It is an exciting
period. SaaS (Software as a Service) empowers your business with essential
tools that were used to be limited only to the large players in the industry
who have the resources. Sophisticated software is now available for small
business owners at only a fraction of the original cost. However, the benefit
of automation may not be limited to the price; it will also streamline the
different processes of your sales and marketing team. Study shows that at least
64% of small businesses are now using this solution. Most of them are amazed at
how marketing automation solutions
can simplify the critical process of their business.
The Benefits of the Best Marketing Automation
Solutions for Small Business
Most of the
software solutions nowadays are intended for small businesses. They are designed
to solve your common woes such as lack of budget, limited IT staff, and stringent
requirements. Companies that use marketing
automation solutions should expect the following benefits.
It Empowers Your Staff
Marketing and sales automation can streamline the
cumbersome and laborious task, allowing your staff to focus more on their core
strength. More importantly, it also automates the workflow in your business,
which helps you keep your business functional despite the limited staff. From
systematically managing the documents to processing the payrolls, the right
software can boost your company's productivity.
Get Important Insights
Small business marketing automation solutions can generate important
insight by extracting information using different sources. Traditionally, this
is a manual process that can take days to complete. With the help of SaaS, you
will be able to access real-time analytics and reporting that will help you
create better decisions on crucial areas such as talent search, budgeting, and
sales forecast. Small businesses utilizing marketing automation can also gauge
the success of their business better and have a clearer insight into the future
of the company.
Improved Collaboration
Marketing and sales automation can be accessed on
mobile devices and the internet, making it a perfect collaboration platform.
This is ideal if you are outsourcing some tasks of your business or if you are
working with a third-party service provider. The information and critical data
are stored in a single place, but various users can access it as long as they
have permission. Using different automation tools will allow you to update
everyone involved in the project.
Remote Access
As we mentioned
before, your work can be accessed on your mobile device as long as you have an internet
connection. This allows you to stay on the loop even if you are relaxing at the
beach or in your home. Most of the
marketing automation solutions for small businesses is also mobile
responsive, which allows you to access the key features of the marketing
automation when using your handheld devices.
Finally, marketing automation solutions for small businesses
allows you to customize and integrate the system depending on your business
needs. You can use vertical or horizontal structures to define the hierarchies.
The possibility is just endless. You may also integrate your company logo in
the user interface, which helps your company branding.
Marketing Automation Perfect Match of Customer Relationship Management
Marketing
Automation and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) would be the perfect
tandem. They have different functions that can only achieve true potential when
used in conjunction. CRM can be referred to as a sales tool primarily focused on
collecting information on the existing customers and finding sales opportunities
through the acquisition and management of new customers. On the other hand,
marketing automation can be regarded as a marketing tool that is the
counterpart of your CRM. It is highly focused on lead generation and communication through the data collected by
your CRM. Here are some instances of how CRM and Marketing Automation can work
hand in hand for your digital marketing
strategy.
Behavioral Tracking
With Marketing
Automation solutions connected with CRM, you will receive information beyond
the basic demographics. You will be able to analyze a more comprehensive and
detailed behavior tracking. With this tracking method combined with the
analytics, you will analyze the pages that your prospected customers will
visit. You will also see the type of content that interests them the most and
their current stage in the cycle of buying. This is vital information for your digital marketing since the sales team
will know the proper time of closing the deal.
Lead
Generation Scoring and Assignment
The information gathered
with the email and marketing automation system can be utilized when you categorize
your leads. This will help you know which type of lead is healthy and
qualified. The tools used in market automation can automate the assignment of
the lead. This will streamline the process and guarantee that the assignment
process is efficient and fair.
Precisely Measurement of ROI
When you are
conducting your digital marketing
campaign, the marketing automation system and the CRM will allow you to
associate the deals to your campaign. This type of loop reporting can give you
a better view of your ROI.
Targeted Messaging
With the
information gathered on your behavioral tracking using an automated tool, you
will send drip emails and targeted types of messages. This type of message is
more personalized and based on the prospect of your potential buyer and his
phase in the buying cycle. Having a more customized email on your digital marketing will allow the
prospected client to see your message as relevant and informative.
These are some ways
the digital marketing campaign
can benefit with the help of a combined CRM and Email and Marketing Automation
solutions. Using this type of automation system requires a high level of
expertise. It would be highly recommended to outsource your automation system
to ensure the accuracy of your gathered data.
Introduction to B2C Marketing Automation Tools
In the marketing
and sales automation industry, B2B is considered the king. Most of them are looking
for the best B2B automation tools to maximize their growth. However, the B2C marketing automation solutions
should not be ignored. In this article, we will try to cover the different
marketing and sales automation and
the future of the automation platform.
Common Features of the B2C Marketing Automation Tools
Before we start,
it is important to know the difference between the B2B and B2C automation
tools. B2B is dealing with a specific targeted market to deliver a qualified
and high-priority lead to the sales representatives. The B2C Marketing Automation Tools, on the other hand, is taking a
diverse approach. Under the B2C, the product and the business's brand are
considered more important than the customer’s engagement. The sales cycle is
normally speedy and short. The key to the business's success is focused on
increasing the value and merchandising. For this simple reason, the marketing
and sales automation of B2C can help
reduce the rate of cart abandonment, take advantage of the partnership and increase
the possibility that the email messages will be opened. It also has the power
to boost revenue through selling/upselling, create nurturing campaign, and
conduct loyalty programs automatically.
Marketing Automation Sellers
Like the B2B
automation, the B2C Marketing Automation
Solutions are also available in two types; the one designed for enterprise
use and the one intended for small businesses.
Enterprise Automation
·
Neolane- Designed on a single platform that manages analytics, customer
data, resources, leads, and marketing campaigns effectively improving the
company’s ROI and marketing strategy. They claim that more than 400 leading
companies worldwide are being utilized, such as Sony, Sephora, and Alcatel.
·
Unica- IBM owns this Marketing Automation tool. They provide the company
with resource management, offline and online lead generation, and customer
analytics.
·
SAS- SAS provides business analytics; it is one of the biggest
independent B2C Marketing Automation Solutions
which can help companies plan, analyze and conduct their marketing campaign.
·
Aprimo- This platform is easier to use than other marketing automation. They have modular software that allows the
business owners to integrate their marketing strategies and streamline their
marketing process, improving the company’s ROI.
SMB (Small-Medium Business) Marketing Automation
·
ExactTarget- This automation tool comes with an interactive tool that
allows the business to have a unique view of their customers. Some companies
using this platform include Nike, Jet Blue Airways, and Home Depot.
·
Alterian- This marketing and sales
automation platform has analytics, engagement management, email marketing, social
media marketing, and content management.
In terms of the
future of the B2C Marketing Automation Solutions,
it is currently hitting a tipping point. It is because the leaders of the
industry started adopting sales and marketing automation platforms. The success
that they achieve with the help of automation is truly undeniable.
No comments:
Post a Comment