Frequently asked questions about Marketing Automation

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing Automation refers to the process of using digital tools to automate and target your marketing based on the behaviour of current or potential customers. By communicating at the "right" time, with the "right" message to the "right" person through the "right" channel, the goal is to increase the relevance of communication.

Marketing Automation is also used to automate processes and activities and is therefore a tool that can really streamline your organisation if used correctly. 

Read more about what Marketing Automation is here.

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What does it take to get started with Marketing Automation?

Starting to work with Marketing Automation should be seen as a long-term investment. That said, it takes a lot more than a system to succeed. Here are the steps you should take to increase the chances of getting the most out of your investment:

• Pre-study and baseline analysis
• Needs assessment and ROI calculation
• System evaluation and needs mapping
• System procurement
• Implementation and integration
• System expert constantly working on optimisation

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Why Marketing Automation?

Marketing Automation can help you put the recipient/customer first. Used correctly, you can better meet individual customers' wishes and information needs. 

It also helps marketers save time and increase efficiency by automating internal processes that would otherwise have to be done manually. It also helps by saving money and making campaigns more effective. Marketing Automation makes it easier for marketers to track and analyze their campaigns and measure the return on their marketing efforts.

By sending the right information to the right person, in the right channel, at the right time, Marketing Automation can help you increase the relevance of your leads. Increased relevance leads to a better customer experience.

You can read more about the benefits of marketing automation here.

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How does Marketing Automation work?

A Marketing Automation system will not reach its full potential without good quality data. Often you link the Marketing Automation system with several different systems such as a CRM system, event management, social media and your website. In the CRM system you then collect other data on your leads and customers. This data can be geographic, demographic and behavioural. For example, it could be data such as:

• Address and country.
• Age, title and income.
• Interactions with company sales representatives

Marketing Automation gives you the opportunity to communicate in multiple channels with the ambition to adapt the communication to the individual, so-called personalized communication. This is done, for example, by using the information from the CRM system to distinguish between communications sent to a buying or non-buying contact.

Marketing Automation is not just about automated communication. It can also be used to automate data flows, processes and routines, thus streamlining work processes. 

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What does a Marketing Automation Specialist do?

As a Marketing Automation Specialist, you'll work to produce evidence for data-driven decisions focused on your company's communications. With the data you have access to, you can automate parts of the customer journey while optimizing it. This is done using the technology provided by the Marketing Automation system.

Marketing Automation specialists also automate activities in the system to streamline processes. Examples include field updates and creating automated tasks for sales reps at specific events.

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How is the customer experience affected by Marketing Automation?

By continuously collecting data about your visitors and customers, you can keep your communications relevant.

By analysing data, you can increase your customer knowledge and better understand your customers and their needs. 

With these skills, Marketing Automation can help you trigger relevant communications that help your customers make a buying decision, meet their needs and questions, and make the customer journey seamless.

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Which is the best Marketing Automation system?

With over 365 Marketing Automation solutions to choose from, it's not easy to make a decision. Which technology will make your day-to-day tasks easier and add value to your business?

Making informed decisions when it comes to new technologies is more important than ever in this complex environment, and Marketing Automation is no exception.

Starting with the organisation's current position, needs and level of ambition is crucial. Different systems are better suited to different types of organisations, have different technical expertise requirements and require different degrees of external help, for example from suppliers or consultants.

For this reason, there is no one Marketing Automation system that works best for everyone. The best system for your organisation is not necessarily the best for another organisation. You need to make an analysis and base it on your company's current situation and needs in order to choose the most suitable system.

Are you facing a choice of system? You can read our guide to Marketing Automation procurement and implementation here.

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What is the difference between email marketing and marketing automation?

Classic email marketing involves collecting email addresses and then sending mass mailings to the contact list.

Instead, Marketing Automation is about collecting data to communicate a relevant message to selected segments. 

Marketing automation, unlike email marketing, is not tied to email as a channel either. You can use Marketing Automation to communicate across multiple channels such as, text messages, push notifications and social media.

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What is the difference between Sales Automation and Marketing Automation?

It's just as it sounds. Marketing automation allows you to automate marketing communications and processes, while sales automation automates parts of the sales process. The best way to do this is to find ways to combine them.

Want to learn more about how to create integration between the sales and marketing departments? Download our guide to SMarketing.

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What is Data Driven Marketing?

Data-driven marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on customer behaviour and activity. It helps marketers understand and respond to customer needs with relevant communications.

Data-driven marketing is the process of using data and statistics to make informed decisions about campaigns, strategies and content. It's a way to gain insight and understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts without having to guess. These insights can be used to improve performance over time by optimising the right things.

You can read more about data-driven marketing here.

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How to get started with Marketing Automation?

There are no shortcuts. To get started with Marketing Automation, you must first purchase a Marketing Automation system. This process consists of a feasibility study, comparison, procurement and implementation.

Once the system is in place, user training is required. The system only becomes an investment if it is used correctly.

Once the system is in place, it requires that the right processes are in place, such as the SMarketing process, Scoring, MQL management, etc.

Then the fun begins. Use the data you have to set up triggered feeds that are constantly optimised and relevant to your chosen audience/segment.

If you need help getting started, you can book an appointment here.