CRM and Marketing Automation systems are the most frequently chosen from among the whole range of available marketing tools. Both solutions allow for effective contact with the customer and building relationships. Although they are perfectly compatible with each other, there are significant differences between them.
What is Marketing Automation and how can it expand your business?
Marketing Automation is a part of the marketing strategy supported by a dedicated tool that allows for delivering customised advertising messages to the audience, in accordance with the agreed scenario. The system enables reaching potential customers and generating sales leads. With this tool it is possible to collect data on the users’ preferences, behaviour, needs, gender, age, place of residence.
The information gathered helps to determine what really prompts customers to buy. On this basis, it is possible to perform base segmentation, and then create personalised marketing campaigns. Marketing automation is used to improve advertising, marketing, and sales activities. It connects to other customer relations management systems (such as CRM), allowing you to run more accurate and effective advertising campaigns.
What is CRM Automation?
A customer journey begins with marketing, but continues through a sales funnel. Marketing Automation gathers information on potential customers, while the CRM system leads them to a higher level. What does this mean in practice? Simply put, buyers who have shown some interest in the offer are more willing to buy. Extensive data on the audience, obtained thanks to Marketing Automation systems, is transferred to the CRM, enabling sales representatives to target the sales.
The combination of CRM and Marketing Automation changes the approach to both marketing and customers. The use of available marketing tools should be treated as a dynamic, multidimensional whole, not separate actions. The conversion and sales in an online store consists of dozens of various factors, while the key to success lies in customisation of the advertising message combined with predictive marketing. Thanks to this approach, both brands and customers can enjoy benefits. In the first case, we are dealing with a shorter buying process and higher sales, while for customers this means time savings and satisfaction with purchases.
Automation and cooperation with CRM
Marketing Automation and CRM systems are perfectly compatible with each other, allowing for complex operations. CRM automation also helps to automate many tedious and repetitive processes based on information registered in the system. As a result, the quality of relations, productivity, and efficiency improve significantly. Why is it worth integrating both systems? Quite often the leads that go to the sales department are worthless – the recipients are not ready to buy. Marketing Automation prepares potential customers to finalise transactions, enabling the creation of personalised campaigns. In other words, it extracts only hot leads that give you the highest chance of selling.
Differences between CRM and Marketing Automation
Marketing Automation focuses on collecting data regarding the audience, while the CRM system contains a database of already acquired customers, facilitating the functioning of the sales department. Marketing Automation and CRM are perfectly compatible with each other, but there is a fundamental difference between them. First of all, marketing automation allows you to handle interaction processes, while the CRM system comes down to managing information on customers. The main purpose of Marketing Automation tools is to generate leads which are later transferred to the sales department. Marketing Automation and CRM differ from each other both in terms of their purpose and basic functionalities. Despite the dissimilarities between the two tools, they interact with each other, acquiring more and more common features.
