A centralized marketing platform that gives you complete omni-channel control, the power of big data applications, lead capture and scoring systems, seamless attribution, simple ROI determination – the advantages of marketing automation are clear from a CMO’s perspective. What about how it looks from the other side? How does marketing automation software look to the potential customer who’s on the receiving end of this well-orchestrated stream of coordinated content?
Customization Makes It Personal
Automation might conjure images of cookie-cutter emails or factory-built content, but the reality is the opposite. By automating routine tasks, segmenting audiences, and developing lead nurture programs that address each recipient’s concerns directly, automation results in a more customized experience from the buyer’s perspective. Instead of mass-mailed, generic email content, leads get relevant email messages tailored to their preferences. Companies that use marketing automation deliver ads and email content specifically tailored to be relevant to their recipients. We all like to know we’re being heard, and automation lets customers know you’re paying attention.
Working on Your Customers’ Calendar
As a client, you want businesses to send information, products, and services when you need them, not when it’s convenient for the seller to deliver them. Automating routine tasks, creating triggered email flows, and setting up lead nurture programs let leads determine their own timetable for information-gathering. They get introductory information when they first visit your site, and as they spend more time there and give your automation software more insight into their interests, they get content that fits their current phase of the decision-making process.
Service, Not Sales Pressure
Imagine you’re stopping by your favorite coffee shop. You have a rough idea of what you want, but you aren’t quite sure. Which works better for your decision-making process – looking at the menu and asking the barista when you have a question, or being offered one of everything on the menu until you either relent and say yes or walk out? Whether they’re buying coffee, computers, or concrete flooring, your leads want service, not high-pressure sales tactics. Marketing automation experts can set alerts to trigger a sales call or a mailing to help customers make important buying decisions without being pressured. They feel guided, not pushed.
Captivating Content
We live in an information age. Knowledge is not only power, but currency. Knowing more before making a buying decision helps leads protect their investments and earn a greater return on them. Before they ever encounter your sales department, your leads have been fact-finding, sometimes for months, to gain as much knowledge as they can. Where do they get it? With a well-tuned marketing automation system, your leads gain a good bit of information from you. Creating meaningful content in the form of white papers, special reports, and webinars attracts leads; they’re then able to trade some of their own informational currency to you. From a customer’s perspective, it’s a fair deal: a name, an email address, and some demographic information in exchange for knowledge they can use.
Automation isn’t just good for marketers. It also makes life easier for leads and customers who get content on demand, more attentive customer care, and more intuitive service.
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