You may have implemented a Marketing Automation (MA) system and are perhaps thinking that it’s going to work wonders for your business. The moot point, however, is: Are you getting the best out of it and is it really working to your advantage? There are many companies out there who are deriving great value from their marketing automation.
In case, marketing automation isn’t benefiting you yet, use these 5 tips to get better at marketing automation:
- Identify the marketing challenges you face.
Ask yourself first what exactly are your specific marketing needs. Analyze processes implemented and the capabilities of your marketing team. Find out your team’s strength and the gaps. This is often overlooked by many users of Marketing Automation and this may derail your plans for its successful implementation. When considering these priorities, look for ways to set up open communication systems between all concerned- sales, marketing, management, support etc.
- What’s Happening To The CRM integration?
Constant evaluation is required of how closely your Marketing Automation system is integrated with the CRM system which should actually be bi-directional. In simpler terms, there needs to be a two-way conversation between your CRM system and the Marketing Automation system. For instance, if anything on your website’s homepage is integrated with the Marketing Automation platform, all data that is submitted on the website homepage will get replicated in the CRM system. On the other hand, if you make regular updates on prospect and customer records within your CRM system, it ought to filter back to the Marketing Automation platform to ensure consistency in all data recorded by both systems. This is extremely important when lead nurturing, lead scoring and database segmentation are concerned. Improper or inadequate integration creates barriers in the sales-marketing interchange and needs to be monitored constantly.
- Are There Clear Agreements Between Sales & Marketing?
You need to always bear in mind that unless there are clear and concise service level agreements(SLAs) between your sales and marketing teams, there is bound to be a distinct communication gap between the two resulting in an ultimate and inevitable breakdown in their relationship. Such agreements detail all expectations and processes and the lack of such will only lead to dysfunctional sales and/or disorganized marketing. The SLA among others, should clearly define the perfect customer profile that you desire; appropriate protocols for lead handoff; lead definitions that conform to given standards; and metrics for tracking progress. Remember, a well defined service level agreement that supports your entire Marketing Automation system, doubles the likelihood of stronger communication with your sales team.
- The Importance of Perpetual Training, Testing, Updating & Analyzing
With your Marketing Automation system working smoothly and a well defined SLA in place, you are perhaps enjoying the perfect Marketing Automation experience. Do not forget, however, that improvements are perpetually required. Whether it’s redesigning your nurture campaign or adjusting the lead scoring, evaluation of your campaign results and making adjustments accordingly is always called for. Moreover, constant upgrade of the data that your system provides helps in creating more effective strategy.
The areas that constantly need to be analyzed, tested and updated are: landing pages, drip campaigns and web forms; effective content management to engage leads constantly; sales collaboration and ongoing experimentation and improvement on subject lines for A/B testing, email copy as also your landing pages for maximizing and enhancing engagements and conversions; regular tracking of conversions and earned revenue as also follow-ups on sales; higher-level assessment of programs defining long-term goals and opportunities; and larger firmographic/ demographic trends.
- One For All & All For One
Finally, the success of the entire Marketing Automation operation process would depend on the deployment of a top-down or bottom-up, full-time team involving the whole organization. As the CEO, you could take the initiative to guide and direct this process to achieve your goals. On the contrary, its efficiency can also be ensured based on the inputs of all your junior colleagues whose responsibilities have been clearly defined. In sum, the entire corporate hierarchy will commit and dedicate itself to the success of the Marketing Automation program, depending on the business’ size, leads for nurturing, automated follow-ups and campaigns running simultaneously.
Have you experienced incremental website traffic and qualified leads as a result of marketing automation? We are keen to know about your experience in the comment section below.
