Integrating automation into the daily workflow is something SMBs are doing to optimize their resources and increase sales. They’re also trying to keep up with competitors already using marketing automation. In an effort to help, let’s examine 5 automated marketing features SMBs need.
1. Social Media Automation:
Social media marketing has become a great way to source leads for modern businesses, yet the time it takes to engage with social media platforms can easily drain the resources of SMBs. This is why businesses need marketing automation for social media.
Essentially, marketing automation for social media comes in the form of automated social media posting. Businesses can schedule routine or event postings, while automating posts from the company’s blog or video platform.
Social media automation features also give users the ability to post the same message across multiple social media platforms from a central dashboard interface.
2. Connection with CRM:
SMBs need their automated marketing software to connect with their CRM software; my company’s TieiT software includes both marketing automation and CRM in one solution. When these are connected, contacts and leads from automated marketing campaigns can be automatically or easily transferred over to CRM lists.
Automated marketing campaigns can also be tracked and analyzed with CRM analytical tools if they’re connected. Businesses will further benefit if they can use only one central dashboard interface to manage both tools.
3. Scheduling Tools:
When creating marketing automation workflows, users will need scheduling tools to publish future campaigns. Scheduling tools are integral for automated marketing, as they allow businesses to set routine publishing times for one-time or continuous delivery.
Social media posting, email marketing, publishing landing pages, and task reminders can all be automated according to a set schedule. The scheduling tool is a must for automated marketing.
4. Create Targeted Streams:
This is a social media marketing automation feature that gives users the ability to create a targeted stream that monitors: keywords, brand mentions, and hashtags in specific locations. This feature also helps businesses monitor their competition as well.
SMBs can gain valuable intel on their social media efforts and their competition by simply creating a targeted stream that uses automation to filter set criteria. In addition to analytics, this feature is sure to bring actionable insights for strategic purposes.
5. Workflow Triggers:
Automated marketing works to move leads along the sales pipeline, as long as users create workflow triggers to guide them along. Workflow triggers are set by users to automatically send created responses to leads as they flow through the sales funnel.
Responding to leads at every step of the sales funnel with automated messages helps SMBs follow-up and nurture them to fruition. Triggers can also be set for conversions, inquiries, past customers, lost leads, etc.
Mostly, workflow triggers help guide leads through the top levels of sales funnels, as an article on Capterra, called: “What’s the Difference Between CRM and Marketing Automation Software?”, written on June 21st, 2018 by Tirena Dingeldein, explains:
“Marketing automation software helps foster leads and get them ready for your sales team. Once the lead has progressed to the bottom of the funnel to become a qualified sales lead (and eventually a customer), that’s when companies typically start to track their interactions through a CRM.”
Summary
When only 56% of small businesses have CRM software, those that have both marketing automation and CRM software will have a definable edge over those that don’t. The 5 automated marketing features we examined will further help SMBs take advantage of these SaaS tools.
