Whether you’re running a start up or an established business, you understand how important marketing is to be profitable and to succeed. Marketing covers the different methods and strategies to promote your brand, such as advertising campaigns, email and social media marketing, promotions and lead sourcing or generation. With so many different tasks involved in the process, some of which may be repetitive in nature like sending out emails and developing content, it may become overwhelming and confusing at times.
Automating your marketing process can help you and your team to be more efficient in managing your business. To better understand how your business can reap in the host of benefits automation can bring, below are some important details about the tools that you can use.
Marketing Automation Software Defined
Marketing automation according to 5 Clever Marketing Automation Techniques to Promote Your Brand Pardot, is software that allows you to maximize your marketing and sales processes. It is a platform to efficiently generate leads, monitor and customize marketing campaigns and nurture prospects to the point of sale. Whether you manage your marketing on your own or have a dedicated team to do this, automating your system can sound as business investment.
With so much competition in practically any industry, being noticed can be quite challenging. Marketing automation software help you create a stronger brand. In touch, a marketing consultant firm, reported on their website that 63% of companies who use the tool are more likely to stand out from their competitors. This is certainly something that you want for your own business. By applying the strategies and techniques to the different stages of your sales cycle, then you can virtually guarantee better returns.
While sales cycles vary depending on the product or service offered by the company, these almost always involve the following,
- Generating Leads
- Corresponding with Prospects
- Closing the Sale
- Follow-Up
Reviews of marketing automation software online show how other companies become more successful and profitable by ensuring that the different stages of the cycle are optimized. For example, with the huge amount of data you get, relative of course to your business size, the leads may not be managed effectively. According to a whitepaper done by Hub spot, only 25% of leads are legitimate, while 50% are qualified but not quite up to the point of purchasing. That leaves about a quarter of the amount of data processed by you, simply is not worth the time and effort. Marketing automation tools allow you to identify this to ensure that you are focused on the ones that will generate revenue.
Marketing Automation Features and Benefits
The tool is able to deliver results because of the features offered by marketing automation software vendors. From getting the right information from website visitors to leading prospects up to the point of sale, the benefits of automated marketing software can certainly have a positive impact on your business. You can choose from free marketing automation software or those that are provided with fees. While the features vary depending on the developer, below are the generic features of all tools available in the market.
1. Lead Management – Leads are undeniably important, as sales are not possible without these because lead management is crucial for the success of a business. An automated system allows you to guide your leads through the different stage; from being interested to making the purchase. With the right data at your fingertips, you’ll identify the needs of your prospects and existing customers and provide them solutions. Nurturing your leads efficiently can spell the difference between profit and loss.
2. Email Marketing – According to a 2015 study done by The Radicati Group Inc, a marketing research firm based in California, it is estimated that by the end of 2016, there will be over 2.6 billion email users worldwide. In the US alone, each user has an average of 1.8 accounts. With that much market available, it’s no wonder companies are using email as a mean to promote their brand. You too can run email marketing campaigns to reach out your prospects and existing customers. However, the key is to do this effectively so you don’t burn leads.
Email marketing automation software allows you to manage the way you are corresponding with your market. You can customize emails so that it fits the buying stage of your customers. With the use of pre-formatted templates or a basic visual editor, you can create professional emails that send the right message. You can affix your company name and logo so the prospects are fully aware whom they are communicating with.
3. Social Media Marketing –According to Brand Watch, a marketing consultant firm with operations in the UK and the US, there are 2.3 billion active social media accounts worldwide. That figure will continue to grow with one million accounts added every day. With so many prospects reached by different social media platforms, companies are ensured that they have strong presence in this market as well. With automated marketing software, you have better control of how your business is perceived by customers. It allows you to create a more personal relationship with consumers by directly connecting with them through shared posts and instant messages.
4. Closed Loop Analysis and Reporting –The best leads and marketing campaigns are often wasted because data is not analyzed efficiently. When you don’t know which campaign works and which lead sets the higher success rate, then it becomes quite difficult to strategize effectively. This means you will lose money because of the missed sales opportunities. B2B or B2C marketing automation software allows you to be more effective in terms of converting leads to sales and running marketing campaigns that deliver profitable results. With the software, you can maximize your marketing budget and improve your profitability.
5 Clever Techniques at Marketing Automation
- Relevant and Dynamic Content
Because of the different features available in the software you use, you have access to useful data on your leads. You can use this information to enhance your email correspondences with your customers and prospects. You can ensure that emails you send out to customers in different stages of the buying process are specific to their needs with the email marketing feature of the software. For example, if you have an existing customer who regularly purchases items, then you can avoid sending out “free shipping on first purchase offers” to him. This communicates an important message to your leads, which is that they are valued customers rather than just a means to make revenue.
- Leads Handled With Care
Lead nurturing is a process in marketing automation where you can efficiently use to improve your revenue. While there are consumers who visit your site with the intention to purchase, there are those who are simply looking at their choices. These consumers are only on the first stage of the buying process. In order to get them to the point of sale, you need to ensure that they get the support and information they need. Details such as how their purchase can improve their lives or solutions to their problems can increase the chances of making a sale. Enhancing your sales and marketing procedures to ensure that these are addressed will have a positive impact on your profitability.
- Utilizing a Centralized Data Base
Whether you have different teams taking care of your sales and marketing or you run this with a smaller group or even on your own having a centralize database will be beneficial. You can ensure that you have all the information you need to run campaigns strategically and close sales effectively within reach. The best marketing automation software provide you with this database to streamline your processes as well as making them more efficient. You can easily get the crucial details, such as lead information and sales details to be able to make sound and profitable business decisions.
- Maximize Social Media Presence
An automated system, which features social media marketing, is a tool that you want to take full advantage of. As mentioned, with billions of people active in various social media platforms, you can effectively promote your brand to appeal to consumers. While search engines provide consumers with means to find what they need, social media provides reasons to be the business chosen. More than 80% of consumers trust reviews from folks and social media is a platform where people freely express their opinion. You can use this to reach more customers and attract them to do business with you.
- Build Rapport with Stage Based Marketing
One of the benefits of automation is that it compliments stage-based marketing. When you manage your leads and campaigns with stage-based marketing, you are able to address different elements that could lead to increased revenue. Leads that do not show activity for days and those with purchases need to be addressed differently in terms of marketing.
Regardless of the size of the business that you’re running, automating your system brings a host of benefits that can positively impact your finances. Check out the list on marketing automation software providers of Crowdreviews.com to find the best fit for you.
Trevor Price
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