Every marketer and business owner is time-poor. There are always too many things to do and never enough time. Marketing automation, however, is one saving grace that can free up time, improve results and create a healthier bottom line.
That’s why marketing automation has become one of the most useful tools in any marketer’s toolkit.
- More than half of all companies now incorporate marketing automation into their processes
- The marketing automation industry is projected to grow significantly, with global market value forecast to surpass $8.4 billion by 2027.
- Nearly half of small businesses are already using automation tools to support their marketing efforts.
- Personalised experiences make a difference — 4 out of 5 consumers say they’re more likely to buy from brands that tailor their messaging.
- A growing number of marketers — around 70% — planned to expand their use of automation tools last year.
Source: https://www.smbguide.com/marketing-automation-statistics/
In this guide we’ll discuss what marketing automation really is, explain how it works, cover why it’s so beneficial and run through some of the major tools available. We’ll also go into how to use it best, mistakes to avoid, and how to know if marketing automation software and tools are right for your business.
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What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation is various types of technology that automatically complete tasks that were once completed manually.
Marketing automation tools and software help manage multiple aspects of the marketing process across multiple channels, meaning that it can help marketers with everything from social media management, to direct email campaigns and display advertisements.
Automation can assist marketers and business owners at any stage of the sales funnel, from lead generation to the final sale, making it a ubiquitously useful tool.
A simple example of marketing automation is when you set up a system to automatically send customers a message exactly one week after a purchase to ask for a review or feedback. In the past, marketers may have manually sent out such emails following purchases, but automation ensures these emails land in client inboxes with minimal manual input.
In short, automation makes marketing easier. It lightens the load and frees up your time to use more productively elsewhere.
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A brief history of marketing automation.
Marketing automation has its roots in the early 2000s when companies began to develop software that could automate routine marketing tasks. One of the first marketing automation platforms was launched in 2004 by a company called Pardot. Since then, the industry has grown rapidly, with new players entering the market and existing ones expanding their offerings.
In the early days, marketing automation was primarily focused on email marketing and lead nurturing. However, as technology advanced and customer expectations evolved, marketing automation platforms began to incorporate more features, such as social media management, content management and analytics.
Today, marketing automation is a critical component of modern marketing strategies, enabling businesses to streamline their marketing efforts, improve efficiency and enhance customer experiences.
How does marketing automation work?
Modern day marketing is an industry of data and most managers and marketers are drowning in it. From customer demographics to A/B testing results, click-through rates, abandoned carts, ROI and so much more. There are endless amounts of data and countless ways to use it.
Marketing automation takes that data and immediately turns it into practical, effective actions.
For example, automation software can take your entire email database and filter the customers into various groups depending on their stages in the customer journey, then send each one a tailored message. This ensures customers who have just made a purchase don’t receive a discount offer that would make them regret their purchase, whereas new customers do receive a discount offer to encourage them to make their first purchase.
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Importance of marketing automation in a modern marketing strategy.
Marketing automation is essential in modern marketing strategies for several reasons:
- Increased efficiency: Marketing automation helps businesses automate routine tasks, freeing up time for more strategic and creative work
- Improved customer experiences: By automating personalised messages and offers, businesses can create seamless and relevant customer journeys
- Enhanced data analysis: Marketing automation platforms provide valuable insights into customer behaviour, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions
- Better lead management: Marketing automation helps businesses nurture leads and convert them into customers, improving sales and revenue
- Competitive advantage: Businesses that adopt marketing automation are better equipped to compete in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.
What kinds of marketing automation tools are available?
Marketing automation is not one tool, but many. Utilising a marketing automation solution can enhance employee productivity by reducing manual tasks, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
There are numerous ways marketers can automate their workflows and the customer journey and you can pick and choose which tools would be most beneficial for your business model.
Email automation.
One of the simplest and most commonly used forms of automation, email automation is easy, effective and efficient. This is when a program is set up to send out emails in response to certain triggers.
For example, if a customer abandons their shopping cart, an automatic email may be sent two hours later offering a discount code and a reminder to finish checking out.
Social media automation.
Social media marketing automation is a tool that handles all of the mundane parts of social media management, such as scheduling, posting, cross-posting and responding to frequently asked questions.
CRM automation.
Customer Relationship Management automation is when a CRM program pulls together customer data in one convenient place. This allows those on the marketing team to quickly pull up information, such as groups of customers based on demographics or information about a single customer and where they are in the sales funnel.
Analytics automation.
Like CRM automation software, analytics automation is also an internal form of automation. It doesn’t directly interact with customers, but it does automate large portions of a marketer’s work.
Analytics automation measures the performance of various strategies, providing fast tabulated results for your marketing efforts.
For example, Google Analytics is one of the most common analytics automation products. It pulls together data on your strategies, such as display ads and pay-per-click search engine marketing campaigns, and shows you important website data, such as your bounce rate and session duration, plus much more.
Marketers can then use this data to make educated decisions about weak points that need to be improved (such as a high bounce rate), or areas that are performing well and could be further optimised (such as keyword investment).
How to implement marketing automation: Best practices.
Marketing automation is an exceptional tool but, like any tool, it’s much more effective in the hands of a professional. Up-skilling and learning as much as possible about your specific automation software can pay real dividends when it comes to results, but in general, there are best practices to keep in mind for designing a successful marketing automation strategy.
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Focus on the customer journey.
Customers at different stages in the funnel require different messaging and strategies, but you can’t put strategies in place without first fully understanding that funnel.
A good place to start is by creating a customer journey map. This map will grow and evolve as you gain a greater understanding of the journey, but it will help to inform your approaches and messaging (AKA how you wield your automation tools) from day one.
Marketing teams play a crucial role in this process, as they utilise marketing automation tools to improve collaboration and efficiency, automate repetitive tasks and enhance lead nurturing efforts.
Use lead scoring.
Lead scoring is a strategy where you assign ‘points’ to your customers as they hit certain targets in order to help you determine the most valuable leads. Automation will help you to do this.
For example, reading a blog might score a point, downloading a guide might score five points, signing up to a newsletter might score eight points and requesting a quote or consultation might score ten points. Your automation software will use these points to create a list of leads who score the highest – and are therefore more valuable to you as a customer and worthy of extra attention.
Learn everything you can about your customers.
Marketing automation relies on basic data, so the more data you have, the more accurate and valuable it can be.
Whether or not you already have a database of information, you can always find and add more with:
- Customer surveys (offer a voucher or reward for higher engagement)
- Audience analytics
- Information from contact forms
- Extra details from the sales team or rep who deals with them
Set goals.
Using marketing automation software without setting goals is a little like setting up display ads without setting goals. A target helps you to focus your efforts and work towards a goal rather than just setting it up and letting it loose.
Your goal could be anything from more click-throughs from email marketing to more check-outs following shopping cart abandonment, more time spent on site or better reviews.
Choosing the best marketing automation software.
Choosing the right marketing automation software is crucial for businesses to achieve their marketing goals. Here are some key factors to consider:
Evaluating software features and functionalities.
When evaluating marketing automation software, businesses should consider the following features and functionalities:
- Email marketing: The ability to create and send personalised email campaigns
- Lead nurturing: The ability to automate lead nurturing campaigns and workflows
- Social media management: The ability to manage and schedule social media content
- Content management: The ability to manage and optimise content across channels
- Analytics and reporting: The ability to track and analyse marketing performance
- Integration with CRM: The ability to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems
- Customisation and flexibility: The ability to customise and adapt the software to specific business needs
- Scalability: The ability to scale the software as the business grows
- Customer support: The quality and availability of customer support and training
- Pricing and ROI: The cost of the software and its potential return on investment (ROI).
Is marketing automation right for you?
Marketing automation can work for businesses of all sizes, from small businesses just getting started and needing a hand to stay on top of the basics, to major multinationals who couldn’t get by without it.
And there are plenty of marketing automation platforms out there. A good one to get started with is Thryv, a clever piece of software that covers several automation bases – including CRM, email, social media and analytical automation – as well as a number of other useful business tools, such as booking, invoicing and quotes automation.
It basically brings all your productivity tools into one place, offers 24/7 support whenever you need it and creates an average 25% increase in customers (based on Thryv usage data).
Start a free trial of Thryv to try it out, or get in touch to find out more about how Thryv and marketing automation software can grow your business.
