Marketing automation refers to the software that exists with the goal of automating marketing actions. Many marketing departments have to automate repetitive tasks such as emails, social media, and other website actions. The technology of marketing automation makes these tasks easier.
At its best, marketing automation is software and tactics that allow companies to target and nurture prospects with highly personalised useful content, that helps convert prospects to customers and subsequently turn customers into delighted customers. This type of marketing automation typically generates significant new revenue for companies, and provides an excellent return on the investment required.
Though it's not the easiest marketing initiative to execute, marketing automation is certainly not impossible. Imagine you're trying to grow a plant. First you need fertile soil, ripe for the growth of your plant. Next you need seeds to care for, and last you need water and light in order to nurture those seeds into a lush, blooming plant. It's not foolproof, but it's not impossible. In our story, effective marketing automation looks just like nurturing this plant. At the end of the day, we hope we've nurtured our leads (the seedlings) well enough to produce actual paying customers (a lush, full-grown plant.)
As the term “marketing automation” has become a buzz-word, many marketers seek out marketing automation solutions. The hope is that this software will provide all the digital marketing tools necessary for growth, including those needed to generate new leads. In practice we find, that many marketers have sophisticated tools to automate the middle of their funnel, but have no solution to generate new leads which you need to nurture in the first place.
The consequence is that marketers begin buying lists of email addresses to nurture instead of generating their own inbound leads. While it seems like a quick fix, it's not a long-term solution, nor does it create the fertile ground for a healthier, longer relationship with your future customers. In our plant analogy, it's sort of like using artificial chemicals or enhancers to make your plant grow faster. Sure, it seems like a good, quick fix--but it doesn't set you up for future, long-term success.
There are many factors and varying circumstances that will influence whether your business is ready for a Marketing Automation Platform. Once you have made a decision to that end, consideration needs to be given to what type of Marketing Automation platform will best suit your needs and objectives. The best idea would be to book in a consultation with us to discuss some of the qualification ideals and what your specific business goals are.
