Marketing Automation works best when you are constantly innovating
You, yes you. You're that marketing manager that is using your automation platform to do all your basic tasks. But you're not using it for anything else. Why? I don't know. There are so many elements of marketing automation you could be using, I imagine you don't know where to start. So I'm going to tell you where to start.
Marketing automation isn't going to take your job anytime soon.
My favourite expression from the unaware marketer is "oh but marketing automation will put me out of a job". I can assure you, used correctly, it will not. However, if you continue to use a marketing automation platform like a brain, that is to say only use 10% of it, you could be out of a job for not producing the results you anticipated from your MA platform.
It amazed me in the recent…
Automating your marketing is key in such a busy marketing period, find out how RedEye’s Head of Future email suggests it is done
Summer is long gone and the Bank Holidays have been exhausted for the year. While ‘normal’ people start to stress about when to put their central heating back on, us marketers are in full planning and panic mode. Two key events loom before us: Black Friday Weekend, and of course the run up to Christmas. It’s all become rather stressful.
With more and more focus on the few weekends left of the year before sales season takes over, it’s more crucial than ever for brands to implement perfectly executed, strategic marketing experiences for shoppers on the approach to Christmas. Brands are not only at war with their competitors, but with the expectations from previous years’ performances and their customer’s expectations (all searching for the next big bargain).
Take a little…
Practical content marketing and profiling techniques to identify senior decision makers
Senior decision makers are increasingly reluctant to hand over their contact details when exploring potential solutions. You may have noticed how busy managers often omit their phone numbers from their email sigs! At the same time, the explosion in content marketing with the availability of detailed information online in a range of formats has enabled those seeking to use your products or services to carry out extensive research on you independently without booking a demo.
There is now little need to book a demo, take a trial or speak to a salesperson when so much content exists online to inform their decision.
Whilst these prospects are carrying out their due diligence research at distance, others who are at a much earlier stage of the buying cycle are seeking content that will inform and educate them.
Whitepapers, videos, thought-leadership pieces and research are standard fare in any…
Disscussing the advantages and pitfalls out outsourcing your lead gen
Do we outsource or keep in-house? That is the question. Let me specify in advance that by outsourcing lead generation I mean transferring the whole process to an outside supplier. You set goals and in turn, you get leads. In this chapter, I shall not speak about any intermediate steps such as pay per click campaigns, landing generation, or outgoing calls without clear results. After all, they have no guarantee that you will reap any potential customers.
Actually, the decision of whether to outsource searching and attracting potential customers is not a matter of cost. Total expenses per employee are significantly higher for a company than just salaries, as this includes taxes, office space, a workstation, IT, holidays, sick-leaves, etc. As a result, the price of outsourcing is comparable to the cost of keeping your work in-house.
…
An example of separating the Wheat from the Chaff and Why BANT isn't dead
Lead qualification criteria are characteristics that help to classify a lead by the degree of its willingness and readiness to buy. As a result of this qualification, one can distinguish, in terms of making a purchase, the leads with the most and least potential: hot, warm, and cold.
In lead generation there are usually two stages of qualification: marketing and sales qualification. The first one is done by a team responsible for a marketing activity. The sales qualification is done to confirm the information from a sales perspective.
Ideally, a number of marketing and sales qualified leads must coincide. If a sales department rejects lots of leads, you most likely need to correct your marketing qualification criteria or to add a new criterion. Of course, sometimes it happens that the criteria are correct, but a sales department determines, through reasons…
Everything you wanted to know about automation, but were too afraid to ask
Despite an impressive pedigree, many companies are still reluctant to go near automation. We examine what makes this powerful tool so misunderstood, and explain how even small steps can start a journey towards big results.
If you’re reading this because you’re unsure whether automation is right for you, then let’s begin by putting your mind at rest. You’re not alone.
Many marketers shy away from the technology due to concerns over affordability, resources and time, or even a worry that it may make a business seem disingenuous.
But as with many fears, the best way to face it is to understand it.
The good news is that automation doesn’t need to be an all or-nothing scenario. There’s no need to dive in at the deep end, as you can easily test…
Overcoming Marketing-Sales Tension
Tension between the sales and marketing departments plagues companies of all shapes and sizes. One of the biggest sore spots is the feeling among sales personnel that the “leads” delivered by marketing are worthless.
Typically, this is not entirely true, but an impression that develops as sales reps grow tired of chasing inquiries that turn out to be dead ends. Nevertheless, even the impression is bad; when reps sour on marketing leads, they may overlook or go through the motions on terrific leads, thinking they are more “junk.”
If marketing adds lead validation to the process, this tension not only can be eliminated, but also can result in tremendous gains in lead follow-up efficiency and new business production.
What Is Lead Validation?
If you are not familiar with lead validation, do not be worried — few marketers implement it. For the…
Strategy, tactics and ideas to consider as part of a winning lead generation strategy
Generating consumer interest and enquiries is a primary objective for B2B businesses, something backed up by a recent study from the Content Marketing Institute which states that lead generation (85%) and sales (84%) will be the most important goals for B2B content marketers over the next 12 months.
In my previous post from November last year I explored the rationale for using content marketing for B2B lead generation and provided some case studies to demonstrate some best practices. In this post, I'll look in more detail at how earned media can be used to support B2B companies’ lead generation objectives.
Earned media as part of an integrated strategy
As we’ll see, earned media undoubtedly provides an effective set of tactics for lead generation and is associated primarily with generating interest at the top of the inbound marketing…
How technology can boost the effectiveness of your event
If your brand has been struggling to make a splash in its sector, it might be time to think about incorporating face-to-face tactics into your marketing methods to show your audience what you have to offer. A study by Regalix showed that 54% of B2B marketers said that event marketing was a significant tool when promoting their business - highlighting the fact that showcasing your brand at an event can have a significant impact.
Whether you’re attending an event or hosting your own tradeshow, event marketing can be invaluable when it comes to boosting your business - ensuring you leave with valuable new leads and industry connections.
Why trust in tech?
The world of technology is developing at an increasingly rapid rate and there is now an array of digital marketing tools that can…
What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing Automation is a talking point. In some form it has been around since the 1980’s, and has been adopted by large multinationals for some time. But it is evolving and growing. It is becoming more relevant for a wider range of business sizes and types. As more and more MA solutions start to appear, it is a great time to be thinking about what might work for your organisation. With that thought it mind, I’ve put together a guide to help you understand the key features, it’s uses and why it might work for you.
A definition of Marketing Automation
From the many definitions available on the internet, I’ve chosen this one from Gleanster as it gives a clear idea of what technologies are included and what the core purpose is.
“Marketing automation software…
