Over 90% of businesses have invested in AI. This number continues to grow, with a projected AI market of $267 billion by 2027.
The marketing industry has also adopted AI into its strategy. Yet, just 44% of businesses found marketing automation effective in reducing costs. However, that percentage can change drastically when companies adopt the right marketing automation platform.
Not all marketing automation is equal. It is a complex platform that merges data collection, lead generation, and customer connection in a seamless system. If one piece is missing, you could miss out on thousands of potential conversions because of a negative user experience.
However, when you choose a marketing automation platform that meshes well with your business and goals, you will see your return in sales increase.
Key Takeaways
- Marketing automation is essential for timely lead generation.
- Automation platforms are an investment with a high ROI.
- The right automation tool provides a customized experience.
Why a Marketing Automation Platform is Important for Your Business
Marketing Automation Tutorial⎥ Digital Marketing Tutorial for Beginners⎥ Simplilearn
Marketing automation will transform your business by saving you valuable time and resources. It ensures you reach potential and current leads at the right time with the correct information.
If you can respond to a connection within five minutes, you are 100 times more likely to convert them into a lead than if you waited an hour to respond. With automation, you can guarantee a timely connection.
If you want the most effective marketing strategy, you need to merge content creation with automation. Your marketing team should focus on creating value-focused content that relates to customers and leads on a personal level. Meanwhile, your automation system oversees timely content distribution – taking that tedious and complex task off the plate of your marketing team.
When your marketing team doesn’t have to worry about content creation and distribution, they have more time to focus on the more complex areas of content marketing that AI can’t perform. This freedom is why over 75% of businesses have adopted automation tools in their marketing strategy.
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What to Look for in Marketing Automation Software
To make the most out of a marketing automation platform, it should have these four essential features.
Efficiently Uses Your Time and Resources
Marketing automation is an investment like any other area of business. That means that you will get out of it what you put into it. So finding the right marketing automation tool is more than finding the cheapest option. Instead, you want to invest in the platform that pays your investment back by turning leads into loyal customers.
About 77% of businesses saw more conversions when they implemented marketing automation. They also saw their marketing overhead drop by 12.2%.
To maximize your return on investment (ROI), you want a platform that’s easy to use, with a seamless consolidation of all your digital infrastructure. If you are spending hours working for the program, you aren’t saving time in the end. An automated system should do all the work for you from start to finish.
Maximizes Your Lead Connections
Email marketing is a huge part of generating leads, with over 89% of businesses using it as their primary means of connecting to leads. However, marketing automation is more than just sending out timely emails. It also automates:
- Social media posting
- Data collection
- Web personalization
- Customer engagement
- Lead management
- Consumer messaging
What distinguishes a good marketing automation platform from the best is how many channels marketing automation uses and how well it customizes the experience on each channel. For example, omnichannel marketing automation has a 250% higher purchasing rate than a single channel.
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In addition, sending out a batch email to all your leads won’t nurture your connections. Instead, you need a system that collects data on your leads and their behavior. Then it uses that data to customize its interactions.
In this way, the automated system categorizes leads by their activity. For example, instead of sending out one email to all your leads advertising your product, the system would know who already purchased that product and send different emails to that group. Perhaps the second group would receive promotions for product upkeep or available updates for the product they bought.
Offers Real Support and Education
Behind every great marketing automation system is an equally great team of seasoned marketers and specialists. Until robots equal or surpass human knowledge and ability, people are essential to the marketing process.
Knowledgeable help shouldn’t just be for customers. It should also be ready and available for you as you navigate the automation system. With the support of marketing experts, you can make the most out of your investment.
Allows for Customization and Expansion
While AI has come a long way, it is far from equal to human involvement. However, technology and business expand at a quick pace.
When you choose a marketing automation platform, you want one that changes along with technology and business. In this way, you can continue saving more time and money by automating tasks to make the user experience faster, easier, and more personal.
How to Choose the Right Marketing Automation Platform for Your Business
Before you decide on the best marketing automation platform for your business, create a strong marketing strategy. This strategy will lay your foundation. An automated system can’t work effectively without a framework to grow from.
Once you have that foundation, choose a system that makes the most of your time and resources, uses multiple channels to connect and engage with leads, has accessible customer support, and expands with today’s fluid market.
If you want a marketing automation platform that meets all four features in a tailored solution for your company goals, then reach out to our marketing experts at MXTR for a demo.
