Why Automation will Change Your Future in Marketing
Marketing automation is becoming the system of record for modern marketers. It’s the place where they can manage all their data and create a rich profile of their target buyers. It saves time, makes money, and it has a place in all of the noteworthy “marketing trends” articles published throughout the year. It’s estimated that marketing automation companies will collectively generate over 4 billion in revenue by the end of the year generated by a variety of companies, from financial institutions to franchisors. But why should you care about marketing automation?
What is Marketing Automation? To put it simply, marketing automation is software used to automate marketing processes. Like project management software, it can do many things at once of just a few, things such as customer segmentation, customer data integration, and campaign management. At its most basic utility, marketing automation software is there to handle processes that would otherwise require a person to do them manually. One early example of this is mass-email software. Marketing automation in the broadest sense encompasses marketing campaigns across all channels including direct mail, phone campaigns, social, and mobile initiatives. If you’re reading this it’s likely what you’re interested in is the digital applications and you want to know why there’s so many people talking about it.
Why is Marketing Automation Important? If you’re looking to be successful in franchising, you’re going to be using marketing automation at some point. The more you or your company begin to see ROI on digital campaigns and engagement efforts, you will reach a point where you need to have a system that makes everything easier. If people and
companies are using automation services more, it means more people are starting to truly understand digital marketing and that’s a good sign. Why do some people have a hard time with it, and why does it take so long to adapt? The short answer is that people do it incorrectly. Automation is supposed to make things simpler, but it’s sometimes used to make things bigger and more complicated it is doomed to fail. A franchisor dealing with an array of franchisees and locations needs a streamlined process to allowing them to address the larger goals, and this is true of any large organization.
What Automation Platforms can I use? The most important thing to understand about automating your marketing is that it isn’t a magic wand. Users who cite problems with automation software often do so because they started with no good leads and thought it would help them get more. Automation software makes a complicated system easier, it is not a substitute for a planned system. It saves you time and energy with something you already do, but if you don’t have effective procedures in place you will experience diminished returns. That being said, different marketing automation platforms are designed for different types of businesses. It’s critical that your business research marketing automation options – tools like HubSpot, Act-On, infusionsoft and others- to figure out which one is the best fit. The team at ClickTecs helps determine the right tool for your needs and helps your marketing campaigns integrate with these tools. Check out http://clicktecs.com for more information on what marketing automation can do for your business. See more at: http://clicktecs.com/why-automation-will-change-your-future-in-marketing/