One of the most important challenges faced by enterprises is building and maintaining good relationships with customers based on the reciprocity principles. In the age of tough competition in the e-commerce industry, keeping a loyal customer becomes increasingly difficult. Marketing Automation comes to the rescue, allowing for implementation of automated marketing campaigns. How to use the full potential of sales process automation tools?
What is Marketing Automation actually about?
Marketing Automation enables automation of marketing activities using dedicated tools. The implementation of modern solutions can significantly improve the effectiveness of sales campaigns. There is no need to perform every action manually. This is the point of Marketing Automation – once the system is configured, marketers can more efficiently carry out repetitive activities and implement even more advanced advertising campaigns.
Automation tools allow for performing Big Data analyses in real time, owing to which sales activities are carried out based on the current knowledge about consumers. The key to success is segmentation and personalisation of marketing campaigns, which makes communication more direct, tailored to the current needs and expectations of users.
Marketing Automation – marketing tools
Platforms for automating sales processes rely on three levels: data acquisition, engagement of potential customers, and sales. On the basis of the collected data, they make it possible to build a behavioural profile of an identified user, assigning them to a specific segment. Everything is done automatically with regard to both user behaviour and response. Communication with the recipient can take place via email, push notifications, chatbots, text campaigns, disseminating content in the form of video, via social media, or website. By combining marketing tools with Marketing Automation, we can influence not only the increase in the number of acquired customers, but also better communication with recipients and more efficient work.
Marketing Automation activities
Sales campaigns relying on automation systems are very effective, but the very possession of the software will not guarantee anything – one needs a previously prepared strategy and a specific plan. What kind of activities can be carried out using Marketing Automation? Probably the biggest bane in the e-commerce industry are abandoned shopping carts – a user selects products, adds them to the cart and leaves the online store. There are many reasons why they did not finalise the transaction. Perhaps the most common is a better offer from competitors and some events that distract users from the purchase. A potential customer simply forgets to complete the transaction. The simplest automation is rescuing shopping carts with reminders in the form of dynamic emails or customised push notifications, which are displayed even when the user closes the website.
As part of the chosen strategy, you can implement specific communication scenarios and select the most effective channels. Equally important seems to be good after-sales service, thanks to which we have a chance to win loyal customers. It is worth sending the recipient a ‘thank you for your purchase’ message or granting a discount for the next order – everything happens automatically with the use of the Marketing Automation system. Tools enable, among others, display of dynamic contact forms or product (recommendation) frames on the website.
Marketing Automation – case studies
What other possibilities does Marketing Automation offer? The case study of the Frisco.pl brand shows that automatic customer segmentation based on the history of purchases increased several-fold the effectiveness of the emails sent. Moreover, thanks to an automatic program with discount codes, it managed to reactivate customers effectively. Another example is Bioderma – automation in the loyalty program and improved contact with subscribers significantly increased the brand’s sales results (470% higher OR for rule emails and almost 800% higher CTR). On the other hand, the AlleKurier platform, through appropriate database segmentation and customisation of offers, achieved the Open Rate equivalent to 200% of the average OR value on the market. The above campaigns prepared by advertising agencies show that Marketing Automation is a powerful system which, combined with marketing tools, can give very good results, significantly affecting the brands’ sales results.
There are many examples, and their common denominator is providing users with targeted messages that help build trust, engagement in activities, and loyalty.
