One-size-fits-all marketing strategies carried over from B2C seldom translate in the niche world of B2B. Therefore, pursuing communications tools shown to grow sales is an essential part of a cost-effective B2B marketing plan. One such tool is marketing automation. But leveraging this tool effectively takes know-how. Learn how your company can benefit from marketing automation in this six-part series.
Question 1: What Is Marketing Automation?
Defined, marketing automation is the utilization of specialized digital tools to create highly personalized, one-to-one customer communications.
OK, Can You Simplify That for Me?
Absolutely. Some people mistakenly think of marketing automation as simply automating the process of sending marketing messaging to a large audience. This is not the case. It’s actually the process of sending highly targeted messaging to an equally targeted group of individuals with the intention of converting sales through an integrated set of digital tools.
Marketing automation provides you with the ability to send customers tailored, pre-programmed content that speaks to their unique needs and interests, at the exact time they need it to make a purchasing decision. The overall goal of marketing automation is to drive revenue by qualifying and nurturing leads in a way that is trackable, measurable, strategic and as catered to the customer as possible.
What Marketing Automation is NOT
Marketing automation is not simply another word for email marketing. Marketing automation provides much more insight and value to B2B companies, whether you are a marketer, a salesperson, a manager, etc.
Marketing automation is not spam. This is a common misconception. When executed properly, marketing automation produces thoughtful, relevant messaging through strategically placed distribution intervals.
Marketing automation is not something that you set up once and let it work itself out as time goes on. It requires near constant attention for it to be effective. Click here for more information about what marketing is not.
Why YOU Need Marketing Automation and Why You Need It NOW
- Automated marketing campaigns help your sales team generate leads. With CRM integration, it can help make sure that you don’t lose those leads.
- Marketing automation allows you to run multiple campaigns simultaneously while creating a way to manage them in an organized fashion that makes sense.
- You can run reports that display how successful your campaign has been, in whatever terms you measure success (opens, leads, conversions, etc.).
- Marketing automation saves time. It allows you not only to keep all of your relevant data in one place, but also gives you ample opportunity to use that data in a constructive way without requiring extensive time on your part. It also allows you to automatically track behaviors of recipients and measure those analytics. All of these repetitive tasks can be automated, saving you time.
Ultimately, what you get out of marketing automation is what you put into it. From there, the possibilities are endless.