How to use marketing automation to drive lead generation

How To Use Marketing Automation To Drive Lead Generation

In today’s competitive e-commerce marketplace, small percentages can generate big profits and business success. If you increase your conversion rate by a couple of percentage points, it could spell the difference between success and failure. Inbound marketing is far more lucrative than any other marketing strategy. The leads you can generate from using software to gather intelligence cost less and deliver better results because software can qualify those leads based on buyers’ onsite behaviour, browsing habits and other criteria.

You can segregate customers based on many benchmarks and use those habits to automate targeted email campaigns or assign leads to sales teams. These leads are pure gold, and the right CRM software can match sales talent with the right leads for maximum success.

Creating Automation Workflows

You’ll need the right automation software and email lists, and it helps considerably if all your operating software is fully integrated into your sales platform. That means all business applications can share information bi-directionally. About 49 percent of companies already use marketing automation software, and experts predict the technology could automate 45 percent of activities that people are paid to perform. [1] Software choices for automation include many options such as Marketo, Infusionsoft, HubSpot and Pardot.

The next step is to build an email marketing list if you don’t already have one. The easiest way to do this is to create a compelling piece of website content that targets the type of customer you want. You can encourage viewers to sign up for a newsletter or further information about the topic discussed in the article and receive a whitepaper, video or PDF.

After creating a workflow, each site visitor who opts-in to receive your content is moved to another list. These lists can be segregated based on customer behaviour, buyer profile, buying habits, demographics, degree of product interest and other criteria. Your CRM software often collects this information, and Google Analytics also provides an astonishing number of customer insights.

Each list can have its own workflow that automates email campaigns. These might be programmed to send reminders to customers who abandon their carts or incentives for similar products and accessories for products that the customer has ordered.

It’s important to follow through on your free content offer promptly. That’s the prime workflow.

The Extraordinary Benefits of Technology-fuelled Automation and Lead Generation

Automatic marketing campaigns and lead generation offer a host of benefits for your business while cutting labour, paperwork and marketing costs. Some of the top benefits include:

Timing

As any successful salesperson knows, converting prospects is time-sensitive. Striking at the right time is critical to success. Automation can zero-in on the best times to market particular products and services. Your customers will never be overlooked when an important sales opportunity arises.

Higher Response Rates

Targeting customers who are already favourably disposed toward your company with relevant and timely offers results in higher conversion rates than other marketing strategies.

Lower Marketing Costs

The marketing costs of targeting new customers run between five and 25 times as much as marketing to existing customers and inbound site visitors. [2] Automation also cuts expenses by reducing staff needs and freeing staff members to concentrate on additional revenue-generating activities.

Scalability

You can scale your email campaigns up or down based on conversion rates, new marketing initiatives and business expansion. If your current software can’t handle a big increase in volume, it’s easy to upgrade to a more powerful marketing automation application.

Better Targeting

Automation software enables you to target customers based on many factors such as seasonal sales, new products that should interest them, proximity to a brick-and-mortar location, social media behaviour, warranty expiration date, maintenance and service reminders and the strength of hot leads.

Ability to Provide Steady Leads to Salespeople

The best strategy is to supply the warmest leads to direct sales staff if you have them. Customer service reps can also contact customers directly to check on customer satisfaction.

Engage Customers

You can engage your best customers with regular emails soliciting their opinions, informing them of new products and publicizing sales events. You can also re-engage customers who haven’t visited for a while with special offers, incentives and information.

Automation Goes Mainstream

Automation software has become so pervasive that decision-makers across any organisation should investigate the benefits for their departments or companies. Automation reduces staff needs, increases sales, generates a steady stream of qualified leads and streamlines many administrative tasks. It’s easy to get started with the right software and a strategic plan to build your email list.

Struggling with a marketing automation solution?

We can help set up and manage your marketing automation needs.