Marketing Automation for Efficiency

Just a bit more than half (51% to be exact) of companies report using marketing automation today. While this shows widespread adoption, it’s actually kind of shockingly low. After all, marketing automation can help you save time, convert more leads and operate with greater efficiency. So, why are just under half of all companies still trying to manage all this manually? Here’s a look at why it’s time to take the leap if you haven’t done so already.

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Efficiency

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As businesses grow and have more to manage in terms of sales and fulfillment, they must become more efficient - or they just won’t make it. And, there is absolutely nothing efficient about manually handling tasks that smart software could handle instead. Even if you’re unsure about getting advanced with marketing automation tools (and we hear you; there are some very sophisticated tools on the market today), there are plenty of foundation tools that help you automate basic tasks. These include, but certainly aren’t limited to:

• Lead capture

• Lead nurture

• Email marketing

• Communication

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For example, let’s say you have a web form on your homepage that invites visitors to fill out a few lines of information in order to receive an e-book. You can automate the entire sequence that captures the lead’s information from that web form and puts it in your CRM, offers a download of your e-book as soon as the form is submitted and emails a follow-up message with a CTA offering that lead a personalized quote. You can also automate the step that this person gets put in a segmented lead nurture sequence so they will receive follow-up down the road if they don’t act on your CTA today. All of this can be done automatically through marketing automation software, without a salesperson having to lift a finger or spend a moment of their time. Think of how efficient that is.

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Profitability

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Of course, efficiency in business is paramount because it rolls up to profitability. At a very basic level, paying fewer people to do more things naturally makes you more profitable. But in addition to the cost savings that come with marketing automation, there are further ways that using such tools can help your profitability.

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First, automation can remind customers to make a purchase. For example, let’s say someone was browsing on your site and added a few items to their cart - then left. You could have your system set up to trigger an automated email that asks if they wanted to come back to their cart. This might seem simple, but sometimes it’s all it takes to get the sale.

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Second, you can use automation to upsell or cross-sell. When a customer adds one product to their cart, you might automate a personalized recommendation that suggests also buying a complementary item. Or, you might have an email sent out after a purchase with a discount offer to buy another item in a certain amount of time. All of this can help you get additional sales you wouldn’t otherwise, and it can all be automated.

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Better Customer Experience

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Finally, but most importantly, think about the impact that marketing automation can have on your customer experience. If a customer comes to your website and fills out a form expressing interest, what happens next? If you don’t use automation, you probably have to rely on someone from your team calling them when they have a moment. This could be today, or it might be tomorrow, or they might forget because, well, they’re human.

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But if you automate an instant email to show up after the form is submitted, that customer or prospect feels valued. They feel seen, and they know that further action will take place. This is so very simple, but it can make all the difference in whether a customer takes another step with your brand or goes elsewhere. It’s wise to look for every opportunity you can to use automation to improve your customer experience.

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If you’re among the 49% of companies still dragging your heels about using marketing automation, we encourage you to find the right solution and get started now for the sake of your efficiency, profitability and customer experience. We can help! Just give us a call.