I love dogs. I love big dogs, small dogs, energetic dogs, and lazy dogs. One of the most interesting part of dogs is that every breed was made for a specific purpose. Before the days of dogs as house pets, they were used for various types of work. No two breeds were bred to do the same thing. Dachshunds were bred to run into holes and scare out unwanted badgers. Australian Shepherd were bred to be both intelligent and athletic to herd livestock. While these two breeds are perfect for their respective tasks, would a Dachshund be able to herd a flock of sheep? No! Would an Australian Shepherd have any luck scaring badgers out of their tunnels? It wouldn’t even fit! Again, both breeds are immensely helpful, but only when their owners put them in situations where they can succeed.
What’s with the dogs?
Think of marketing automation as dog breeds. Marketing automation technology allows brands to efficiently generate leads using multiple mediums while simplifying and reducing marketing efforts, to ultimately increase revenue. Now, think of a B2B company as a country home with a badger problem, and a B2C company as a farm with hundreds of acres and droves of sheep. Should the two types of homes employ the same type of dog? Absolutely not. In this case, the two homes should have different breeds, just like the two types of companies should use marketing automation in two completely different ways.
Why use marketing automation in the first place?
Well to start, 84% of top marketers use marketing automation to bring in quality leads and increase efficiency in the sales process. In fact, according to recent findings from Salesforce, marketing automation drives a 14.5% increase in sales productivity and a 12.2% reduction in marketing overhead. Marketing automation is transforming from a tool that only the best marketers use to one that every marketer needs in order to keep up in today’s world.
Marketing automation technology allows brands to market more effectively, especially online. If you don’t have a strong online presence, you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity. The internet can pique a consumer’s interest via search engine, email, social media, website content, and more. Marketing automation is the method you can use to incorporate all of these interest-generating channels to streamline marketing efforts and develop a strategy for success.
The different breeds of marketing automation
Marketing automation tactics should vary between B2B and B2C companies. If you’re a B2B marketer, the question you should always consider should be, “is the relationship we have with our target businesses strong enough to be of value?” Have a good idea of what businesses can use your services and then develop a strategy to build a relationship with them through marketing automation.
When marketing to consumers, the chances are, if a customer is viewing your products, they are already interested in buying. Marketing automation can come in especially handy when retargeting customers to guide them on a path to purchase and bring them back to purchase again. Automating a reminder email to those who have left an item in their shopping cart with a special offer may just close the deal. Personalization is key to building your brand. That’s why B2C marketers are automating everything from welcome messages to birthday wishes and newsletters in an effort to increase sales and make customers feel special.
The difference ultimately lies in who your brand is marketing to and the needs (and wants) of your customers. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and you’re going to need marketing automation to survive. Just make sure you are using it the right way!
About the Author
Matt is loving life as a Distribion intern. On his way to getting a BA in Music and BBA in Marketing at Southern Methodist University (SMU), he is able to apply what he is learning in SMU’s Cox School of Business to his work at Distribion. More than that, he loves working in a place where he learns something new every day!