Managing, identifying, and nurturing leads all through the customer journey, up until the sale, and beyond can be accomplished with the help of marketing automation. However, enormous authority also entails great responsibility. 

When used effectively, marketing automation can produce outcomes that will enhance your reputation with the board. 

You can grow your marketing, monitor leads, and track performance. However, marketing automation won't benefit you if it is implemented haphazardly and then allowed to go haywire. 

In reality, it often causes much more harm than gain. 

So, where do you begin? 

Know your customer  

I'm serious, you guys. The concept of an automated marketing system seems nice; in fact, you've just chugged the cool-aid and are riding on the enthusiasm of your brand-new toy. Setting out on the right road is essential since every centralized point of command for contact details, marketing of content and performance analysis will inevitably get disorganized over time. 

The majority of marketing departments structure their marketing campaigns around the question, "What do I wish to say?" as a result. By adding an automation tool, you have the chance to reconsider your approach and, instead of shifting your frequency or focus, you can think about it from the perspective of your customers. 

In essence, what information would you need to know to make a decision assuming that you were your customer? How often should you hear from the potential seller, and how would you prefer to be contacted? 

The messaging, sequences, and programmes you develop within the platform for marketing automation will be more effective if you approach planning from a customer-centric perspective. Consider what your clients want and need instead of simply using the "standard" programmes that the makers of marketing automation software recommend. 

In a nutshell, it's challenging. Always think, "If I were buying this, what questions would I have?" What information would I require? – and retain it for the period. (You'll probably discover that not all of them are the same; as a result, you'll need to undertake some consumer profile, segmentation, and insights analysis.) 

Put a pen to paper 

Sketch it out as you begin the planning process.  

Ad hoc campaign flows, standard campaign flows, and nurturing scoring must be created. Once more, before using the default procedure, think about your client and question yourself if you'd want to be in this machine before falling back to the regular procedure. (You'd likely respond "no," unless the communication is worthwhile). 

At this point, scenario planning is something to think about in order to create best practices for limiting the frequency of encounters with a person and to shape the rules for how "active" contacts think and act within the database. 

You might discover that some communication hierarchies cause the throttle to open or that particular product sectors take priority over other forms of communication. 

Moving contacts through the funnel while scoring them 

Although the vocabulary used in the industry is not my favorite, I still believe in the concept. It dehumanizes the consumer and emphasizes the automation, which is why I don't like it. Unfortunately, if you're utilizing a marketing automation system, to define performance criteria and consequently use the system's qualification process and funnel is essential for optimum service. 

There are two crucial transitions that must be taken into account. Marketing qualified leads (MQL) and MQL to SQL contacts (sales qualified leads). Create a detailed plan for how you'll move contacts through each stage and how to determine which stage a consumer is in.  

Due to the fact that marketing automation reduces people to a number, it is rather dehumanizing (or score). There is human connection when a lead generation or sales representative contacts the contact and qualifies them as in or out. How do human and machine interactions connect to one another, and how can you make sure they integrate seamlessly? What guidelines are necessary to describe this process? 

Utilize compatible systems 

Cohesive integration is one of the essential elements of effective marketing automation implementation. Clear campaign analytics have been displayed a lot of times, but complete closed-loop integration from start to finish is rare. This calls for a rock-solid CRM interface and the capacity to send data through and out of both systems. 

Ensure a successful integration. Although it's not easy to do, most people ignore this because it's so crucial. But how can you demonstrate the return on investment for the investment you made in this sizable piece of marketing technology if your CEO asks? 

Have questions on how to go about it? We are happy to help. Get in touch with us, and let's get your project started.