Are you amongst those that believe that automation could actually take you more time than it could save you time? To be effective, your marketing automation strategy does not need to be complicated. Here are a few ideas to initiate you to the world of automation.
First step – Set your objective
According to a recent report published by Ascend2[1], one of the most important objectives of implementing a marketing automation scenario is to improve marketing productivity (45%).
To meet this objective, you only have to automate those actions that do not need your direct involvement. So you can automate follow-ups and client and prospect campaigns and save a lot of management and processing time!
Second step – Determine the actions that can be automated
Most messages that can be automated are usually very simple to implement. Here are 3 proven examples:
- Welcome Message
This message is sent to people who have subscribed to your communications, participate in a loyalty program or are new clients. This message can take various forms; you can send a discount coupon or a simple welcome and personalized message. This message is usually your first contact with the person so be inventive as to capture the recipient’s attention and interest.
- Birthday Card
Birthday messages require very little time compared to what they bring back. This is a very effective way to touch people, at a special time in their lives. If you already send birthday cards manually, nothing is simpler than automating this process.
- Purchase Follow-Up
With this type of message, you need to combine your selling information with your message information, which can be challenging if both systems are not already connected. However, the work involved to do so is worthwhile. Automating purchase confirmations, order follow-ups, complementary product suggestions and satisfaction surveys will give you plenty of time to work with new prospects without affecting your existing clients’ experience.
Third step – Become a marketing automation expert
When you will have implemented a few automated messages and at ease with the process, you’ll be ready for the next level – create, for example, a lead nurturing workflow, or implement a marketing scenario based on your client lifecycles.
Once you’ll get the hang of it, you will no doubt have a bunch of new scenario ideas to try.
For any help or advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.
