Marketing Automation
The complexity of today’s marketing and the increase of marketing clutter have created a demand for innovative new tools to amplify the value of your marketing budget. It’s not enough that these tools work - they must take advantage of today’s technology for maintaining data to eliminate waste and deliver relevant messages to the proper audience.
Beanstalk Data blends marketing solutions with process improvement to increase marketing effectiveness. Beanstalk Data will actually decrease your marketing budget by eliminating costly manual transactions and at the same time increase your return on marketing investment.
Marketing Automation vs. Customer Relationship Management
Most companies have some way of keeping up with their customers. In recent years, a number of products have come on the market to assist in this effort. But even the best CRM packages still depend on human beings inputing and updating data. While Marketing Automation does require an initial input of data, Beanstalk Data’s Marketing Automation can update itself based on responses from customers, clients, or prospects. Marketing Automation enables you to continually collect information from your clients in subtle, noninvasive ways that help you build relationships based on client preferences. How does this work? With our Marketing Automation platform you could send a prospect a direct mail piece prompting them to view a website. If the prospect visits the website, the Marketing Automation program will record that information. Marketing Automation will also track which specific pages the prospect visits. Based on this information, the Marketing Automation program can send out an email to the client which highlights the specific type of material in which the prospect showed interest. If the prospect responds to the email, Marketing Automation records that information as well. To collect even more data, Marketing Automation can generate a survey. And Marketing Automation can use the information collected via the survey to trigger specific marketing events or the sending of particular types of marketing materials to the prospect. Marketing Automation enables you to track what seems to work for each customer. Marketing Automation enables you to treat each client as a unique individual.
The truth is with CRM and Marketing Automation it is not an “either, or” situation. Marketing Automation leverages the value of a CRM package, using it to increase your interactions with your prospects, customers, and clients. One of the beauties of the Beanstalk Data’s Marketing Automation solution is that it can integrate with CRM products and other software, enhancing the capabilities of these applications.
Marketing Automation and the Sales Team
Marketing Automation prepares the way for a sales person. Marketing Automation warms up a prospect so that there really is not any “cold calling.” Through multichannel approach marketing campaigns, which are both carefully structured and coordinated, a potential customer becomes acquainted with your company before they meet with any of your representatives. By using some creative strategies, you can create a positive energy with regard to your company through a variety of approaches: direct mail campaigns, email contacts, surveys or phone conversations. When the salesperson finally connects with the contact, they already have a “history.” Marketing Automation creates a starting point for conversation and when used correctly helps keep the conversation going until a true customer relationship comes into being. Marketing Automation will help you get your foot in the door, but Marketing Automaton will also help you find out about your client and teach you how to best approach that individual as you continue to build a partnership. It is wonderful to get a sale, but the philosophy behind Marketing Automation is that it is easier to cultivate and maintain long-term, mutually beneficial relationships than to continually be looking for the one-shot opportunity.
Marketing Automation and Your Budget
Everyone and every company is carefully monitoring where and how precious cash is being spent. Marketing Automation is an investment, but Marketing Automation is also a cost containment tool. There are multiple ways that Beanstalk Data’s Marketing Automation solution helps you save money. Here are three examples:
- Campaign Tracking – With Beanstalk Data’s Marketing Automation software everything gets tracked and measured. Marketing Automation tracks email campaigns, direct mail campaigns, telephone calls, sales calls, and website traffic. With our Marketing automation system, you will not only know how many emails were sent, how many brochures were mailed, and how many calls were made; but you’ll also know what the response levels were for each of those approaches. You can quickly determine when something just isn’t working. Then, you can either tweak the campaign or eliminate it altogether. Marketing automation lets you know where your money should be spent.
- Budget Parameters – Beanstalk Data understands that it is important to stay within budget. That’s why our Marketing Automation platform lets you set the budget. You can establish a weekly, monthly, or annual budget for various types of campaigns. When the spending limit is reached, the Marketing Automation software will not allow new campaigns to be initiated. You will never be taken by surprise by the cost of a marketing campaign again. Marketing Automation will keep you within your budgetary guidelines. You are in control!
- An Audience of One – Marketing Automation sounds cold and impersonal, but it actually focuses on individuals. Marketing Automation mines for information about a client’s needs and preferences. Marketing Automation then customizes the email or literature you send to address the interests of that particular person. With Marketing Automation and innovations in digital printing, you do not have to print 1000 generic brochures to send to every prospect. You can send a customized brochure to one client at a time. The cost is definitely reasonable and even more so when you consider that your mail piece is targeted directly to the person who will receive it.
Marketing Automation lets you accurately calculate the return you are receiving for your marketing investment. Marketing Automation gives you complete budgetary control. And Marketing Automation increases the value of your marketing materials.