The automation of marketing processes is clearly on the rise. Especially within B2B marketing, the use of intelligent marketing automation tools offers great opportunities and can deliver several competitive advantages at once.
In this article you will find relevant information on the topic. We clarify the definition behind the term Marketing Automation, how it works and when its use is worthwhile. In addition, we will provide you with tips on how to implement them.
What is Marketing Automation?
The definition of marketing automation according to Prof. Dr. Uwe Hannig, scientific director of the Institute for Sales and Marketing Automation (IFSMA) is “… the IT-supported execution of recurring marketing tasks with the aim of increasing the efficiency of marketing processes and the effectiveness of marketing decisions”.
In other words, an intelligent software solution is used to bundle and automate certain processes, measures or even complete areas in marketing and sales. The data collected provides insight into customer behavior, which in turn enables a targeted and personalized approach. Many people equate marketing automation exclusively with email marketing, but this does not do justice to the full repertoire of possibilities.
Marketing automation tools can do this and more
The database can be coupled with many different interfaces, such as CRM or web controlling. Process examples may include:
- The regular, automated sending of personalized e-mails or messages in the social media area
- The automated adaptation of landing pages to a specific target group
- The personalization of websites and playout of suitable advertising on the basis of collected, behavior-based data
- The software-generated control of multiple digital campaigns at the same time
- The enactment of automatic customer recovery or reactivation measures through early detected forecasts
Marketing Automation thus helps to meet the challenge of holistically managing personalized marketing and sales campaigns well beyond the buying process, without requiring the daily commitment of entire departments.
What are the goals of marketing automation?
Marketing automation saves time, resources and shortens the sales cycle. Another primary goal lies in an optimized approach within the new customer approach. The ability to capture and analyze customer responses within the buying process gives companies the chance to tailor marketing and sales campaigns precisely to their target group, thus reducing wastage to a minimum. At the same time, the added value for the customer within his digital customer journey increases, which can be of enormous advantage, especially in the complex B2B marketing environment with often several decision makers.
The goals of marketing automation at a glance
- Time and resource saving
- Lead generation
- Efficiency increase
- Targeted budget deployment
- Data collection and maintenance
- Tracking, Reporting, Controlling
- Scalable customer approach
- Increased contact management
- Avoidance of wastage
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Competitiveness
How does B2B Marketing Automation work?
Many marketers are familiar with the term AIDA. This is exactly how an automated marketing campaign works. Let us show you these four phases with examples from Marketing Automation:
A = Attention
You make the user aware of your company and your offer for the first time. This is also referred to as lead generation.
This is what happens with Marketing Automation
In order to attract interest, ads are used within marketing automation at this point, among other things, to encourage the interested party to be directed to a landing page where they can download an e-book that is relevant to them, for example.
I = Interest
The point is to arouse the interest of your potential customer to take up your offer.
This is what happens in Marketing Automation
Initial, delicate business ties are forged here, for example, by registering for a webcast, downloading an e-book or subscribing to a newsletter.
D = Decision
The concrete offer preparation takes place. This is the critical phase when it comes to the customer’s decision to take up your offer or, if necessary, to turn to a competitor first.
This is what happens in Marketing Automation
Your customer was included in the so-called lead nurturing workflow when they registered for the webcast. He now receives further, exciting information on the subject that could be of use to him. This can also work, for example, via LinkedIn news or via personalized ads that the customer notices while surfing on other sites.
A = Action
This is the phase that deals with the (possible) conclusion of the purchase. The customer is further supported by the sales department at this point.
This is what happens in Marketing Automation
In order to further strengthen customer loyalty after a purchase has been made and to turn the new customer into an existing customer, marketing automation continues at this point. Skillfully placed advertising measures and personalized content give customers added value and show that you care about them. This kind of exclusivity strengthens trust and customer satisfaction. Remarketing and customer recovery measures can also be profitably automated.
When is marketing automation worthwhile?
Referring to an article published by IFH Cologne in November 2022, the current B2B e-commerce economic index (B2Bkix) from ECC COLOGNE in collaboration with IntelliShop AG states that only a quarter of all companies surveyed in the B2B sector use marketing automation. At the same time, around 43 percent of companies see so much potential in the technology that they want to use it in the future.
8 Tips for B2B Marketing Automation Implementation
Want to give automated marketing campaigns a chance? Then the following eight tips can help you implement them.
1. team building
When implementing automated processes, good communication is the be-all and end-all. All relevant decision-makers from the management, marketing, sales, and IT departments and, if necessary, other responsible persons from research and data management should be involved.
2. preparation
Automated processes are only as good as the people who move them. Therefore, set common goals across departments that you want to achieve with the process. Based on this, determine the most important metrics and select a suitable software tool for your future marketing automations.
3. target group focus
Especially in B2B, relevance is often still based far too much on the personal wishes of stakeholders. This is not correct. As in B2C marketing, the focus should be on the customer’s customer journey. Creating a persona in advance and A/B testing within the campaign can be very helpful.
4. data relevance
Marketing automation tools need a data foundation. The better you have maintained your previous data systems, the faster you can get started. If you are unsure, it is better to perform a professional data cleansing in advance instead of trying it on the off chance. It may also be useful to redesign your website.
5. show courage
Be sure to think outside the box when it comes to marketing automation. There are so many more options than just launching a standard email or newsletter campaign. Once you have the relevant data and can address your target audience directly, test for all you’re worth. There will certainly be setbacks, but the path leads to the goal of lead generation, customer loyalty, and long-term revenue growth.
6. personalization
We can’t say it often enough how important it is to target customers with individual content and personalized advertising. This is exactly what marketing automation is made and intended for. The closer you respond to the wishes and needs of your target group, the more successful the campaign usually is. Remember that with the automation in place, the effort is already limited anyway.
7. support
The introduction of marketing automation is the biggest hurdle for many companies. This is understandable, because just the many options and functions are not without. Therefore, don’t be afraid to get support on board.
At NINE Brackets, we have a team with years of expertise in the most popular systems in marketing automation. We are happy to help you with onboarding regardless of your industry. You have already implemented a system, but need a little support regarding the handling or want to make optimizations? In this case, too, we look forward to hearing from you. Want to see results? Then click through our projects.