What is marketing automation and how do you deploy it?

What is marketing automation?

Marketing automation is the automation of marketing activities using software and tools. This software responds when a lead/customer performs an action, such as opening an e-mail or filling out a form. This allows you to target leads/customers more personally and better tailor your marketing actions to what they need.

How does marketing automation work?

Marketing automation revolves around two key components:

• Triggers: Triggers are actions taken by customers, such as opening an e-mail, filling out a form or visiting your website.

• Actions: Actions are automatic steps following a trigger, such as sending a personalized email or updating a customer profile.

By combining triggers and actions, you create automated processes that do exactly what is needed. At exactly the right time.

Benefits of marketing automation

Marketing automation offers many benefits:

• Time and cost savings: By automating repetitive tasks such as sending emails, managing leads and collecting customer data, you'll keep more time for more important things.

• Personalized attention to customers: Automated campaigns allow you to respond to customer behavior, such as with personalized offers or follow-up emails.

• More sales: By sending relevant content at the right time, you increase the likelihood of sales.

Marketing automation in the customer journey

If you want to use marketing automation properly, it is important to first get clear on what the customer journey looks like. Think about what moments you can use to automatically send something of value. A welcome email after someone signs up, for example. Or a reminder when someone leaves a shopping cart.

By deploying these actions smartly and at the right time, the customer feels better served and guided. Thus, you ensure that that customer can more easily make a purchase the next or contact you for more information.

What can you automate?

Marketing automation offers opportunities across multiple channels. You can personalize your website, schedule posts onsocial media and create targeted campaigns. Email marketing is the most widely used channel here because of its affordability and effectiveness. In fact, with customer permission, you can easily send personalized messages such as offers, updates and promotions. This creates more engagement and a stronger customer relationship.

How do you get started with marketing automation?

1. Map your target audience
Who are your customers and what do they find interesting? You can probably divide your customers into different segments based on interests, demographics or industry. The better you know your target audience, the more personal and effective your marketing will ultimately be.

2. Map the customer journey
What steps do your customers go through from first encounter to purchase? Try to send relevant messages at the right time. A welcome email after registration or an offer after a product visit, for example. This way, you guide customers smoothly through each stage of their journey.

3. Set goals
What do you want to achieve? More leads? Higher conversions? Or just better customer satisfaction? Make sure your goals are achievable, measurable and time-bound. After all, clear goals help you target campaigns and assess your results.

4. Choose the right software
Find a marketing automation platform that suits your business. Pay attention to features such as email campaigns, customer management and data analytics. Choose a future-proof platform so you don't have to switch as your business grows. Oh, and don't forget to consider usability, integration capabilities and customer service.

Don't know where to start? Check out ActiveCampaign, Mailblue and HubSpot. These are popular marketing automation tools for a reason!

5. Create relevant content
Create content that connects to each stage of the customer journey. Blogs, offers, personalized emails ... you name it. Dynamic blocks help you tailor your messages even better to the interests of your target audience.

6. Build workflows
Set up automated workflows based on lead and customer behavior. Choose the right triggers and plan logical follow-up actions. Take timelines into account and make sure that different workflows do not overlap or conflict with each other (again, you don't want to spam your customers). Test regularly to make sure your flows are working properly.

7. Optimize
See how your campaigns are performing. Are people opening your emails? Are they clicking through to your site? Analyze the results and adjust your strategy as needed. Use A/B testing to discover what works best and continuously improve your approach for maximum results.

Stay personal and start simple

Marketing automation can sometimes be quite overwhelming. Especially if you're just starting out. But don't worry. Just start small: set up a few simple campaigns and work with small customer groups. As you get more experience, you can always expand. Just make sure you stay personal. Too much automation can seem distant and make customers feel like they are constantly being watched. Keep your messages real and relevant so customers feel seen and appreciated.

Need help getting started? We're happy to think with you or implement automated workflows for you. Feel free to contact us for the possibilities.