23 Sep Marketing Automation – Efficient work through automation

In marketing there are many different tasks every day: Generating leads, creating content, populating social media channels, creating and sending newsletters, search engine optimization, optimizing conversions, analytics and so on. In order to complete and optimize these tasks in a time-saving manner, tools within the framework of marketing automation can be used. What exactly Marketing Automation is, which tasks can be taken over and which advantages it offers in the end, we explain this week.

Where Marketing Automation can help

Marketing Automation is a method of planning and implementing marketing campaigns more efficiently and then measuring their success. The software used helps to prioritize and automate tasks. It includes various functions, such as a database, web controlling, communication, CRM synchronization and workflows.

Marketing Automation can be used for new customer acquisition and retention, but also to turn existing customers into repeat customers. The focus is often on lead generation or lead-nurturing. Lead-Nurturing is the process from the actual lead to the placed order. By automating recurring workflows, marketing can be supported holistically.

Tasks that can be taken over by marketing automation software:

• Automation of recurring tasks (e.g.: sending out newsletters)
• Publishing posts in social networks
• Publish and distribute targeted content
• Generation and segmentation of leads
• Evaluate leads
• Collection of data from current and potential customers

What advantages does Marketing Automation offer?

Marketing Automation offers many advantages. Probably the biggest one is the saving of time and effort, which allows marketers to work on other important tasks. In addition, it can reduce personnel costs, which is always a big cost saving.

Customer relationships can be further strengthened by efficiently handling everyday but very important tasks. The conversion rate can also be further increased by collecting and processing relevant data.

Marketing Automation can also provide an enormous increase in efficiency in lead generation. In addition, the generated leads are of high quality and can thus also lead to faster sales growth.

Due to the exact measurability, the success and thus also the optimization potential of individual processes can be clearly checked.

What you should avoid

In order to use Marketing Automation successfully and profitably, there are some points you should consider and avoid if possible:

No personalization

As already mentioned in our article about newsletter marketing, a personalized approach to the target group is extremely important. Users feel addressed and taken seriously. This leads to a stronger bond between the company and the customer. In the best case, the automation should not be noticed.

Consider every user as a lead

Addressing every user can lead to wastage and make marketing automation less efficient. So make sure to address only potential customers. Thanks to automation, data can be collected and processed from these customers to define buyer personas (customer profiles).

Focus only on e-mail automation

E-mails are an important part of online marketing and can be very promising. But if you focus solely on sending newsletters, you may miss out on important channels. Social media or your corporate blog are also ideal for personalized content. Answer the questions your leads and customers have for you and strengthen their trust.

Disregard Analytics

What good are fully automated workflows if you don’t analyze them afterwards? Processes can only be developed and improved by evaluating important (previously defined) key figures. So check regularly what is successful and in which aspects you can still improve.

Automate too much

If you mean too well and you flood your leads with newsletters or other content, this can quickly have negative effects. Users are annoyed and subscribe to newsletters or follow social media. Choose a suitable frequency that is not too intrusive.

What you should do

In addition, there are some aspects you can consider when using the automation tools to guarantee success:

Lead-Nurturing

As soon as a new lead is generated (e.g. by subscribing to your newsletter or downloading other content), you should welcome the user immediately. For example, send a personalized e-mail with initial useful information.

Stay in contact with existing customers

Even if users have already purchased something from you, the contact must still be maintained. This is because a former customer may purchase your product or use your services again. In addition, you can achieve it so that your customers recommend you and write valuable reviews.

Clean databases regularly

Due to the abundant collection of data it can quickly become confusing. It is therefore best to check the contact data at regular intervals. Remove outdated data or update them. This is the only way to ensure that all relevant information is received.

Update workflows

Once created does not mean completed. Rather, workflows and associated rules must be optimized and updated based on key performance indicators. Find out which measures are successful and in which areas an improvement is necessary. Make appropriate changes and keep an eye on the results.

Conclusion

Through marketing automation and the use of appropriate software, the work in the marketing department can be made easier. Recurring processes can be automated and the time gained can be used for other tasks. However, setting up the workflows and defining the respective rules does not mean that the work is completely finished. Campaigns still need to be reworked and analyzed so that they can be continuously improved. This is the only way to ensure long-term success.