Marketing is forever evolving with the coming of new technologies and trends. To stay relevant, brands have had to adapt their approaches or implement new marketing strategies in the last decade or two as technology has produced major disruptions in old marketing methods and strategies.
Automating your marketing strategy correctly has the potential to be really beneficial. It can strengthen your company's capabilities and enhance the customer experience by integrating marketing automation with CRM software.
In this blog, we will help you understand what marketing automation is and the do's and don't of marketing automation while working with a CRM.
What is Marketing Automation?
Segmentation, lead generation, capture/nurture/relationship/customer retention/account-based marketing are just a few of the business functions that can be automated via marketing automation. As a result, marketing automation is used to speed up operations and eliminate time-consuming duties, as well as to build tailored, targeted marketing campaigns to deliver to your clients.
Automation in marketing is used by a wide range of individuals and organizations, including brand managers, event planners, public relations specialists, campaign managers, and social media specialists.
Marketers can benefit from marketing automation on a daily basis. Marketing automation software streamlines routine processes. Email campaigns, event management, social media posts, corporate newsletters, and other activities are all made easier with marketing automation.
Best Practices for Marketing Automation with CRM
CRM and marketing automation software are two separate systems. However, they are commonly used together to optimize their benefits and combine their capabilities. A successful CRM and marketing automation software integration requires that the two platforms be correctly aligned and functioning together fluidly in order to achieve your objectives.
However, you can reap the benefits of marketing automation with a CRM only when done right. To do it right, below are listed the best practices you should follow.
Do's for Marketing Automation with CRM
Personalize Content
To succeed in the modern day, you need to tailor your material to each individual. In today's digitally saturated world, it's more important than ever for your online content to really connect with your audience.
Personalization has the ability to significantly increase output compared to alternative approaches. Integrated marketing efforts that make use of customer relationship management system data are more likely to succeed in reaching target audiences. Customers are more likely to respond to these call to action when they are based on information they find personally relevant.
The CRM platform will analyze past interactions to determine what features will be most enticing to the target audience. This is useful for figuring out the most effective moment to contact potential leads.
Clear Data Debris
It's crucial for every facet of the company that the data stays clutter-free. The fewer moving parts there are the fewer opportunities for problems to occur. For instance, if you use the same email address for multiple different records, it might cause a lot of trouble. For people who rely on timely information, this presents a serious challenge.
When there's too much junk in the database, nobody can work as efficiently as they could. Improper information can disrupt any aspect of a company's operations, from interactions with consumers to those within the company. Having everything in one place makes your company appear more organized and professional to clients, and it also decreases the likelihood of any problems arising.
When data is entered twice, the database is used inefficiently. Slower query times are inevitable if old or inaccurate data must be retrieved. Maintaining data quality enhances both system performance and the accuracy of reports.
Auto-sync and Update Data
Maintaining consistent data exchange between the customer relationship management system and the marketing automation platform is crucial. Thus, both sections will always include the most recent data.
Changes to important contact information, such as phone numbers or email addresses, should be communicated to all parties involved. If this doesn't happen, one division won't have access to the most recent information, which could lead to them contacting the wrong person.
There must be a reliable record-keeping system in place, and it must be constantly updated for this to function well. When two systems have conflicting facts, this process decides which one takes precedence. Some software, for instance, may overwrite older data with newer ones based on a timestamp recording of information to establish which data is most up-to-date.
Don'ts for Marketing Automation with CRM
Don't ignore Training
Having a strategy for integrating systems is one thing, but really getting the personnel to implement it is another story entirely. Despite how well it appears on paper, users are still responsible for putting the integration into practice. The marketing and sales departments must be well-versed in using these tools.
Employee efficiency can be improved by providing them with adequate training on the system in question. Insufficient training is provided to users of customer relationship management and marketing automation systems, which are widely adopted by many businesses. In the end, it leads to confusion and a low-efficiency rating.
Don't Spam Contacts
Don't send your subscribers too many emails, but do stay in touch with them. It's important to give your contacts something educational or useful, but that doesn't mean you spam them with content.
Be consistent by sending emails at regular intervals and updating social media once daily during prime time. Limit the number of emails you send to each contact on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Because of this, people can relax while taking advantage of your services.
Avoid being annoying if you don't want your emails to be marked as spam. In addition, you should do all possible to prevent your subscribers from abandoning their subscriptions.
Don't Undervalue Data
When it comes to developing effective sales and marketing strategies, analytics is a crucial informational resource. Calculating the ROI helps to show how successful a certain system is.
When making a choice, data is crucial. Information about the cost per lead, the number of opportunities, and the percentage of closed agreements all contribute to a more foreseeably positive result. With proper integration, the true return on investment of each campaign may be calculated.
Wrapping Up
Although both CRM and marketing automation software are useful on their own, when combined, they become a formidable force. Integration is ideal for every firm because it allows for pipeline tracking and customer communication. This is especially accurate in light of the fierceness of today's market competition.
Once you know what to do and what not to do with marketing automation, you can optimize it for your organization. If you're in doubt and need assistance with CRM and marketing automation, feel free to contact us!
