Generating leads and turning those prospects into genuine customers takes a lot of effort. Marketers spend time and money developing strategies to generate more leads and target potential audiences.
However, like many areas of business now, there are some ways to introduce automation into marketing. Many of the tasks involved with marketing take up considerable time, and automating them can free up man-hours and resources.
The marketing automation industry is expected to be worth $13.32 billion in 2030. If accurate, this would show a healthy growth rate of 12.5%.
With lead generation so vital, it is perhaps unsurprising that marketing automation is a huge growth area. But, what can it do for your business?
What areas of marketing can be automated?
There are a number of tools available to help with marketing automation. CRMs are one of the most popular options.
A CRM can help to manage and store customer data which results in better service and increased retention. And many tasks can be automated through a CRM tool.
One company heavily involved in marketing automation, 3WH, states that mundane and redundant tasks can be eliminated by automating them. These include the following.
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Ad management
- Lead generation
- Analytics and reporting
Marketing automation tools can be set to post scheduled content on different social media networks. And ads can be managed and their performance tracked through automation tools.
Businesses that run pay per click advertising such as Google Ads can specifically benefit greatly from tools that allow automation in PPC reports and data analysis. With these tools, you can streamline data collection and analysis processes efficiently, allowing you to know how your campaigns are performing in an instant.
What benefits are there from automating marketing?
Saving time and resources through the best market automation software is clearly of great benefit. Marketers are often strapped for time, and budgets can be constraining. Automation tools free up marketers to manage their campaigns without worrying about mundane time-consuming tasks.
Here are 8 benefits to automating marketing processes.
Fewer human errors
Repetitive tasks are often the ones that lead to errors. As tasks are repeated, people get complacent. Automation minimizes the chances of human error from multiple processes being run at once.
Higher productivity and increased efficiency
Many of the tasks involved with marketing are mundane and involve a certain amount of grinding. Removing these tasks frees up employees to concentrate on other areas.
Processes can be streamlined with marketing automation, and therefore productivity levels will rise over time. Marketers understand how to maximize business potential with social media, but posting content takes time.
Social media posts and email campaigns can be automated and scheduled ahead of time. With email marketing, messages can be set up automatically to target different demographics.
Improved customer service
Through the use of data and automation, customers can receive better service. CRMs can be used to gather information about customers’ patterns and behaviors, and communications can be tailored accordingly.
By sending targeted messages based on customer insights, retention can increase, and conversion rates improve.
Improved lead generation
Lead generation can involve a significant amount of time. Developing lead generation strategies may involve cold calling or emailing, and can be hit or miss. But, marketing automation can help to generate leads without manual input more effectively.
Tools can identify potential leads, monitor behaviors, and score them. Automated marketing tools will take into account demographics also. Once generated, leads can be nurtured with AI and machine learning tools.
Better customer engagement
Because automation tools target certain demographics, the right content can be delivered to your consumers. Personalization can be added to the content, and customer bases can be segmented.
When customer bases are segmented, content can be tailored to different groups. Marketing automation can simplify this, and carry out processes swiftly. With tailored content, customer engagement will rise resulting in higher conversion rates.
Improved reporting
About 91% of companies with more than 10 employees are using CRMs now. By automating certain marketing tasks, CRMs can provide detailed analytics and report on areas such as click-through rates, open rates, and conversion rates.
Depending on the industry involved, a good click-through rate might be 2 to 5%. But, automation tools such as CRMs can help to identify areas for improvement and increase click-through rates.
Understanding how to use CRM analytics will help to optimize marketing strategies and improve conversion rates.
Increased revenue
The two obvious gains of using marketing automation are time and money. Most businesses use marketing automation to help generate more leads and help increase conversion rates.
When done successfully, automated marketing will lead to increased revenues. Customer retention, increased engagement, improved service, and higher productivity, will lead to better profitability.
Align marketing and sales
Automation will improve transparency between marketing and sales, and help them to align their efforts.
Marketing will generate more leads that can be delivered to sales teams. In return, sales can report on the quality of leads and provide feedback regarding ongoing marketing strategies and campaigns.
Summary
Automating mundane tasks reduces the risk of human error, and leads to more accurate data. Tools can be used to analyze data to target consumers more effectively, resulting in higher engagement rates.
With better targeting, customer service will become more personalized, retention rates will rise. And ultimately, revenue and profits will increase.
Marketing automation is more than just lead generation. Automating marketing tasks will benefit businesses in many areas and free up resources so campaigns can be more successful.
