How Does Marketing Automation Work?
01 Dec 2017
A powerful marketing tool, creating personalised digital experiences. What is Marketing Automation and how does Marketing Automation work?
Customers have questions, and we must answer them. Given the buyer is now online, searching for answers to put them in control of the purchasing process. They want to learn with useful content, and we have to supply it, in formats that they want.
How Does Marketing Automation Work?
If we can find ways of delivering valuable content to customers, we can then start to build relationships by trading their email address for this content. By continuing to provide valuable content we can track behaviours online and segment via behaviours. And again, provide even more valuable content to nurture leads through to being sales-ready.
Sales teams can then connect with a warm sales lead that is ready to buy, rather than wasting time trying to close a sale that isn’t ready to buy. All this is accountable and ROIs can be determined from first point of contact, so success can be replicated.
Our must-have guides tell you how this all works – in fact we’re giving you this because we’re doing exactly what we describe above!
In simple terms, Marketing Automation software, also known as Lead Generation Software, is principally designed to do two key things:
- Generate more leads.
- Provide insight so you can accurately and consistently monitor ROI against your marketing spend. In reality, it does much more! It increases your sales!
Bringing sales and marketing teams together
A MAP (Marketing Automation platform) brings both marketing and sales functions closer together. By tracking website visitors, and providing intelligence about their needs, requirements and online interests. The sales team is in a much stronger position to respond.
With functions like real-time tracking, instant notifications, group segmentation, specialist profiling features etc. The marketing team can take a bigger part in nurturing prospects through the sales funnel. Until they get to the point when a sales intervention is required.
A MAP also automates repetitive tasks, such as releasing emails, sending out premium content offers, directing visitors to topical blogs, promotion of webinar opportunities, exhibition follow ups, customer service questionnaires….we’ll stop there!
Believe us when we say, it will save lots of time! These tasks are setup once and released automatically without tying up valuable sales time.
Scored, real-time access to prospect data
With platforms like SharpSpring that have a CRM built-in, and/or can be synced with your own CRM. Your sales team will have real-time access to the latest data on prospects, so they can follow through without delay. This can include information like, who has downloaded a brochure, requested a webinar place or demo.
Each lead is scored according to their level of interest and interaction to help your sales team see what interest them, how much they know about your products/services/solutions and move prospects forward that are more likely to be converted/want contact.
Calling a lead within 5 minutes of submission is 100 times more successful than calling after 30 minutes. Marketing Automation enables you to do this.*
But it’s the number of leads that a MAP can generate for your sales team, in comparison to outbound marketing activities, that makes it stand out. On average businesses have experienced 3 times as many leads as a consequence of a MAP investment and proven ROI.
B2B companies have reported a 50% increase in lead conversion rates
From powerful email drip campaigns, persuasive landing pages designed to encourage interest sign-ups, to clever segmentation and generation and delivery of personalised content, Marketing Automation platforms are the future of lead generation and a progressive technology that can safeguard and grow your future sales success.
Perfect is a SharpSpring Platinum Partner and experienced Customer Acquisition Agency. Specialising in Sales Lead Generation, through Marketing Automation. If you find our blog interesting then please take 2 minutes to make contact, so you can start benefiting from our experience and ideas.
* The Lead Response Management Study