Marketing automation, in broader terms, is software (or system) that automates repetitive marketing actions. These include things like:
- Email marketing campaigns
- Social media posting
- Lead nurturing
- Website and landing page personalization
- Sales workflow
This technology is designed to make your most mundane marketing processes simpler and more automated. This means that you and your team can be freed up to do higher value work that needs more of a human element.
So today, we’re going to look at the benefits of marketing automation, and help you choose the right solution for your needs.
Let's get started!
Advantages of Marketing Automation
This has led to many reasons to adapt marketing automation. Here are some of the benefits at a glance:
More Effective Lead Nurturing
Automation allows you to deliver content tailored to leads, according to their interest and their position in the sales funnel. By providing the right information at the right time, this aids in moving leads further down the funnel.
Increased Productivity
Your team will save countless hours that would otherwise be spent on administrative work. That enables them to concentrate on money-making tasks.
Improved Marketing ROI
Automate lead scoring and sales workflows to allocate resources more strategically. This means you get more bang for your marketing buck.
Better Data and Insights
With marketing automation, you have a trove of data about the actions and preferences of your prospects. You can use these insights to optimize your strategies.
Enhanced Customer Experiences
Now you can send personalized messaging to customers by behavioral triggering. This creates a more personalized buying experience.
Clearly, marketing automation brings far-reaching value. It leads to better marketing with better results.
How to Choose The Right Marketing Automation Platform
Now that you’re convinced you need automation, the next step is choosing the best software for your situation. Here are a few considerations as you decide:
Your Budget
Marketing automation services can also vary significantly in price. Decide how much you can invest (realistically) before you begin your search.
Decide how much you can invest before you begin your search
Ease of Use
An intuitive interface and easy workflow builder. There is a short learning curve to the system so your team is up and running in no time.
Integrations
You can use the platform that best connects with the other tools you use like your CRM, email marketing system, and your website. Design a Unified Technology Stack
Features and Functionality
Think about which capabilities are critical to your strategy. Choose services that include the features you need such as lead scoring, landing page builders, or ecommerce automation.
Scalability
Opt for an expandable platform that can grow with your changing needs. If you anticipate considerable growth, ensure that it will have an enterprise-grade functionality.
Following the steps to evaluate marketing automation solutions against your must-haves will give you the insight needed to guarantee that the tool that is going to make the most sense for your business.
Marketing Automation Implementation
Having selected a platform then roll it out across your marketing operations. Best recommendations for a successful implementation are:
Start Small
Don't try to automate everything at once. Begin with a small campaign or workflow and expand over time. This prevents you from getting overwhelmed.
Develop Content
Fill your platform with landing pages, emails, ads, and other content your prospects will need throughout their journey.
Integrate with Other Systems
This is a very extensive list of integrations that will connect your marketing automation platform to your CRM, website, and other tools. This is a central marketing database.
Train Your Team
This means ample training and resources to onboard team members. Empower a platform administrator for continued guidance.
Test and Optimize
Always test your campaigns and workflows. Monitor the performance data and adjust your automation accordingly to make the most of your time.
You can easily assimilate marketing automation into your tech stack and processes, with proper tactics.
Reap the Rewards
Adopting marketing automation is a huge leap ahead in your marketing function.. Automation-powered insights let you raise the bar on your strategies.
Here are only some of the rewards you can achieve:
- Strong pipeline of qualified leads
- Better sales and revenue growth
- More alignment between marketing and sales
- Better understanding of your leads and customers
- Less on the tactical side, more on the strategic side
- Integrated marketing processes and workflows
- Superior customer experiences
Final Thoughts
Marketing automation gets rid of all that busywork slowing your marketing team down. This enables them to run more effective campaigns that drive pipeline and revenue.
The time saved also means you can analyze your data more deeply and refine your strategies over time. You can provide ever more relevant and up-to-the-minute messaging that pleases customers and potential buyers alike.