. You can take this opportunity to cleanse contacts and tighten up your file structure and conventions and make a fresh start in Eloqua.

Archive Valuable Items

Beyond cleaning, you may be unsure of what you should migrate or what you should archive for potential use later down the road. So here are a few considerations to review as you plan your archival process.

• HTML Codes
• Emails & Landing Pages that may be needed later
• Campaign workflows
• Form submission data
• Reports/Analytics

Planning & Timeline

It’s important to note that your migration can take several weeks depending on the size of your database and content. Much of your assets can’t be transferred and will need to be re-created, so be sure to create a project management plan for your migration and set a reasonable timeline.

Testing

When it comes to your automation sequences and triggers, make sure you test everything before you cancel service with your current provider. This ensures that you can “retrace your steps” and pinpoint any by comparing your new campaign to its predecessor.

Ready to Migrate?

Use Our Oracle Eloqua Checklists!

Now that you’ve learned the ins and outs of Oracle Eloqua, you’ll have to decide if moving to this platform is the best move for you and your organization. If so, we welcome you to use our customized checklists with step-by-step directions and screenshots to help guide your transition.

Hubspot to Eloqua
Mailchimp to Eloqua
Marketo to Eloqua
Pardot to Eloqua

Don’t have the bandwidth to commit to a migration effort? Worried that assets might fall through the cracks and campaigns won’t function properly once in Eloqua? Let us help!

At Interrupt Media, we are automation experts and we provide a white glove approach to migrating your database from your current automation tool to Oracle Eloqua.

Reach out today and let’s set up a time to chat.

Topics: Marketing Automation, Marketing Operations, Marketing Tools