Marketing automation platforms, such as Segment, are designed to help marketing teams be more productive and efficient. But how do they work? What are the benefits of using one? And what are the most common uses for these tools? Here’s our guide to help you figure out what marketing automation is and how it can help your business.
Before knowing about the benefits of Marketing Automation you should know what it is –
Simply put, marketing automation software is an automated tool that enables marketers to run a series of different campaigns through one dashboard. It’s the difference between opening and closing email sequences, automating your outreach strategy or sending personalized messages to specific segments.
In short, marketing automation allows you to create workflows that allow you to predict and react (in real-time) during the prospect lifecycle so you can build highly engaging campaigns for optimal results.
In other words, it’s essentially accomplished by taking desirable actions automatically as dictated by pre-set conditions on your website. There are many software platforms supporting this process.
The segment is one of such tools that promote real-time marketing automation to help with any kind of B2B or B2C campaign you run through your website/app.
Depending on the requirements, which vary from business experts and marketers, companies can use marketing automation software in two different ways — personalization and automated emails.
Here are some benefits of Marketing Automation that you must know -
Increase conversion rate -
Marketing automation tools are very effective in increasing the conversion rate of your leads, too. After all, when marketing automation software is integrated with your CRM system, you can automatically serve alerts and reminders to those who register for a newsletter or sign up on Facebook.
You'll know who's coming and what they're interested in. This way you won't miss out on qualified opportunities because of misaligned objectives or campaigns.
Efficiency -
Marketing automation can help you automate your marketing efforts -- so you spend less time on it and more time on what actually generates revenue for your company.
For example, one study found that 80% of B2B marketers believe their software systems are inefficient when compared to their human colleagues.
However, if they use the right tools and processes, those same IT employees can complete tasks in the same amount of time as humans (and do it better).
In another study, 37% of business people said they've reduced advertising spending because they have automated a process within their sales or marketing departments.
Accurate reporting -
Marketing automation software will help you evaluate your marketing campaigns and leads. You'll be able to track the sales cycle of a particular lead or set up multiple automated sequences that can increase your conversion rate.
You'll have access to more detailed reporting, letting you analyse exactly how effective each campaign has been. This information will allow you to improve tools and ad content, which should result in higher conversion rates again.
Essentially, it's like having more data points when it comes time to optimize and test new products, methods of advertising etc.
Marketing and sales alignment -
One of the big benefits of marketing automation is the alignment between your team's goals and overall business strategy.
When you make marketing automation software a routine part of your daily workflow, it becomes easier to predict future campaigns and projects. This way, you can know how much time your staff has to invest in different tasks so that everyone knows what needs to be done each day.
Once this relationship is established, managers will be more likely to follow up with you if they need any changes made within these automated processes so that there's no confusion or gaps in communication between them and their businesses teammates.
Personalized marketing strategy -
Marketing automation should make your CRO personal. Using marketing automation software, you can create postcards to hit certain locations or send specific emails to prospects who purchased certain items on your website.
You can even use it to automate follow up conversations, like sending a hand-written letter after they've purchased something online. Marketing automation makes the process of producing and distributing marketing messages more efficient and effective than ever before.
You'll know exactly where to focus your attention with each campaign because you'll be able to see which campaigns are working best or what areas need improvement the most.
Lead scoring -
“We’re all somebody’s prospect; we’re all somebody’s customer.” ― Chris Murray
Lead scoring is the method of evaluating a lead's quality and determining what type of response you expect.
For example, if I have three types of leads: 10-minute calls with no objections, 30-minute calls with one objection, and 40-minute meetings where there are two objections, then my scorecard will say 95%, 85%, 75% for each type respectively.
Marketing automation software can help you maintain high scores across multiple channels by analysing existing data or tracking new contacts. This helps your marketing team in creating a detailed lead profile as well as identifying which leads are to be contacted next.
Create a Better Customer Experience
Marketing automation software can help brands make their customers' first impression count, as well. In short, it allows marketers to personalize their messaging for individual visitors and customers on an ongoing basis.
As a result, companies are able to establish brand loyalty with the people hearing about them through social media and offline marketing channels because they know those qualities are amplified by personalized touches that reflect your brand's values.
Using machine-learning tools helps you more precisely determine what information is most important to each audience segment so you can craft customized messages that do more than advertise — they guide to action! Further, using targeting rules in your marketing activities helps you choose the best place to focus your efforts.
Reduced costs -
Marketing automation allows businesses to save on many costs. Its outcomes include an increase in sales quantity and quality.
Even though marketing automation had been there for a long time, its true value was not realized due at least in part to lack of clarity as to how it might be used for the benefit of the entire business or unit within which it is being employed."
Even if an organization is already operating some level of marketing automation, these gains "will occur only to the extent that knowledge and understanding are shared."
Before implementing a comprehensive campaign management system requires efforts to define objectives, market strategy and pinpoint how this resource will benefit your business.
If you want numbers in a short period then there should be no doubt at all about building automated systems as they result in saving both cost & time.
Marketing and sales on one page -
Marketing automation lets you get all marketing and sales on one page. You’ll have a streamlined process that stores lead in the same place, across channels and for multiple stages of the buyer journey.
This means better customer service and a good time to measure results.
Whether you want the power of marketing to reach new people, target and convert those that are already engaged with your brand or boost performance in a therapeutic environment - there's only one place where it can all come together.
Marketing Automation is The One Place for everything Digital.
Marketing automation has become a crucial part of marketing campaigns today.
There are many benefits that come with the implementation of marketing automation, and they can be used to make your digital marketing efforts more efficient and effective.
I have outlined some of the most common benefits in this blog post.
That's all for now! See you later with a different topic!