Are you constantly putting off finding and implementing marketing automation software? We get it: automated marketing is a relatively new marketing solution that requires an investment in time and money to get off the ground. But there are a lot of benefits to putting marketing automation to work for your business — and a lot of reasons why you should do it sooner rather than later.
The Benefits of Automated Marketing
There is plenty of sound reasoning behind why you should be automating your marketing processes. So before we talk about why it’s crucial you do it now, here are some general benefits that speak to the utility — and growing necessity — of marketing automation software.
- It saves you money. While it will cost you money to purchase and run, a marketing automation tool will also save you a ton of money by taking care of the rote processes that eat up so much of your team’s time. In addition to being able to reduce staffing costs, you’ll also be able to be more efficient in tracking expenditures and outcomes and ensuring you don’t spend money on dead-end efforts.
- It refines your marketing process. Like the rest of us, you’re probably always on the lookout for ways to do things better, smarter, and faster. Automating your marketing allows you to do just that, with key actions taking place even without your input. You’ll identify gaps in your process, as well as eliminate some of the barriers standing in the way of your productivity.
You Need Marketing Automation — And You Need It Now
Not feeling the urgency yet? Here are three reasons why the sooner you can get started with automated marketing, the better off you’ll be.
1. Your Workload Isn’t Getting Any Lighter
The scope of marketing campaigns exploded with the introduction of the internet and social media. And just when you think you’ve figured out one channel, another one pops up to demand your attention. It makes sense then to invest in any tool that will help you lighten your load and save on time.
Marketing automation platforms perform various functions of these expanded marketing must-dos for you, such as email marketing, lead generation, and outreach. You’ll still have to pay attention, but you won’t be required to devote a ton of time each day to maximize your output. This gives you a lot more time than you can then focus on other tasks, which is great news in today’s marketing climate.
2. Your Competitors Are Already Doing It
Among top-performing companies, 79 percent have already been using marketing automation software for at least the past three years. To keep up with the Joneses (in this case, your competitors in the industry), you’ll need to be working with the same set of tools — and that includes automation. You’ll have to play a little bit of catch up, but it’s better to do that now than when your competitors have had automation processes in place for five years, or a decade! Simply put, if you aren’t automating your marketing, you’re not going to be considered competition among your industry peers for much longer.
3. You’ll Generate More Revenue
Automated marketing platforms don’t just save you money — they also help you make more. Companies that automate lead management, for example, see a 10 percent or more bump in revenue in just six to nine months. Again, it comes down to efficiency. When you’re securing more qualified leads and then optimizing your engagement with those leads, you’re bound to increase your conversion rates.
Of course, investing in automation requires you first to work it into your budget. But if you’re actively generating more leads and nurturing more leads to a sale, then it’s going to be worth it.
Take your time researching potential marketing automation solutions. There are economical options out there, and there are also platforms that are more expensive but not worth it if they offer more than you need. Always do a free trial of a platform before taking the plunge and making a purchase, and schedule a time for one of their reps to walk your team through a demo to ensure you’re maximizing your usage of the platform during the trial period.
Marketing automation can turn your marketing efforts into a well-oiled machine. If you want to compete now and tomorrow, you need to future proof your processes with some sort of automated solution. The more you can automate, the more time you’ll save and the more revenue potential you’ll ultimately end up with. That sounds like as good of a reason as any to stop making excuses and start getting to work choosing the best-automated option for your business.