Marketing automation is fantastic (if done right). It helps turn your leads into revenue and helps time-strapped small businesses use their marketing more effectively.
Are you still teetering on whether or not you are going to use marketing automation? Here are some interesting things (you may not already know):
8 Things You Should Know About Manufacturing Marketing Automation 1. When relevant emails are sent via marketing automation, they drive 18 times more revenue than a generic email blast! (Jupiter Research)
The key to that fact is the word "relevant". When a lead enters into a well planned email marketing automated workflow they are sent only relevant emails that continue to provide additional value.
2. Businesses that do marketing automation well generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost. (Forrester Research)
A prospect doesn't necessarily mean a chance for a sale...but a prospect that is nurtured using marketing automation can be converted to a sales-ready lead.
3. Marketing automation doesn't mean that your marketing is run by robots.
Content that's part of an automated workflow is written by a human. It's written to be relevant and provide ongoing value.
4. B2B marketers that implement marketing automation increase their sales-pipeline contribution by 10%. (Forrester Research, 2014)
I'd argue that marketing automation is more important for a B2B company to adopt than a B2C company, especially ones with longer sales processes.
5. Marketing automation isn't just for email. Automation is also used for social media, website content, and CRMs.
It exists to help automate things that are commonly done manually. Automating them makes it more consistent and makes your life easier!
6. Marketing automation doesn't have to be expensive.
Some of the top tier platforms out there can be pricey, especially for a small business. While these platforms often have some great bells and whistles, there are cost effective ways for a small business to implement automation effectively. (MailChimp, Insightly, Zapier, InboundNow, etc.).
7. Marketing automation does not mean spam!
The folks that become part of your automation workflow are already interested in what you have to say. If you continue to provide value with your automation and the workflows are relevant you'll get more hugs than unsubscribes.
8. B2B companies don't use marketing automation because they are lazy.
I'd say a lazy company will fail miserably at any marketing automation efforts. It takes time, creativity and a lot of planning up-front to do it well. You'll also have data to make ongoing, data-driven adjustments to your workflows. Use the data to your advantage!
Those are just some of our favorite things we want you to know about marketing automation. Are we advocates of it? Absolutely (if done well)!
Looking for more information? Check out this thorough webinar on how to generate high-quality online leads in a complex manufacturer's market:
Editor's Note: This post was originally published August 26, 2015 and has been recently updated.