To understand why marketing automation software is worth your time and investment, you first need to know exactly what marketing automation software encapsulates. Basically, it is software designed to automate businesses marketing efforts. Marketing automation software automates functions such as social media posting, email marketing, business analytics, and so on and so forth. Efficiency is the name of the game because efficiency produces profitability. In our opinion – and in the opinions of top marketing leaders – marketing automation software is definitely worth your spend and energy, especially with email marketing. Don’t agree with us? Let us explain our reasoning.
Change is on the Horizon
According to Neil Patel, named one of the top 10 marketers by Forbes, “currently, 67% of marketing leaders are using a marketing automation platform” (Patel, 1). This statistic shows a momentous trend of how marketing automation software is changing the way businesses operate. We look to marketing leaders to pave ways to innovation, and the fact that more than half of marketing leaders use automation software is a promising sign. If that’s not enough to persuade you, Patel also records that, “79% of top-performing companies use marketing automation tools in some way” (Patel, 1). Marketing automation software took top performing companies to the next level; think about the benefits it can have on your business. Marketing automation software will continue to gain momentum in businesses over time. If businesses want to compete, they will need to use this software to stay relevant and competitive within their target markets.
Automating Email Marketing – Can We Get an Amen!
Any healthy marketing campaign involves email marketing. Crafting these emails can take a while; figuring out all the different elements of a marketing email requires time, consideration, and careful planning. Speed this process up by using email marketing automation software in your email campaigns. Hubspot beautifully describes the attractiveness of marketing automation software for companies: “marketing automation is software and tactics that nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers. This type of marketing automation typically generates significant new revenue for companies and provides an excellent return on the investment required” (Hubspot, 1). The benefit marketing automation software adds to companies email marketing efforts is creating value for current and prospective customers by using personalized, strategic content that generates new leads and takes care of current leads, all while increasing revenue. Think about all the saved headaches and generated revenue!
You Need the Right Tools
You’ve made the decision to implement marketing automation software in your emails – amazing! We believe that decision is strategic and beneficial for your business. Your next step is to find the right email marketing automation tool; there are some great resources out there, the challenge now lies in discerning which tool can serve you best for your determined amount of spend. The main four we recommend are MailChimp, Emma, Pardot, and Salesforce. As with everything else, these email marketing automation tools have their benefits and downsides; however, the strongest tool of the ones listed above is Pardot and Salesforce (Salesforce owns Pardot). Forbes writes about the effectiveness of marketing automation software, specifically Salesforce, “67% of marketing leaders rely on marketing automation and 21% plan to implement a new marketing automation platform in the year ahead. What’s more, 82% of marketers recognized a positive return on investment (ROI) from marketing automation and said that it makes them more efficient” (Forbes, 1). Generally, Salesforce proves its worth by generating a positive ROI. But your business may not require all the capacity of Salesforce and Pardot, and MailChimp or Emma might be the tools you need, as both are excellent email marketing automation software. We recommend researching and learning about these different tools to figure out which one is the best fit for your company’s needs.
Things to Know about Email Marketing Automation
While we believe marketing automation software, especially email marketing automation software, is the way of the future, there are a few caveats you may need to be aware of before rushing in. You need a plan. After deciding marketing automation software is what your business needs to reach the next level, it may not be beneficial to implement the software the next day. According to Forbes, you should start small and define your success metric early. This means gradually implementing automation software, like MailChimp, Emma, Pardot, and Salesforce, determining your KPI’s (key performance indicators), and tracking your email marketing efforts. It might take some time and planning before you can effectively and fully use your email marketing automation software, but it pays off in the long run.
That’s a Wrap
Marketing automation software is software created to regulate and automate your marketing efforts. It is the way of the future as more and more companies, both top performing companies and startups, use marketing automation software in business to gain new leads, solidify current customers, and increase revenue. Email automation software adds value to businesses and many tools exist – such as MailChimp, Emma, Pardot, and Salesforce – to automate your email marketing efforts. Because there are a variety of tools, you need to research which will most accurately suit your needs and then implement your chosen software intentionally and slowly, monitoring your efforts. Snapshot Interactive uses marketing automation software in our business and we know the value it has given us. Marketing automation software will continue to grow over time; why not get ahead o the curve and learn how to effectively use it in your business processes before you fall behind?
