Yes, You Can Even Automate Your Marketing…

Occasionally, we have guest authors submit articles to our blog which our readers may find relevant. The following article was written by Kristen Crovo, Principal of Crovo Consulting, a marketing consultant who collaborates with Analytix Solutions.

One of the more frequent misconceptions that small to mid-sized business owners make is categorizing marketing as an expense. Instead, companies should view marketing as an investment and track their return on that investment over time. As with a financial investment, a marketing investment often requires an initial investment of resources (time or financial). The results of that investment should be monitored and adjustments should be made to the marketing asset allocation and mix accordingly. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through marketing automation systems.

There are numerous marketing automation systems available for companies to leverage, most via a subscription basis. As with most technological solutions, the system which is most appropriate for your business is dependent upon the complexity of your business’s needs. Most providers offer tiered packages so that companies can select a level of usage that is compatible with their marketing needs. Many businesses can also leverage marketing automation systems via a third party such as a communications agency. Any business that wants to communicate effectively and efficiently on a regular basis with either their client base or targeted prospects and track the results of those communications can benefit from these systems.

For small to mid-sized companies, marketing automation systems allow a limited staff to send targeted, personalized electronic communications to clients. For example, if an indoor sporting facility is running a sports camp quarterly, a marketing automation system can be programmed in advance to automatically send several emails to a targeted list in the weeks leading up to the camp to drive attendance. Once the initial time is spent writing the emails, they can be used repeatedly on a quarterly, monthly or weekly basis, depending upon need. Similarly, if a car dealership is running a special on oil changes or a specific service, they can create the email for that service and send it out on a scheduled periodic basis automatically to any customers who have purchased a car in the past 3 months.

More importantly, marketing automation systems help smaller companies nurture and manage the right leads by tracking which prospects have expressed interest in the company, product or service. Using the example of the sporting facility again, the system can be programmed to send follow-up emails automatically to prospects who have expressed an interest in a particular camp by opening or clicking through to an offer for the camp or repeatedly visiting the facility’s web page for that specific camp.

For small to mid-sized businesses, marketing automation systems allow for targeted client and prospect communications with a limited staff, allowing them to do more with less. In addition, the systems provide robust reporting so that it is easy for the business owners or staff to assess what is working and make any necessary adjustments to the marketing communications.

Analytix Solutions has helped numerous businesses identify processes which can benefit from automation. Call us today at 781.503.9004 or email us at sales@analytix.com to learn more about how our solutions and services can help your business.

Written by

Analytix Editorial Team