Marketing Automation: How it works

Marketing is completely transforming the digital present and future of today's businesses. It is not enough to have a presence on the Internet through a website: it is essential to create and apply marketing strategies to enhance the performance of a company, be it small, medium or large. And marketing automation has a lot to do with these tasks.

Those companies that are already implementing various strategies through marketing automation platforms have been able to boost their sales, as well as improve their online reputation, generating greater trust in both customers and attracting potential customers to ecommerce. The use of automation tools in marketing is one of the best plays in the area, as it speeds up tasks in an amazing way, increasing productivity and strategy results.

What is marketing automation?

Marketing automation refers to the use of different tools, platforms, and applications to automate the most elementary and repetitive marketing tasks so that the marketing professional or specialist frees time from their daily schedule to be used in more in-depth tasks, analysis, and planning.

The use of this type of marketing automation tool brings many advantages since it allows a better alignment between marketing and sales strategies and objectives. Likewise, it increases the conversion rate, explains HubSpot, and makes it possible to create personalized marketing strategies, which contributes to better nutrition for leads.

According to the HubSpot report titled Not Another State of Marketing Report 2021, automating email campaigns is one of the three most used tactics by marketers when attracting new leads or nurturing the leads they already have in the companies.

More and more agencies are also realizing the benefits of marketing automation software: at least 92% are focused on investing more time and resources in acquiring and managing these types of tools.

In which areas is useful a marketing automation platform

Automation can be implemented in various areas of marketing as we explain below:

• Campaign

By using a marketing automation platform in campaigns, the marketer will have more time to think about the campaign strategy, while the tool automates the sending of the data to the leads or contacts that the company has.

• Email marketing

Instead of sending email by email to leads, through a marketing automation application, it is possible to program the sending of a chain of emails that follow a specific objective or campaign of the company, leading to a more organized and planned workflow. 

• Lead nurturing

Lead nurturing is very important to maintain engagement with the company, so that they continue to identify with the brand and remain interested in the company's products after having made a purchase. Through marketing automation platforms, customers and prospects can be nurtured on a regular basis with pre-programmed valuable content.

• Social Media

The workflow in an agency or marketing department is usually very fast and with a great load of tasks. One of the most repetitive is the management of social networks, which can be perfectly automated with different tools that allow programming the content that is planned to be published.

Implementing marketing automation tools in your company is not a fashionable matter: according to data from Spiralytics, a successful marketing strategy depends 64% on automation, since it improves the user experience, offers personalized content to users and streamlines all processes related to marketing. So it's time for your company to find the best partner to start marketing automation.

Marketing Automation: How it works

The main goal is to optimize customer interactions across various channels such as email, social media, websites, and more, without the need for constant manual intervention. Here’s how it works:

1. Segmentation and Data Collection

Marketing automation starts with gathering data about customers and prospects. Automation platforms often integrate data analytics tools to gain insights into user behaviors, such as previous purchases, pages visited, email interactions, and other relevant data. This information is used to segment users based on their profile, interests, behavior, and stage in the customer journey.

2. Creating Automated Workflows

Once contacts have been segmented, the next step is to create automated workflows. These workflows are predefined sequences of actions that are triggered automatically when certain criteria are met. For example, if a prospect downloads a free resource from your website, they may be added to an automated email sequence that guides them through the sales funnel. These workflows can include:

• Automated Emails: Send personalized messages to users based on their behavior.
• Social Media Messages: Schedule posts or automatic responses.
• Push Notifications: Send messages to users when they are in the app or on the website.

3. Message Personalization

Marketing automation allows for message personalization, which increases relevance and conversion potential. For instance, if a customer shows interest in a specific product, you can send them recommendations for similar products based on their preferences. Additionally, names, locations, or even past behavior details can be included to make the message more personal.

4. Lead Nurturing

One of the main uses of marketing automation is nurturing leads throughout the buying process. This is done by delivering valuable content, such as blog articles, case studies, product demos, or free trials, at strategic moments based on interest and customer stage. In this way, automation keeps leads engaged and helps them make informed decisions.

5. Analysis and Optimization

Once the workflows are up and running, marketing automation platforms provide detailed analytics of campaign results. You can view open rates, clicks, conversions, and other key metrics. This information is crucial for adjusting strategies, improving workflows, and ultimately maximizing return on investment (ROI).

6. Integration with Other Systems

Marketing automation doesn’t work in isolation. It integrates with other business systems like CRMs (Customer Relationship Management), sales platforms, and analytics tools. This integration allows data to flow between different departments of the company, facilitating alignment between marketing, sales, and customer service, and improving the user experience.

7. Optimizing the Customer Experience

Thanks to automation, brands can provide a more consistent and seamless experience for customers. Messages, recommendations, and offers are delivered at the right time, increasing the likelihood that users will interact with the brand positively. Moreover, automation helps manage relationships efficiently, without losing the quality of personal contact.

Key Benefits of Marketing Automation

• Time and resource savings: Repetitive tasks are automated, allowing teams to focus on more strategic tasks.
• Greater personalization: Messages are tailored to the individual needs and behaviors of each user.
• Better lead management: Facilitates lead tracking and nurturing throughout the sales funnel.
• Increased conversion: Automation optimizes user interactions, leading to higher conversion rates.
• Continuous analysis and optimization: Campaigns can be easily adjusted based on performance data.

In summary, marketing automation allows businesses to provide a more personalized and efficient experience for users, improving productivity and maximizing marketing campaign performance.

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