Tag Management Systems: How to Make Smart Purchasing Decisions

by Darryl K. Taft

Confirm that your TMS handles all the basics by making it easy to add, delete or modify a tag without needing IT help. Look for support from your TMS for setting the rules that you need and for collecting the various pieces of data that are necessary for your tagging success.

Don’t assume that the demo viewed during a sales meeting translates to your site. Make sure you test for your site’s use cases through a proof of concept.

Know who is going to support you after you sign the contract. Having an expert client-services team is an integral component to a successful TMS partnership. Ask to meet your team.

Don’t assume that your success will be driven by features alone, and not people. It’s a team effort, and it takes both components.

Understand the impact that tags can have on your site’s performance. Tags can slow down your site, and in the worst-case scenario, they can damage it if they go bad.

Don’t assume that all solutions can react to tag problems the same way. Ensure that your TMS can fix the tags that are impacting your site in real time. Learn about “speed to update.” The longer you have to wait, the more at-risk your site becomes.

Ask what the long-term fees will be when evaluating a TMS. Great entry-level deals are just like those from a cable company; they don’t last long. It’s important to understand what will happen to your fees in the future since most TMS providers can end up charging you a lot in hidden fees.

Don’t assume that the fees from many TMS providers end with the license fee. Keep in mind that most TMS providers come from the consulting or analytics industries where charging by the hour for additional client services and support is standard.

Understand that your TMS is an integration platform. It’s the middleman between you and your vendors that ensures everything works. Confirm that your TMS has solid relationships with your vendors.

Don’t assume that a tag listed in a TMS catalog means that the solution works with the vendor. Dig deeper to understand the true nature of the solution’s relationship with the vendor.

Make sure that your TMS is technically capable of handling all your vendor and data needs across channels such as mobile, email, and even information from offline sources like your data warehouse or point-of-sale (POS) system.

Don’t assume that browser tags will be the end of your integration challenges. Browser tags represent an important first step in a longer journey to manage all of your vendors and sources of data more seamlessly.