5 Myths and Facts of Tag Management Systems

As a new class of application that is evolving quickly, tag management systems (TMS) are enabling digital marketers to deploy and manage their mission-critical online marketing solutions without ongoing IT assistance. There has been explosive growth in the industry this year, with several existing vendors getting funding, including Tealium, and new products launching in the market. However, the quick industry growth has resulted in confusion about tag management’s capabilities and benefits. Below are five common myths about tag management systems, and the facts behind them:

Myth #1: Tag management systems are only useful for sites with several digital marketing vendors.

Fact: A site with even one vendor can highly benefit from a tag management system, especially if that one vendor is an enterprise web analytics provider.

According to a study by Forrester Research, “Understanding Tag Management Tools and Technology,” almost 50 percent of tag management users utilize their TMS for less than five vendors. Yet, these users are seeing marked benefits of using a TMS, including increased marketing agility and efficiency. Companies with enterprise solutions like Adobe SiteCatalyst, Coremetrics or WebTrends can benefit greatly by using a TMS to streamline tagging deployments. For more information, download this overview on how Tealium improves Adobe SiteCatalyst deployments.

Myth #2: I need to be a technical expert in order to use tag management software.

Fact: Tag management systems offer an easy way to add, modify or remove digital marketing vendor tags without having to know any JavaScript coding language.

A true tag management system will simplify the process for any business user to manage all of the tags on their web site. Tealium, for example, uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface to simplify the process for deploying new tags and editing existing ones. The user doesn’t need to know technical JavaScript coding language, nor do they need to rely on valuable IT resources to manage the tags. Once the single tag is deployed on the web site, all other tags are deployed and managed through a web-based interface without ever touching the page again. Tealium offers pre-configured, turnkey integration with more 350 major online vendors, making it simple for digital marketers to add and manage the solutions they need without become a technical expert.

Being comfortable with your TMS is a must in order to fully benefit from it. We recommend evaluating each TMS vendor according to your business needs and requesting a proof-of-concept (POC) to support their claims. For more information on how to determine which TMS is the best fit for your organization, please read our blog, “5 Things to Consider in a Tag Management POC.”

Myth #3: A tag management system will be a big expense for my team.

Fact: Tag management systems actually save costs for companies.

An effective tag management system can help organizations save time and money by making marketing less dependent on IT to manage their tags. A case study of one of Tealium’s clients, Onestop Internet, clearly shows this benefit. Onestop runs the web operations of more than 35 apparel retailers, including True Religion, Nicole Miller and Reef. The company faced the challenge seen by many online retailers today: tags slowing down marketing efficiency and taxing IT resources. By leveraging Tealium iQ, OneStop was able to see immediate ROI. Over the last year, the company estimates it has saved $200,000 on development resources because marketing can now manage the tags themselves. Click here to read the full story.

Myth #4: A free tag manager can handle enterprise needs.

Fact: A vendor-neutral enterprise tag management system is the right fit for organizations with multiple tags, ongoing support needs, and true enterprise requirements.

Free tag managers are fine for small businesses with limited digital marketing requirements, but not for organizations that need true enterprise functionality, including mobile and video tagging, enhanced privacy compliance, data validation, workflow management, and turnkey integration with hundreds of key digital vendors. In addition, most enterprises need full support – account managers, technical support, SLAs – which free solutions do not provide. Finally, there is the question of vendor neutrality; the ability to work with any technology. Most free solutions are offered by vendors who have other products, which reduces the vendor’s incentive to integrate with competitors. This reduces an organization’s choice and flexibility to work with the solutions that best fit their needs. This is backed up by data. According to a recent report by Econsultancy, “The ROI of Tag Management,” the number one vendor criteria among those looking for a tag management solution was vendor neutrality.

Myth #5: Tag management is only for traditional web sites.

Fact: Tag management systems can be, and should be, used for multiple touch points and devices: mobile sites, mobile apps, online video, traditional web sites, and more.

With a good TMS, these capabilities are seamlessly integrated into the same tag management platform, so users have a centralized location to manage their vendors across various platforms.

The tag management system allows you to deploy a vendor’s standard tag for the mobile environment, without needing a native mobile SDK, providing broader tagging availability. One of the core benefits of using a TMS to deploy tags on a mobile app is eliminating the need for platform recertification (by Apple or Google, for example) every time a tag is changed. This saves your developer resources and associated costs, and greatly accelerates your time to market. Visit the Tealium blog for more information on the uses and benefits of mobile tag management.

With the tag management industry growing fast, it is easy to become confused by industry jargon and continuous change. If you’re exploring tag management for your organization, ask the right questions and double check the facts to make sure it is the best solution for you. If you’ve heard any other myths that weren’t mentioned here and would like clarification, please feel free to contact us and we’ll add them to this column.