If you've heard of marketing automation but still have doubts about how it works and how it can help your company grow, this content is for you!
With the advance of digital marketing, automating processes has become essential for attracting qualified leads, nurturing relationships and improving conversion rates throughout the sales funnel.
In this article, we'll explain in simple terms what marketing automation is, the benefits of this strategy, the main automation tools and a step-by-step guide to getting started. Let's go?
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What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation is characterized by the use of technologies and tools to automate marketing actions and campaigns in an intelligent and personalized way, which includes sending emails, nurturing leads, managing social networks, scoring contacts, among other resources
The main aim of marketing automation is to deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time, without having to do it manually every time.
Automation helps guide the new lead through the customer journey, from the first contact to the moment of purchase and beyond, in post-service, with the aim of maintaining the link with your company.
Benefits of Marketing Automation
Adopting an automation strategy in your business brings a series of benefits, especially for those who already use inbound marketing as a basis. Below are the main benefits:
Benefit 1: Gain in time and productivity
Marketing automation streamlines repetitive processes that are done manually and can be automated, freeing up staff time to pursue data analysis and strategic planning.
It's important to bear in mind that not all processes within a company can be automated, so in order to proceed with a strategy of this nature, it's necessary to take a close look at all of the company's sectors and needs.
Benefit 2: Personalization at scale
Think of the convenience of segmenting the audience you want to capture and developing personalized communications according to demographic information, catering to different profiles.
All this is possible through marketing automation and the efficient use of its tools and technologies.
It's worth noting that it's very important to have a well-organized and up-to-date database so that automation can carry out personalization at scale. To take full advantage of this benefit, you need to hire a good CRM.
Benefit 3: Nurturing qualified leads
It is possible to follow each lead along the sales funnel, sending relevant content to increase interest and engagement using automated and well-targeted communication.
To nurture leads well, it is essential to know their characteristics and segment them appropriately according to their needs.
Benefit 4: Increased conversion rates
With the help of automated campaigns, the results are more consistent and effective, directly impacting on the results, in other words, the conversion of leads.
However, this will also depend on the quality of the content, the segmentation and the strategy as a whole.
Benefit 5: Better customer journey experience
When a lead feels well looked after and valued, the chances of your company closing a deal generally increase.
For this reason, marketing automation is a great benefit in these cases, where the agility provided by technologies and tools can be felt directly in the customer's usability.
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Marketing Automation Tools
There are several automation tools available on the market, with functionalities that adapt to different needs, profiles and company sizes.
At 4RevOps, for example, we use various marketing and process automation tools, but the one that best meets our needs is HubSpot and we'll talk about it in more detail.
Below, we highlight two marketing automation tools we use that will make a total difference to your marketing strategy:
HubSpot
HubSpot is one of the most complete platforms when it comes to marketing automation. It offers resources for creating nurture flows, automated emails, landing pages, integrated CRM and many other possibilities.
It's ideal for those who want to structure a solid inbound marketing strategy with a 360º view of the customer, with tools and technologies that adapt completely to their reality and needs.
To better understand all of Hubspot's features, it's worth going through its manual and discovering how this platform can make a difference to your company's day-to-day operations.
MailChimp
Well known for its ease of use, MailChimp is an excellent option for those starting out in business and who need support in their marketing strategy in an automated way.
MailChimp allows you to create automated email marketing campaigns, segment contacts and analyze performance. It's a cheaper and simpler solution, but very effective for small and medium-sized businesses.
Other marketing automation tools
In addition to the aforementioned HubSpot and MailChimp, the marketing automation market offers several other tools that can fit perfectly with your company's needs and timing.
The ideal choice will depend on your objectives, the digital maturity of your team and, of course, the budget available.
If you are looking for a more robust and integrated solution, especially for large teams or companies with more complex processes, Salesforce Marketing Cloud could be an excellent alternative.
It offers a range of advanced functionalities and CRM integrations that make the customer journey even more personalized.
For those operating in the Brazilian market and looking for a practical solution, with support in Portuguese and aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, RD Station is a very popular choice.
With a user-friendly, results-oriented interface, it is ideal for businesses that are structuring their inbound marketing strategies.
Another interesting option is Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), which combines simplicity, a good range of features and great value for money.
It's a safe choice for those who are starting out and need an affordable but functional platform to automate their campaigns.
If your focus is on a more complete ecosystem that includes marketing automation, email, sales funnels, webinars and other functionalities in a single tool, GetResponse is worth a look. It is widely used by content creators, digital businesses and e-commerces.
Finally, SharpSpring is ideal for marketing agencies or companies that deal with multiple clients. With a structure that allows you to manage several accounts in an organized way, it offers a robust automation package with a high level of customization.
The most important thing is to assess which of these solutions best fits your current reality and which can help you achieve your goals more efficiently.
Always remember that marketing automation can be a strategic ally in your company's growth, just like other automation tools.
Process automation tools
Automation is not limited to marketing strategies and you can use some process automation tools, such as Make and n8n.
Both allow you to create automated workflows between different applications and systems, catering for different user profiles. Check them out below:
Make
Make stands out for its extremely visual and intuitive interface, ideal for those looking for practicality without having to understand programming.
With it, you can create automation scenarios by connecting applications such as Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable and many others.
The logic of the flows is built like a diagram, with blocks representing actions, filters and conditions. All this can be done directly in the cloud, without the need for installation or infrastructure.
It's a popular tool for marketing, sales and operations teams who want to automate day-to-day tasks quickly and with little or no code.
n8n
n8n, on the other hand, offers a more technical proposal and, as it is an open source tool, it allows for much greater customization of flows and can be installed on your own servers, as well as the cloud option.
Its interface focuses on users who want more control and freedom to create robust automations, including the possibility of writing JavaScript scripts, integrating customized APIs and using advanced logic.
For this reason, it is especially valued by developers and more technical teams who need flexibility and total autonomy when it comes to automating complex processes.
Relying on specialized professionals can make all the difference in this process. Let's get implementing!
Caption: Illustration depicting marketing automation with gears and digital elements.
Step by step to implement Marketing Automation
Putting marketing automation into practice requires planning, strategy and the use of the right tools. It's not enough just to set up a few automated emails. You need to understand your customer's journey, map contact points and build flows that make sense for your business.
Here's a step-by-step guide to the main elements for effective implementation:
Step 1: Define clear objectives
Before you start implementing marketing automation, understand what you hope to achieve with automation, as this will guide your entire strategy. The most common objectives are:
- Increase the generation of qualified leads;
- Improve the engagement of inactive leads;
- Shorten the sales cycle;
- Increase conversion rates in specific campaigns;
- Nurture leads to the point of purchase.
If you're finding it difficult in this first phase, set measurable targets, for example, to increase the number of leads ready for the sales team by 20% in 3 months and closely monitor whether the process is working and how it can be improved.
Step 2: Map the customer journey
Understanding the customer journey is essential to knowing what to communicate and when. What are the points of contact with your audience? At what points do they need more information, confidence or encouragement to move forward in the sales funnel?
It is on the basis of these answers that your analysis will be solid and efficient. Generally speaking, the main stages of the customer journey are:
- Discovery (top of funnel);
- Consideration (middle of the funnel);
- Decision (bottom of funnel).
Check out our Audioblog on the importance of the sales funnel and how it needs to be optimized to increase your conversion rate, attracting qualified leads and nurturing them along the way until they close the deal.
After this mapping, you can create specific content and automation for each stage of the lead capture journey, with the essential help of marketing automation.
Step 3: Segment your audience
As mentioned earlier, one of the great advantages of marketing automation is being able to personalize communication with your audience according to specific information. And this is only possible with good audience segmentation.
You can segment your audience based on:
- Demographic profile (age, location, job title, etc.);
- Behavior (pages visited, emails opened, clicks);
- Stage in the funnel;
- Engagement with previous campaigns.
The better defined your audience is, i.e. the more information you have about how you want to target them, the more effective your campaigns will be.
Step 4: Create Marketing Automation flows
Now it's time to get down to business! Set up automated flows based on the objectives you previously defined, as stated in the first step. Here are some examples of flows you can create according to your strategy:
- A welcome flow for new leads;
- A sequence of educational emails for those who have downloaded an e-book;
- A re-engagement campaign for inactive contacts;
- A flow of reminders for those who have abandoned their cart (in e-commerce).
These flows can be simple or complex, depending on your digital maturity and the tool you have chosen to apply marketing automation to your company.
Step 5: Monitor, analyze and optimize
Marketing automation is not something you set up once and forget about. You need to monitor the results closely and adapt them whenever necessary to improve your company's performance.
As well as installing an automation tool, you need to define and monitor performance metrics such as:
- Opening rate and clicks on emails;
- Conversions on landing pages;
- Average time in funnel;
- Rate of leads qualified for sales.
Based on the collection of this information, it is possible to adjust flows, improve content and test new approaches, optimizing the results of automation to achieve better results.
Summary: Marketing automation uses technology to automate marketing actions and campaigns. Benefits include time savings, personalization, nurturing qualified leads, increased conversions and better customer experience. Available tools include HubSpot, MailChimp, Make, n8n, among others.
In addition to marketing automation, it is important to keep up with the digital transformation that is impacting all sectors of the economy and investing in technology can be your business's competitive edge.
HubSpot's sales automation is an excellent option for those who want to make their processes even more optimized and efficient.
All about marketing automation to boost your results
What is marketing automation and what is it for?
Marketing automation is the use of tools and technologies to automate repetitive tasks such as sending emails, nurturing leads and segmenting audiences. It serves to make processes more efficient, personalize communication and increase conversion rates throughout the customer journey.
What are the main benefits of marketing automation?
The main benefits include saving time, personalization at scale, nurturing qualified leads, increasing conversion and improving the customer experience. All this contributes to a more efficient, data-driven marketing operation.
What tools are used in marketing automation?
Tools such as HubSpot, MailChimp, RD Station, Brevo, GetResponse and SharpSpring are widely used. They offer functionalities such as automated flows, integrated CRM, segmentation and campaign analysis.
How do I start implementing marketing automation?
Start by defining clear objectives, mapping the customer journey, segmenting your audience, creating automation flows and, finally, monitoring the results based on metrics such as open rate, clicks and conversion.
What is the difference between marketing automation and process automation?
Marketing automation focuses on communication strategies and lead nurturing, while process automation uses tools such as Make or n8n to integrate systems and automate internal operational tasks, such as data updates or notifications.
Is it possible to personalize campaigns with marketing automation?
Yes. Automation allows you to personalize messages based on data such as behavior, location, stage in the funnel and interaction history. This improves engagement and increases the chances of conversion.
How do I know if my company is ready for marketing automation?
Assess whether your company already has a structured contact base, defined marketing objectives, repetitive processes and a team with basic knowledge of digital tools. These are good signs that it's time to automate.
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