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Marketing automation

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Marketing automation refers to software platforms designed for marketing departments and organizations to automate repetitive tasks. Marketing departments, consultants and part-time marketing employees benefit by specifying criteria and outcomes for tasks and processes which are then interpreted, stored and executed by software, which increases efficiency and reduces human error. Originally focused on email marketing automation, marketing automation refers to a broad range of automation and analytic tools for marketing.[1]

The use of a marketing automation platform is to streamline sales and marketing organizations by replacing high-touch, repetitive manual processes with automated solutions.

Overview

There are three categories of software:[clarification needed]

  • Marketing intelligence uses tracking codes in social media, email and webpages to track the behavior of anyone interested in a product or service to gain a measure of intent. It can record which social media group or thread they followed, which link was clicked on in an email or which search term was used to access a website. Multiple link analysis can then track buyer behavior - following links and multiple threads related to product A but not B will show an interest only in A. This allows more accurately targeted response and the development of a nurturing program specifically targeted towards their interest and vertical market. Due to its interactive nature this has been described as Marketing Automation 2.0.
  • Marketing automation has a focus on moving leads from the top of the marketing funnel through to becoming sales-ready leads at the bottom of the funnel. Prospects are scored, based on their activities, and then presented drip campaign messaging via email and social channels, thus nurturing them from first interest through to sale. Commonly used in business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G), or longer sales cycle business-to-consumer (B2C) sales cycles, Marketing Automation involves multiple areas of marketing and is really the marriage of email marketing technology coupled with a structured sales process.
  • Advanced workflow automation encompasses automation of internal marketing processes. These include budgeting and planning, workflow and approvals, the marketing calendar, internal collaboration, digital asset creation and management and essentially everything that supports the operational efficiency of the internal marketing function. Typically these systems require a CRM or COM administrator to set up a complex series of rules to trigger action items for internal sales and marketing professionals to manually process (designing files, sending letters, sending email campaigns). This type of system increases marketers ability to deliver relevant content to relevant individuals at relevant times. Limitations may apply, based on the human resource capacity of an organization and their level of commitment to the tasks as they are assigned.

Functionality

In order to effectively aid marketers in fully understanding customers and subsequently developing a strategic marketing plan, marketing automation tools (MAT) are designed to perform three key tasks:[2]

  • Development and analysis of marketing campaigns and customers
  • Management of marketing campaigns
  • Appropriate customer data organization and storage

Fully developed marketing automation systems provide information across all phases of the marketing process, including:[3][citation needed]

The above metrics, in turn, trigger the actual automation events, such as drip feed emails within an email marketing campaign.[4]

Automated Marketing for the B2B2C Dynamic

Most companies describe themselves as Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C) when talking about to whom they sell their products / services and direct their marketing efforts. B2B2C Companies distribute their products and services through intermediaries; they sell to another business that in turn resells to the consumer, and succeeding in that complex marketing environment requires some very special skills.[5]

Unlike traditional marketing automation for B2B or B2C segments, B2B2C requires a special type of web marketing automation platform to deploy marketing programs and materials locally that manages brand compliance at the local level when marketing decisions are decentralized.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "What is Marketing Automation: Top 10 FAQ's". McRae and Company. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Advanced Marketing Automation" (PDF). SAS. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  3. ^ "9 Marketing Automation Metrics". LeadSloth. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ^ Martinico, Joe (21 January 2012). "The Ideal Marketing Automation Cycle – Infographic". MarketingAutomation.com. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  5. ^ Tooker, Richard. "MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF B2B2C MARKETING" (PDF). KBM Group White Paper. Wunderman Network. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  6. ^ Griffith, Deborah. "Distributed Marketing Vs. MRM - What the #$@@ is the Difference?". http://www.sproutloud.com/. SproutLoud Media Networks LLC. Retrieved 7 October 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

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