As a small business, the price tag on marketing automation software can seem overwhelming, but the results can be very impressive!
First, what is marketing automation and why is it important?
Marketing automation refers to the use of software to automate several marketing functions, including customer segmentation, email marketing and lead nurturing. Act-on, Marketo, Hubspot and Pardot are examples of marketing automation software, to name a few. Generally, marketing automation is implemented to help convert existing leads into customers by using targeted, personalized campaigns that are more likely to get results. These campaigns typically involve email marketing, website landing pages and social media, all of which are pre-determined, programmed and executed using marketing automation software. To better understand how marketing automation works, let’s look at some common product features and their benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Marketing Automation?
1. Lead Management & CRM Integration
Properly qualifying a sales lead can mean the difference between landing a big sale and wasting your resources on those who aren’t ready to convert. CRM integration and lead management tools allow you to hand well-qualified leads off to sales for closing, while focusing your marketing on engaging and nurturing less qualified leads.
2. Lead Nurturing Capabilities
Today’s prospects require long-term marketing as they self-educate and establish trust with a company. Retain customer engagement and build relationships with potential buyers with automated and ongoing cross-channel marketing campaigns.
3. Lead Scoring Capabilities
Tracking your prospects behavior and web activity will help you determine their level of interest in your product or service. Assigning a numerical score to lead behavior ensures your most qualified leads are handed off to sales for closing at the appropriate time.
“Marketing automation can help small businesses get better results from their marketing campaigns, improve lead nurturing and conversion, streamline otherwise manual marketing processes, and free up time and resources for other important initiatives.” Leah Goeppinger
4. Automated Programs and Email Marketing
Get the right message in front of the right customer at the right time. Set-up targeted marketing campaigns using simple “if-then” logic that deploy automatically based on pre-defined triggers.
5. Web Visitor Tracking
Ever wish you knew exactly who was visiting your website? Uncover anonymous web visitors, get real-time notifications when they’re on your site, and track their activity to gain better insight as to what products or services they are interested in.
6. ROI Tracking and Analytics
Measuring the performance of your marketing campaigns is key to its success; learn what works and what doesn’t work so you can make informed strategic decisions and tailor future campaigns for maximum impact. Measure the success of your emails, landing pages, call-to-actions and more.
The Short Answer
Yes, the investment is worth it. Marketing automation can help small businesses get better results from their marketing campaigns, improve lead nurturing and conversion, streamline otherwise manual marketing processes, and free up time and resources for other important initiatives. Want to learn how your business can benefit from marketing automation?
