Marketing automation has taken off in recent years because it has become one of the most effective ways for building materials marketers to measure their efforts and streamline daily tasks. Automation tools also provide valuable insight into your marketing strategy, if it’s working or not, and where adjustments can be made.
With the right marketing automation tool, pressure is taken off of your marketing department because they have a central hub to control all digital marketing activity like email, social media, blogging, creating landing pages, and etc.
Automation can provide ways to better personalize user experiences, as well as bring your sales and marketing teams together. You’ll be able to see who is engaging with your campaigns and which leads are ready to be passed over to the sales team.
Using the right platform acts as an extension to your digital marketing team, allowing them to be completed in half the time.
So the question is, how do you find marketing automation tools that fit your business structure? With hundreds of products out there, you may need some guidance.
Let’s take a look at these 7 steps which will help you narrow down the best automation software for your building materials business.
1. Understanding Your Business Goals
As the owner of a building materials supply company, you may not fully understand what your marketing department needs for success. It's easy to take your marketing team for granted without fully grasping what they need to grow your business more efficiently based on the way it operates.
Take some time to study your specific goals, like attracting X number of visitors to your site with a hope of converting X% into leads. Determining your goals first will help you find the tool you need to achieve those goals.
This can help you whittle down a short list of software platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, or Pardot. You can look for features like real-time lead alerts, automated email workflows for lead nurturing, and keyword monitoring.
2. Looking At Software Features
It's important to choose automation software based on its ability to integrate with your other business tools. You may have a separate contact relationship management (CRM) platform like Salesforce that you want to use alongside your automation tool.
The best automation programs offer integrations or, even better, built-in CRMs. Make sure any separate software is easily compatible and integrated with your automation tool of choice.
3. How Much Are You Willing To Spend?
Marketing automation tools vary widely in price, though it all depends on the features you need. Many top software names can be expensive, but they often have the best features and ratings.
HubSpot is one of the best automation tools around. We know firsthand because we use HubSpot for the majority of our digital marketing needs. Luckily, there are multiple pricing tiers to choose from depending on how complex your needs are.
In most cases, you'll pay a monthly fee, so consider how much you're willing to pay based on long-term budgetary outlook. Don’t forget to factor in your ideal return on investment (ROI) when looking at cost. Marketing software is an investment that greatly enhances the chance of growth, but you’ll need to weigh that investment against what you stand to gain from each sale.
4. Reading Reviews Online
One of the best ways to gauge how well a particular marketing automation tool works is to hear from actual people who have experience using it. By reading reviews from real customers, you can get a good sense of the pros and cons that come with using a particular software.
If possible, try to find reviews from building material suppliers like you. You'll discover what features worked best given the specific industry, and which ones had major weaknesses. Choosing a software that is common among your industry will give you an advantage because you will already have an idea of what works.
5. Using A Demo Of The Software
Some marketing automation tools let you try an online demo or trial period. Don't hesitate to use one, especially if they give you at least 30 days to experiment and play around with all of their features.
This is enough time to see if the software can solve basic marketing challenges like contact database organization and list segmentation. Additionally, it’s enough time to determine if the software is easy to use or will take significant training to learn.
A smart idea is to create a short list of software demos and try each one so you can weigh the options based on first-hand use.
6. Asking Questions Directly
Most marketing automation companies have enthusiastic salespeople who will field questions directly. Since they want to sell their product, they will be very helpful in answering your questions and giving you more information.
Take advantage of this as much as you can since you don't want to invest in software that will hide features you truly need. If they don't answer back immediately, it's a possible red flag for poor customer service. When you do purchase an automation tool, it’s being used to contact your customers and prospects, so if something goes wrong, you will want a real person at the other end of the line promptly.
7. Getting Training
Some marketing automation software companies like HubSpot give you video courses so your marketing team can get the most out of the product. More specifically, HubSpot provides certification courses that are extremely comprehensive and valuable.
It's worth your time to do as much learning as possible since it can help your team master the automation software faster. The more they know the ins and outs of the software, the more streamlined you'll make your marketing efforts to get ahead of building supply competitors.
The process of selecting the right automation software will take time. Don’t skip any of the steps; you don’t want to find out after you’ve made a purchase that something isn’t right. And be aware that you don’t have to handle of the marketing on your own! There are agencies who specialize in digital marketing that can help you plan, strategize, and execute daily tasks using the software of your choice.
