What is Marketing Automation?
A process that lets technology take over repetitive marketing tasks from people, freeing people to focus on the plan. Technology can automate scheduled email sends and social site postings. It can find clear winners among deployed advertising options and optimize accordingly.
Example
Consider a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that provides project management software. This company utilizes marketing automation to streamline its lead generation and customer engagement processes.
- Lead Generation Automation: The company implements automated lead generation tactics such as website pop-up forms, gated content offers, and webinar registrations. When visitors fill out a form or sign up for a webinar, their information is automatically captured in the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system.
- Lead Nurturing Automation: Once leads are captured, the company uses marketing automation workflows to nurture them through the sales funnel. Automated email sequences are triggered based on lead behavior, such as downloading a whitepaper or attending a webinar. These emails provide valuable content, address pain points, and guide leads toward purchasing.
- Customer Onboarding Automation: After a lead converts into a paying customer, the company automates the onboarding process to ensure a smooth and personalized experience. Automated welcome emails are sent, providing new customers with login information, helpful resources, and tips for getting started with the software.
- User Engagement Automation: The company uses marketing automation to engage and retain customers over time. Automated email campaigns are set up to deliver product updates, feature announcements, and educational content to users, keeping them informed and engaged with the software.
- Feedback and Retention Automation: Automated surveys and feedback requests are sent to customers at key touchpoints to gather insights and feedback on their experience with the software. This data is used to improve the product and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional features or services.
By leveraging marketing automation in this manner, the SaaS company can efficiently manage its marketing efforts, nurture leads, onboard new customers, and drive user engagement and retention, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and business growth.