Marketing is the lifeblood of any Business/Corporation and many business resources are dedicated to carrying out this function. Many of the tasks in marketing are repetitive and predictable regardless of the size of the business operations. These tasks may include basic functions such as scheduling email messages and social media posts, organizing the contacts directory and managing content. A feedback system and the ability to track customers’ activities as they move through the marketing funnel are some of the functions that have been automated to generate data that can be analyzed to measure the impact of marketing strategies. Different types of marketing automation software have been proven effective in automating repetitive tasks for more efficient deployment of client-focused strategies. Aside from enhancing efficiency, marketing automation software is used to deliver information and personalized content based on pre-defined triggers. Leads are guided through the marketing funnel using various strategies, and analytic tools are used to gauge the effectiveness of the marketing strategy in addressing perceived issues.
It is not uncommon for Marketing professionals to find themselves with the problem of building marketing campaigns and maintaining online brands that require repetitive, systematic actions. Hence in recent years, the popularity of marketing automation has soared, because it offers a way to systemize key processes. You can write blog posts and schedule them for automatic upload at optimum times. It becomes easy to send newsletters and emails to thousands of people and manage the responses. Marketing automation helps marketers to focus on the value and quality of their efforts because the practical implementation is managed in a perpetual, unobtrusive manner. When a business gains time they gain profit. Every second saved can be reinvested in sales, distribution, finance, inventory and recruitment processes.
What is an Enterprise Marketing Automation Solution?
Successful marketers know that marketing is about more than direct and personalized advertising. Targeted ads are only a small part of the customer journey, and they can be very hit or miss, particularly online. Consumers nowadays are more wary of digital advertising than ever before, because they have an increased of knowledge of its inner workings and the way it piggybacks on their routines. Therefore Business/Corporate got to build up trust in other ways and it is important that customers be given a chance to interact with Business/Corporate Brand through different channels. Enterprise marketing automation can be used to gauge interest, pick up on preferences, forge strong relationships and increase brand loyalty.
Key Features of Enterprise Marketing Automation
Email Automation
Email is a valuable asset for marketing teams, but it must be used carefully. Emails should always be relevant, engaging and non-intrusive. Otherwise, you will alienate your followers. Automation software is a great way to stay in touch, without exposing customers to excessive email blasts. It also helps you keep a detailed record of both your communications and your subscribers’ behavior.
Social Media
Marketing automation is recommended for social media because it takes much of the manual work out of posting. You can use it to build targeted advertisements, respond to customer inquiries and keep profiles active and fresh. You should not rely solely on automation when working with social communities, but it is a handy way to stay available 24/7 and schedule posts in advance.
Lead Generation
Automation software plays a major role in lead generation, as it helps businesses learn about their customers. Every point of contact is logged and turned into actionable data. So every time you interact with somebody, the system adds that to their personalized profile. It means your sales team always knows what a customer wants, prefers, dislikes and hopes to achieve.
Dynamic Content
How do you make your emails and landing pages convert the best? You personalize them. This is what dynamic content does for businesses, making it a powerful marketing automation tool. Dynamic content inserts specialized messages, names, and discounts based on your subscribers’ preferences and behavior.
A/B Testing
Bringing an element of science to marketing, A/B testing allows you to compare two different types of content to figure out which is best. This means that you can split your subscriber base, or a segment of it, in two, sending one piece of content to one group, and a tweaked version to the other group. Marketers use this ability to test the effectiveness of everything from marketing language, CTAs, and layout in order to increase conversions.
Extended Maintenance
To get the most out of your marketing dollars, you need to be following up on transactions. The customer journey does not have to end with the most recent purchase. In fact, it is much easier to secure the second, third or fourth buy than it is the first. Use marketing automation to stay in touch and maximize a brand interest that is already present.
Reporting and Analytics
Finally, marketing automation platforms are great for building up a picture of productivity. As every contact, transaction, and communication gets logged, there is no part of the marketing journey that you can’t review. The data is highly useful when it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of campaigns and budgeting for future ones.
What is Marketing Automation for Small Businesses?
Marketing automation solutions have been used by big corporations for a while now. But for small business, it is still a tool that’s just starting to gain popularity. In fact, a Leadpages and Infusionsoft Small Business Marketing Trends Report shows that as much as 47% of small businesses still try to handle their marketing efforts by themselves.
With today’s innovative marketing automation solutions, that may not be the case for long. As marketing automation becomes more available and tailored to small businesses, it is only a matter of time before small business owners realize the benefits that come with having this tool at their disposal.
Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the fastest-growing segment of marketing automation software users, and this trend is consistent in numerous industries.
The Key Features of Marketing Automation for Small Businesses are the following
Since marketing automation is marketing automation no matter if you’re a large enterprise or a small business, many of the features are the same. However, if you’re a small business, here are the features you should prioritize.
Email Automation
No matter what size your business is, email marketing is an effective strategy. It is an especially powerful strategy for small businesses just trying to get their name out there. Just as useful is the fact that email automation saves precious time to manage email campaigns that can be reallocated somewhere else.
Lead Generation
Finding leads can be one of the most difficult challenges for small businesses trying to build a customer base. Luckily, marketing automation for small businesses provides lead generation functionality that reduces both the time and costs involved in the lead generation process.
Lead Nurturing
Seamlessly moving your leads along the sales funnel has never been easier for small businesses. Marketing automation management software can help you greatly reduce the manual work required in the process, saving you valuable time. This enables you to passively move leads down the sales funnel, only requiring you to intervene when a lead is ready to convert.
Reporting
Reporting isn’t just for big companies. Any sized business benefits from reporting, so they can gain insights into the effectiveness of their marketing. With the advanced reports available from some of the leading marketing automation software for small businesses, you can gain new insights into where your best customers are coming from, how to increase conversions and much more.
Relationship Management
Customer retention is one of the key factors of business success, especially when you’re just trying to build a customer base. With the right marketing automation tool, you can personalize your relationship with each prospect, making them feel wanted and recognized.
Last but not least you need to learn how to choose the Right Marketing Automation Software for your Business
It is important to consider platforms that are compatible with the size and nature of the business. Enterprise software would include features that SMBs may never need.
Software costs vary but expect enterprise software to be pricier than marketing automation software for SMBs. Conduct a needs assessment survey to identify the marketing automation issues that require a solution and from this survey, determine the tools needed to resolve the issues.
Many marketing automation software providers offer a free trial period, which allows you to test the suitability of the actual product based on your company’s needs.
Want to find the best marketing automation software for your business? We’re happy to help you! Contact Abraham at abraham@chicago42digital.com
By Abraham Zavala-Quiñones & Helena Osorio-Zavala
abraham@chicago42digital.com
@AZQMX (Twitter & IG)
@helenabosorio (IG)
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/abraham-zavala-quinones/10/989/28a
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