Marketing automation has grown exponentially in the last two years from a $500m to a $1.2bn industry. For this reason, new automation tools pop up every day from every corner of the world. This makes the process of selecting the right marketing tool very tedious.
Reports indicate that the first step in increasing productivity and return on investment with marketing automation is by choosing the right marketing automation tool to use. When a company doesn’t do enough research while selecting the automation software tool, they end up paying for the tool’s subscriptions that do not meet their needs as well as marketing strategy. The following are the four things a company should look into before choosing a marketing automation tool.
What is the size of your leads database? Does it require a marketing automation tool?
Before employing a new marketing tool, a company should first ensure that it is producing enough and effective inbound marketing content. Furthermore, it should make sure that it is generating a steady flow of new, organic leads. A lead database is effective if there is a large quantity of leads to get in touch with for nurturing.
Marketers should avoid buying contacts to increase their lead database. Buying contacts can result in a company losing its reputation and hurting the companies IP address. The proper way of getting leads is by having an effective inbound marketing strategy. This approach nurtures prospects using valuable content that is highly personalized. This content helps convert the prospects into leads, and finally, the leads into delighted customers.
How many communication channels does the tool offer?
Most people think that email marketing is the only communication channel necessary in marketing automation. However, there are many other channels that are relevant and very useful. Other channels include social media, blogging, landing pages, management activities, and more.
Nevertheless, email marketing is one of the most popular and reliable channels. Using one mode of communicating only limits business growth and expansion. The chance that your business uses social media is very high, so wouldn’t you like to make the process of posting and reviewing analytics easier?
Through social media, your company can get more leads and have the ability to manage those leads in the same place as your email and blogging tool is invaluable. A company that concentrates only on email marketing suffers losing subscribers and lowering its email deliverability.
What is the effectiveness of the marketing automation tool?
A company targeting to increase its return on investment should question the effectiveness of the tool they want to invest in. An excellent marketing automation tool should not limit its marketing avenues and should take into account the changing needs of their lead. It should be able to be adapted based on the challenges facing the business. The more efficient an automation tool is, the greater the leads hence increased sales.
What is your marketing department capability?
Before investing in a particular marketing automation software, assess your business’s marketing department. Determine whether your marketing department understands technology well. Know whether the team is in a position to comfortably use new software. Though the market has a large pool of marketing automation tools and software to choose from, if you honestly assess your marketing department, the choices narrow down, and you will choose the right tool for your company.
Before selecting any tool it’s important to do the research, test it out with a trial, and come up with a plan for implementation. Know your limitations and where there is room for improvement and realize it may be wise to seek a consultant to assist in your new marketing software to get the most mileage out of your investment.
