Marketing automation. It sounds like something fancy for big companies, but it’s really a valuable tool for companies of all sizes that want to drive leads while improving efficiency.
It may be most critical for small businesses, where a team is often spinning a lot of plates and wondering how they’ll ever get a moment to develop an email campaign or hop on social media.
Companies report impressive results from marketing automation, with 91% indicating that marketing automation is “very important” in the execution of a successful marketing strategy.
Defining Marketing Automation
Marketing automation is a software solution that automatically generates emails, social media posts, and other marketing activities, without any manual effort on your part.
It’s important to note that while marketing automation is often confused with customer relationship management (CRM), these are actually unique tools that make advantageous partners. CRM helps manage the progression from lead to customer and ongoing service, as marketing automation simultaneously fuels that process with content and contact with the potential customer.
Marketing automation also sheds light on where the contact is in the sales funnel, which marketing activities are most successful at leading to a conversion, and which resources your leads prefer.
There are several key benefits companies can expect from their marketing automation investment:
Efficiency
Automating saves you time and money, as demonstrated in a recent infographic by Ehsan Jahandarpour and BD Ventures:
- Automating social media management can save up to six hours a week.
- The automation of follow-up and outreach emails can bump up reply rates by as much as 250%.
- Save even more time by automating meeting scheduling with clients.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of marketers say that automation saves time. It is no longer necessary to spend a chunk of the day clicking between platforms, responding to emails and determining what content will be shared on social media. It’s all determined ahead of time with that convenient “set it and forget it” format that busy managers love.
Reporting and Data
Access to marketing reports and data is critical for decision-making, and most marketing managers are forced to flip between different tools to see how various key performance indicators (KPIs) are faring. Marketing automation collects all of this data in one platform, simplifying analytics review. It also allows users to tag different campaigns and activities to tie in to the comprehensive report, revealing which campaigns are on track and where any weak spots are.
Consistency
Ensuring that a lead or a customer is receiving the best possible experience relies heavily on consistent excellence. Marketing automation enables companies to better control their messaging as well as the frequency of contact with leads.
For instance, when a lead fills out a contact form to receive an eNewsletter, the automation tool sends an email that thanks the lead for their interest in communications and lets them know what they can expect.
Personalization and Segmentation
Marketing automation doesn’t just add a first name to make the email more personal; it also allows the creation of targeted messages for market segments so content is tailored exactly to unique consumer preferences.
More Leads
Lastly, but by no means least important, assistance with lead generation is critical, especially for smaller organizations. Luckily, that’s the key role that marketing automation plays. From 53% higher conversion rates to a 20% increase in sales opportunities, marketing automation can introduce new levels of growth for your company.
You may be wondering how statistics like those listed above play out in a business your size. Contact us at DirectMail.io to find out how much time your company can save and the kind of lead generation you can expect with marketing automation.
