Marketers, we answer the big question you’ve been wanting to ask for a while but have been too afraid to… just what is Marketing Automation?
Being Europe’s largest Marketing Automation consultancy we might take it for granted that all marketers are aware of Marketing Automation and what it is. Though recent figures seem to suggest the opposite; 26 per cent of marketers have never heard of Marketing Automation (MA) and just 49 per cent are partly familiar. So if you’re in one of these groups this post is for you.
But before we go any further our Marketing Manager, Matt Cheeseman, offers this description of what MA is: “The technology and process that aligns your marketing with changing buying behaviour.”
The buyer is now in much more control - and is already 57 per cent through their decision making process before they even speak with a sales professional. Matt says:
“Marketing Automation provides the tool to scale personalised marketing to educate and nurture prospects through their buying cycle before being ‘sales ready’.
”The goal of MA is to “Transform contacts at the top of the funnel into qualified leads at the bottom,” commented Rachel Kneller, Senior Digital Project Manager at CleverTouch.
Nick Burrell, Operations Director at CleverTouch points out another key function, “MA’s intelligence means that the process of moving leads through the funnel can be automated.”
So should I be using Marketing Automation?
In a word, YES. MA is currently the hottest sector in the CRM space with 40 per cent year-on-year growth. It was first adopted by the tech companies in the 1980s and it’s now permeated into many other sectors.
The tech is fast changing and can incorporate inbound (PR and social media) and outbound (email and web intelligence) functionality - as well as traditional CRM integration and digital asset management.
I’m already so busy, what are the benefits of deploying this technology?
At a glance, lead scoring, automated lead nurturing, and CRM integration; offering dynamic content and the use of preference centres. But, the key benefits are:
- The ability to scale
- Providing a single view of the customer
We’ve found organisations who invest in MA and then execute it properly are at a major advantage to those that don’t. More importantly, they place themselves on the front foot for additional credibility within the rest of the organisation.
If you still need further convincing take a look at these 6 ways MA will improve your sales & marketing alignment.
