The majority of firms today utilize marketing automation in some form; in fact, roughly 51% of organizations employ the technology, and that number is growing.
According to a Forrester survey from 2018, 55 percent of marketing decision-makers want to boost their technology spending, with one-fifth of those polled predicting a 10% or more rise. That is to say, if you weren’t using marketing automation software in 2019, you should think about it. Despite the importance of automation software, it’s a complex space full of numerous software solutions with various features and use cases.
Defining Marketing Automation And How Does It Work?
Prospecting, engaging with leads, knowing their preferences, and establishing long-term relationships with them to convert them into paying customers are all duties covered by marketing automation.
Managing all of these parts of marketing isn’t easy; you’ll need a system that allows you to work more efficiently. Marketing automation software allows you to automate all of your routine operations to spend more time focusing on high-intent leads.
Prospecting may be automated, tailored emails can be sent automatically, and leads can be nurtured with relevant resources. What marketing automation can do for your firm is depicted in the figure below. With enhanced automation, a marketing automation platform automates the entire marketing process for you and removes the need for human chores.
Critical Features Of Marketing Automation Software
Let’s go over the significant functionality and features your marketing automation software should have
1. Management Of Leads
Any automation program that handles lead information, lead scoring and assignment should have a complete lead nurturing process. It should enable marketing and sales teams to collaborate to generate more leads, encourage them efficiently, and improve the lead-to-customer ratio.
2. Email Marketing Campaigns
All effective customer communication is done by email, from initial contact to purchase discussions to product questions sessions. You’ll need a feature that allows you to schedule email campaigns to better your customer engagement process if you want to have centralized and ongoing communication. End-to-end email campaign functionality should be included in the automation software you choose.
3. Marketing Using Social Media
Social media automation should be included in every marketing automation software. You should be able to connect social media with your software to track and evaluate your consumers’ social presence and actions. It will also allow you to post messages on various social networking platforms.
4. Alerts In Real-Time
Using the program, real-time automatic alerts to internal team members or other teams should be possible. This is especially useful when the marketing team pushes prospects to the sales table and asks them to take a specific action. If any workflow demands action, a mechanical watch should be delivered to the appropriate people to conduct or complete the activity.
5. Workflow In Its Basic Form
Workflow design and management should be simple with any marketing automation software. Because the goal is to boost productivity and have a well-organized process, it’s critical to have a well-thought-out workflow that’s simple to follow and optimize.
6. Trigger Reactions
The goal of automation software should be to enable quick, real-time replies to clients. Every response must be fast, as even a five-minute delay might result in a customer opportunity being lost. As a result, the program should include a feature that allows you to arrange and time your responses to be sent in real-time.
7. Customized Templates
Emails and newsletters account for 70% of all communication in marketing automation for small businesses. The automation software you use should allow you to tweak current email and newsletter templates and build new ones. It should allow you to edit pre-designed templates so you may pick and select designs from the software and make the adjustments you want.
8. Personalized Messaging
Marketing automation software should be capable of sending tailored scripted emails regularly. The whole point of automation is that it allows you to use prepared emails while still allowing you to personalize them, so they don’t look canned.
Factors To Consider When Selecting Marketing Automation Software
What should you do now that you’ve decided to implement marketing automation software in your company? So, you’ll need the most powerful marketing automation software for your company, one that meets your needs while also working well with your team. So, before you choose marketing automation software, think about the following points.
Pricing
Automation software’s primary goal is to make your job easier. It should, however, be within your pricing range. After all, your main goal is to expand your firm, which necessitates a marketing automation platform that is both economical and scalable.
You can begin with a basic plan and gradually upgrade as your company grows. This ensures that the software is accessible at all stages of your company’s operations without slowing down.
Integrations
You’re probably already using a CRM or another application to keep track of all your leads and data. As a result, it’s critical to determine whether the automation software you’ve chosen connects with your current system. Integration is vital because you don’t want to waste time exchanging data and complicating the procedure. As a result, choose marketing automation software that integrates well with your current tools.
Usability
Not the other way around, marketing automation should make your entire process more manageable. As a result, it’s critical to question the convenience of using automation software so that your staff can use it without difficulty. You can also request screenshots of the UX to see how the automation software’s process and flow will work.
Reporting And Analytics
Statistics and data drive every organization, so you’ll need marketing automation software that gives you meaningful insights into your drip campaigns, email marketing performance, and other metrics.
Support
After all, marketing automation necessitates a particular bit of time and work. As a result, look for marketing automation software with a strong customer care team. You must be able to access the marketing automation software’s lessons, downloadable resources, and demos. Furthermore, effective automation software comes with a customer support team ready to help.
Conclusion
Not every business or marketing team is ready to automate their processes, but when they are, digital marketing automation solutions may elevate an excellent marketing strategy to new heights.
You can turn marketing insights into A+ execution at scale by understanding your unique needs and selecting the best digital marketing automation systems to meet them. So you can spend less time on the nitty-gritty and more time expanding the business.
