Congratulate yourself if this is probably the first time you are hearing of Marketing Automation and you own an online venture or blog. Marketing is increasingly integrating with technology and as experts advice; marketers will soon be spending more on technology than Tech specialists. Marketing automation, with the help of platforms and technologies, helps marketers reach the relevant audience, analyze activation performance and deliver measurable results.
One of the biggest trends for businesses this year, marketing automation can help your online business analyze the impact and manages your marketing campaigns. It can also collate customer data to help further leads conversion. And the greatest advantage that you can gain over your competition is implementing this before them.
A Dose of Insight: Less than 5% of non-tech companies are currently using marketing automation software which opens up a wide opportunity for your business. (Source: venturebeat.com)
Here are the basics of marketing automation to get you started
Part I: Understand your customer
Track Users with Cookies
One of the widest used marketing automation features is tracking the user across websites to nurture, qualify and finally convert a lead.
Study What Customers Do on Your Website
With predictive tools rooted in real-time data analysis, you can gather data on your customer’s purchases and habits. With a clear emerging pattern, you can act on such insights to increase conversion and subsequently sales.
Understand How Your Consumers are Different
Traditional marketers also use segmentation as a tool to understand their consumer base. This aspect of traditional marketing is equally important to consider for online marketing. With intelligence from segmentation, you know the products which might be more pertinent to a particular segment of your customers.
Reach Your Customers at the Best Time and Day
Marketing automation software can even deliver your e-mail campaigns to you customers’ inbox the time of day and day of the week when they are most likely to check their e-mails.
Part II: Engage With the Customer
Use intelligent and personalized contact forms
Marketing automation platforms enable you to collect a lot of information about the visitor on your page. Converting them or gathering the most relevant information such as their phone numbers can be easy with a customized call to action highlighting the product or service they are interested in (already clicked on).
Remarket with Customer Data
Use ad networks to talk to your customers and further your engagement with the customer. You may remind them of their last action on your website and further your lead to conversion.
Don’t Forget Offline Online Integration
If you have an offline store, to make your online pitch you must customize your online content and ads to your customer. The data from your CRM can help you segment and better advertise to the same customer online.
Never Ask Twice for the Same Information
You must never ask your customers for any information that you have. For instance, if you already have a visitor’s contact details from your marketing automation tool, make sure that the contact form does not pop up in this case.
Part III: Close the Deal with Marketing Automation
Reminders about Abandoned Transactions
The average abandonment rate for online shopping carts is at a high 67%. You can recover these lost leads and potential revenue by automating you’re tracking and setting up visual reminders on other websites or through e-mail. An automated follow-up e-mail receives a higher open, click-through and conversion rate. The conversion rate using abandoned cart e-mails can go up to 40%.
Update Customers about the Price Drops
A few of your customers may abandon cart due to the price. Automating a personalized e-mail to such customers increases the chances of conversion up to 6 times. They have already established the purchase intent and you could capitalize on it by sending them emails whenever there is a price drop on the products they inquired for.
Reward the Engaged Customer with Discounts
A new format of loyalty programs being used by online portals is adjusting discounts based on user activity on their website. For instance, a website may offer an engaged active customer who regularly visits a website. Leaves reviews and feedback with a special additional discount. Web sites may also want to e-mail discount codes, marketing offers to engage and make active some accounts which have been dormant for a long time.
Marketing automation after all this may sound like a magic wand however, these can’t be one magic glove fits all as a solution. Before you decide to buy a Marketing Automation Tool, research and understand the features you need and the features you don’t. Have a plan in place and understand both its’ strong points and limitations. From your selected vendors (each of which will have their own advantages and disadvantages), ask for free trials and plan to launch accordingly to see what works for your business. Some of the known brands in market automation include Oracle (formerly Eloqua), Pardot, Infusionsoft services, Marketo, Hubspot, and Sales manager.
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