Keeping your business top-of-mind to current and prospective clients is a very repetitive job, but with marketing automation, much of the repetitive nature of the business can be replaced by software.
While it is true that marketing automation is extremely helpful and makes the job easier, it isn’t going to replace the need for human outreach, nor will it miraculously take the place of marketing specialists. People will still need to generate leads and maintain prospecting lists. Purchasing lists of contacts might seem like a great idea at the time, but simply purchasing cold lists and sending them one-size-fits-all mailings or emails, is likely not going to produce much revenue, let alone long-term revenue. Automation will not and cannot take the place of cultivating relationships with potential clients.
Becoming too dependent on marketing automation can actually kill your business in the long run, so the key to being successful with marketing automation is to understand its purpose fully and utilize its tools in an intelligent, efficient way.
Marketing automation was designed to streamline lead generation, lead scoring and lead nurturing across a customer’s lifecycle. It is a huge part of being able to create a repeatable process that keeps business development efforts running regardless of what’s going on within the agency.
So, how does this automation ensure that activity is constant within your business development process? Here’s a look at what you can expect from a successful marketing automation program:
- Capturing relevant data completed from online forms while compiling them into its own list
- Creating a variety of lists based upon your specified demographics and prospective profiles
- Nurturing your leads that have been to your website and have shown interest in your services or products
- Extending customer relationships and engagement throughout the cycle
Marketing automation can be highly successful if you use it properly. Whether you are already generating quality leads and have a solid procedure in place to follow up with them, or your pipeline is currently dry, marketing automation could be helpful for you.
It is essential to remember that automation marketing, just like any other tool you’d use for your business, is not a cure-all solution. Additionally, you can’t implement it and forget it. In order for the automation to be effective it needs to be maintained, monitored, and evaluated periodically to determine it’s effectiveness and if your business is getting an acceptable return on the investment.
Ready to start driving more qualified leads for your business? Contact us for a free demonstration or call us at 404-564-2429.