Today’s marketing professional is performing the jobs of 10 people. It’s no wonder so many are turning to marketing automation to handle the superabundance of tasks needed to run smooth campaigns.
According to IDC, spending on marketing automation is expect to grow to $4.8 billion by 2015. And there’s good reason: marketing automation reduces stress and boosts your bottom line.
How? By helping you and your sales team to:
1. Never drop a lead.
This one is huge for salespeople. What if you write the contact info for a lead on the back of an Arby’s receipt and then that receipt flies out the window while you are devouring your Beef n’ Cheddar? Who knows how much your company just lost?
Leads have a way of getting lost and lead-tracking is monumentally time-consuming. But marketing automation takes the maddening stress out of keeping track of leads. Once you input the lead into the system, you will be sent reminders and kept on track. Until that lead proves to be completely fruitless, your marketing automation system will keep you on top of it.
2. Generate research automatically.
Sales people are busy people. The sense of urgency that surrounds much of what they do often stands in the way of ensuring leads are followed according to the best possible protocols. For instance, when cold calling a prospect, it’s ideal to have some background information to know how to best approach the conversation. More often than not that doesn’t happen because salespeople are too pressed for time.
Marketing automation tools automatically generate research on prospects so you know details on your leads. This info doesn’t just warm up a cold call, it also allows you to craft your campaigns more cleverly. It’s sort of like having a support team of post docs that you pay peanuts for an incredible wealth of research. Only without the Birkenstocks, bad vegan lunch stops, and annoying political rants.
3. Nurture precious leads.
A lead is a fragile baby bird that wants to fly. Until it is ready, you must keep it warm. Protect it from competitors who want to swoop down and grab it. Chew up worms and spit them into their little beaks. (Okay, that one not so much.)
Everyone knows the hotter the lead, the more attention it gets. But you don’t have to lose those cooler leads in the meantime while you’re closing the sale. Marketing automation will ensure your company keeps in touch in an appropriate way. By the time you’ve finished up with that hot lead, the once-cool prospect will be further along in the buying cycle (and maybe even hot, thanks to your clever content). Fly, bird — FLY!
4. Don’t just stab in the dark.
With marketing automation you can measure the effectiveness of your content. You can track click-through and conversion rates. Best of all, you can tailor your efforts based on these results. Watch out, prospects!
… And watch out, upper management! If the data unequivocally shows the value of your campaigns, doesn’t that merit a raise? Or at least a raise in your marketing budget? A hearty ‘atta boy?’ A Beef n’ Cheddar on the company?
