Harnessing the power of marketing automation

Automation leverages technology to perform processes and repetitive tasks to save time, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. However, its benefits extend far beyond task optimisation. The true power of automation lies in its ability to enhance customer engagement and nurture relationships. 

With Marketing Automation, you can deliver personalised and timely content to customers to create a seamless and immersive experience. For instance, by utilising automated email campaigns, you can send targeted messages to customers based on their preferences, behaviours, and interactions. This helps build stronger connections with customers and increases the likelihood of conversions and sales.

Implementing Lead Scoring with Marketing Automation

One of the critical strategies in leveraging automation for customer engagement is lead scoring. Lead scoring involves assigning scores to actions taken by customers, for example:

• Opening an email - 5 points
• Clicking a link within an email - 10 points
• Visiting specific web pages. - 5 points
• Downloading content - 25 points
• Watching a video - 5 points
• Interacting with an Advert - 10 points
• Matching demographics and buying personas - 10 points

By tracking these interactions, businesses can gauge each prospect's level of interest and engagement. For example, a customer who frequently engages with emails and visits product pages may be deemed a qualified sales lead. On the other hand, a prospect who has shown minimal engagement may require further nurturing to move them down the sales funnel.

A recent survey by Kentico discovered that "38% of businesses experienced higher lead-to-opportunity conversion rates due to lead scoring."

When implemented correctly, customers will earn points as they progress through the buying process. The more points they earn, the higher their interest in your product or service, and the closer they get to becoming a Sales Qualified Lead. Once a customer has accumulated 100+ points, they will be identified as a potential lead and sent to your sales team for personalised communication.

According to APSIS, only 44% of companies use lead scoring, which means you can gain a significant edge over your competitors. By embracing lead scoring and marketing automation, you can position yourself ahead of the curve. Anticipate the needs of your customers and seamlessly guide qualified leads to your sales team, ensuring that your efforts are targeted, efficient, and yield maximum results.

Maximise Lead Scoring and Marketing Automation with Buying Personas.

The next step in perfecting marketing automation is developing buyer personas to delve deep into your target audience's demographics, behaviours, and pain points. These insights are invaluable, providing you with the knowledge needed to create content that truly resonates with their unique needs and concerns. As a result, you can offer your customers more meaningful interactions, ultimately leading to increased satisfaction.

For instance, consider one of our clients who sells directly to channel partners while simultaneously marketing to end-users to boost brand awareness. In this scenario, multiple buyer personas are involved: the channel partner and the end user. Each persona follows distinct paths and enters different nurturing workflows, receiving tailored content based on their interests and preferences. This personalised approach ensures channel partners and end-users receive the necessary information, fostering deeper engagement and driving business success.

Marketing Automation in a B2B Environment

Marketing automation has mainly been used in B2C businesses, focusing on consumers' shopping patterns and behaviours. However, we are witnessing considerable success among our B2B clients. One of our top clients has seen a 26% increase in sales qualified leads through lead scoring, significantly improving sales opportunities, especially during these challenging times.

As technology advances, the possibilities for automation are endless, and this offers businesses numerous opportunities to innovate and grow. Embracing automation is not a luxury anymore but has become necessary for businesses aiming to thrive in the digital age.

If you need help getting started, Tiga Creative Marketing has the experience to help businesses start with Marketing Automation and Lead Scoring.

Source: *Zendesk CX Trend Report