Getting noticed and getting results with marketing automation.

With thousands of new marketing software options available, and a slew of more mature competitors that deliver even more sophisticated solutions, deploying marketing automation software can be overwhelming. If you’re looking to break into or improve upon your current marketing automation workflow, here are four common questions to try to answer, and some potential answers that may give you an edge.

How does marketing automation save money?

In 2017, independent research by Accenture found that 48% of U.S. businesses that adopted marketing automation during 2017 saw a more than 50% reduction in overall marketing spend by the end of the year, while 65% said that they were able to improve campaign performance by 50%. That could include refining your email newsletter topics, targeting a better audience, making lists more efficient, offering flexible services that keep you top of mind, and even finding additional ways to attract leads and convert them. It may also benefit your sales team, allowing them to focus on servicing existing clients, or expanding beyond a set of siloed sales and marketing processes into a wider set of offerings.

Why is this important? Consider a couple of examples of organizations already leveraging marketing automation tools. PwC, a large global accounting and advisory firm, has been using a Salesforce marketing automation solution for five years. It has made over 700 improvements since its initial rollout, and the company implemented its first Google AdWords campaign this year. They increased revenue by 33% after making more streamlined processes available to their team, with implementation helped increase pipeline turnover by up to 36%. When an online store specializes in helping Mom and Pop operations in rural areas with limited access to Internet, these were powerful results. Likewise, startup Origin Farms uses content marketing, social media, and a dedicated marketing automation strategy to build its brand awareness and reputation, as well as grow revenue.

What should I add to my marketing automation workflow?

Whether you’re trying to grow your online presence, make your email newsletters more relevant, grow your content, or scale, marketing automation can do a lot of good. It can also be one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to create a seamless marketing experience for your customers, even after you’ve achieved a long-term relationship.

Another key question to ask is: What’s happening with your campaign?

In a recent study from Performics on U.S. marketing automation adoption, nearly 80% of respondents reported a positive experience using marketing automation in a software solution. The main reasons for this positive response were:

Successful communication with customers in relation to an initiative;

Access to incoming leads from within the dashboard to review and follow up with leads, and make changes to specific campaigns;

Better tracking of leads, prospects, and campaigns.

What will happen next? What will you change in response to feedback and data?

Marketing automation is all about getting your business feedback. What’s interesting is that while 80% of marketers were able to find ways to improve their marketing automation workflow, almost 80% were not able to identify where they need help – and yet their reports show improvement. This indicates that there are more questions that could be answered through optimization, such as changing priorities, adding new features, and adding new technology to your marketing automation strategy. It’s a lot more simple than you might think, and your response to marketing automation could make all the difference for your company.