Marketing Automation Software:
A set of tools or technology that allows you to automate your marketing processes. Depending on the software, you can manage a variety of tasks. These include email automation, audience segmentation, and nurturing campaigns. There are a variety of software companies available that offer marketing automation tools, so it’s important to find the right ones for your business.
Research suggests that around 85% of marketers believe that a lack of resources impairs their team. Given the current climate, that figure is likely to continue increasing. So many businesses are facing budget restrictions and financial challenges as worldwide economies waver. Often, marketing budgets are one of the first things to be tightened.
So, in such a challenging landscape, how do marketers make the most out of their time? Many regular marketing tasks are repetitive or don’t truly require human management. Marketing automation can handle tasks like this, and allow your marketing team to work more efficiently.
Allow your marketing talent to focus on the areas where they can truly contribute, and allow technology to do what it does best.
However, you will need the best marketing automation software to keep the department running smoothly. So, what are the benefits of marketing automation software? And, how do you choose the right ones?
What is Marketing Automation?
Put simply, marketing automation is the automation of repetitive marketing tasks. Marketing software takes over these tasks, allowing marketing teams to manage their time. However, marketing automation doesn’t just benefit marketers. Customers often get a more tailored experience, as a lot of marketing automation software is powered by data.
Here are just a few examples of marketing automation that you might already be familiar with:
Email Sequences:
Whether to warm leads, or for cold outreach, email sequences are a common form of marketing automation. The automation is fairly simple. The software sends emails out to your chosen contacts according to a specified timeline. You might use email sequences in your sales process already. There are a variety of email softwares that offer this functionality, such as MailChimp and Lemlist.
Drip Campaigns:
These are often slightly more personalized, and are based on a behavior or action. For instance, in B2C, these are useful to target buyers that may have added items to their card but not checked out. In B2B, these are more commonly used as a nurturing tool. For instance, if someone downloads an ebook or whitepaper, it’s important to stay connected.
Audience Segmentation:
Segmenting your audience is just one of the important steps towards understanding them. Your marketing automation software can segment your audiences according to demographics, psychographics, or behaviors. If you’d like to know who downloaded your infographic, and target them with specific marketing messages, marketing automation can help you to nurture that relationship.
As mentioned, some of these may sound familiar. You may already be implementing a version of them. Marketing automation works best when there is a concerted effort across a variety of campaigns, allowing your automation software to handle your audience data.
Benefits of Marketing Automation Software
When implemented correctly, marketing automation has the potential to make both marketers’ and buyers’ lives easier. Your marketing automation software should reduce repetitive tasks for marketers – but also drive your buyers through the buyers’ journey.
Efficiency:
As mentioned, the key benefit of automation is that it allows marketers to optimize their resources. Ultimately, there is no benefit to a marketing team sitting at their desks and sending emails manually to every single contact. Allow technology to take some of the weight, freeing up your experts to focus on more important tasks.
Tailored Marketing:
A lot of marketing automation software utilizes marketing data in order to make decisions and carry out processes. For instance, segmenting audiences according to behaviors or actions, such as downloads or responding to emails, means that each lead receives an experience that is more tailored to them and their problems. Ultimately, they’re far more likely to convert if they feel connected to your marketing.
How to Choose Marketing Automation Software
So, you’re sold on the idea of marketing automation software, but where do you start? The right choice for you will be entirely dependent on your business, your marketing campaigns, and your teams. Every business needs something different, so it’s important to make the right choice before committing to a service.
Here are just a few things you need to think about:
- What’s your budget?
- What are your goals/requirements?
- Ease of use/business integration
- What analytics does the platform offer?
- Does it integrate with your existing technologies?
- You can often request a demo before committing
At Nituno, we can have extensive experience with marketing automation software, including HubSpot, MailChimp, and more. We can help you to identify the right tools for your business, and help integrate them to ensure maximum ROI. Get in touch with us today to discuss your marketing tech stack!
