Marketing Automation: An Efficient Way to Reach Customers Without Adding Staff
Although its origins date back to the mid ’90s, marketing automation really began to show up in a big way in the mid-2000’s. But like other breakthrough technologies, it was only within the reach of large enterprises (primarily B2C) who could afford the monthly licenses fees and had the staff to manage it.
Today, marketing automation platforms are affordable, user-friendly and arguably the most efficient way to reach prospects/customers, manage follow-up activity and measure campaign effectiveness and ROI. Adoption in the B2B world has grown steadily and it is now estimated that 76% of companies (who participated in a 2021 HubSpot report) use some form of marketing automation software. Because it literally automates various workflows that would otherwise have to be done manually, marketing automation can significantly boost the productivity of a marketing operation without having to hire additional staff.
Dynamic Tools with Detailed Analytics
Marketing automation is not a set-it-and-forget-it process. You’ll achieve the most success by using these platforms as the dynamic tools they’re designed to be. You may find the sheer amount of data overwhelming at first, but it’s only a matter of time before you become familiar with the analytics. Start by looking at the top-level information before trying to drill down into the details.
Lead scoring is one of the most valuable aspects of marketing automation analytics, especially for industries with long sales cycles (i.e., 6 – 18 months). With a good lead scoring system, you can track all of the behavior and engagement of your prospects (e.g., clickthroughs to emails, downloading media, visiting certain pages on your website), which gives your sales reps the information they need to have meaningful follow-up conversations with prospects and better understand where their interests lie. And you’ll be able to track which marketing strategies are generating the most success so you can focus on the tactics that provide the best ROI.
How to Choose a Marketing Automation Platform
There is a growing number of marketing automation platforms out there, ranging from the “big dogs” like Marketo, Hubspot, Pardot and Eloqua, to newer up-and-comers like SendinBlue, Keap and SharpSpring (TSRM Group is a SharpSpring Platinum Partner).
It’s tricky to do an apples-to-apples cost comparison with marketing automation platforms since there are many features and variables to consider. For example, a SharpSpring license includes up to 100,000 database contacts, with additional contacts priced at $3.00/thousand/month. HubSpot Enterprise includes 10,000 contacts with additional contacts priced at $10.00/thousand/month. Many platforms offer a limited number of seats (i.e., 5 or 10), while others offer unlimited seats. These differences can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month in additional cost. Sharpen your pencil and be sure to consider all the pricing variables as you do your due diligence.
Marketing Automation Requires People, Process and Technology (Sound Familiar?)
Like other technologies, deciding on a certain software or hardware solution is only the first step. You need to have the right people to operate it properly and the right processes in place to make it a successful part of your sales and marketing efforts.
The good news is that with the growth of marketing automation and other digital marketing tools, there are a lot of resources in the marketplace who have expertise in this area. Many outside agencies and freelancers are experienced on a number of different platforms and can manage the technology on your behalf. However, it’s important to have at least one person on staff who has a high degree of competence in the technology as well, since there are tasks (like managing the database, monitoring lead score, and assigning or reassigning leads) that should be handled by an internal person.
Nothing Replaces the Human Touch
The ability to automate various “touches” with a prospect keeps you top of mind and helps to move him or her along the sales cycle. But it is that all important human touch that will really start cultivating a relationship that will lead to trust and then, hopefully, a sale. It’s important to involve your sales reps or BDRs in the process from the beginning and help them time meaningful follow-up phone calls or personal emails based on prospect behavior. Marketing is about connecting with people—getting to know them, learning what they do, finding out how you can help. These lasting relationships not only result in improved sales, but also enrich us as human beings. As long as you bear that in mind, your marketing efforts will succeed.
0 Comments