By now it is marketing automation is no longer a strange concept for companies. According to a 2021 report, 96% of marketers have used marketing automation software. However, most marketers are still underusing this technology. Email marketing remains the most automated channel among marketers 65%. On the contrary, dynamic web forms (12%), live chat (13%), and landing pages (30%) are channels that could benefit from more automation. Businesses need to leverage the full range of capabilities of automation software to reap the benefits. One of those rewards is undoubtedly better and more effective lead generation.
HOW DOES MARKETING AUTOMATION CONTRIBUTE TO LEAD GENERATION?
First, lead generation is the process of identifying prospects with the goal of initiating a series of activities to convert them into long-term customers. Lead generation is one of the first and most important steps in the entire lead management process. Acquiring new customers is undoubtedly an integral part of growing a customer base and scaling a business. To achieve this, marketing and advertising campaigns must be set up. Next, the company must identify individuals who show a genuine interest in these campaigns and push them through the sales funnel.
In all industries, the percentage of leads that become customers is generally low. Therefore, the pressure is on companies to generate a lot of leads. The tasks associated with that scale of lead generation can be overwhelming. But this is where marketing automation comes in. This technology helps streamline the identification of good prospects and improve communication with them through segmentation and personalization. This allows the follow-up processes in lead management – capturing, qualifying and nurturing – to run smoothly. Automated lead management results in more conversions and sales and starts generating leads.
HOW TO USE MARKETING AUTOMATION TO GENERATE MORE LEADS
Marketing automation software is a versatile tool that goes beyond email marketing. Here are great ways to use automation to boost your lead generation process.
A/B/X TESTING
You can never be sure what prospects and customers will respond to. Oftentimes, most brands have to play a guessing game with their landing pages, dynamic content, contact forms, and other aspects of the marketing campaign. Of A/B/X testing however, the guesswork is replaced by hard evidence. A/B/X testing allows companies to create two or more versions of a campaign and expose different segments to each version. Subsequently, analytics and reporting will provide data on the performance of each campaign. For example, the company can create three different subject lines for their emails and then compare the open rates. This provides insight into the type of subject lines that most appeal to the audience. Therefore, the brand can adapt its email marketing strategy to meet its lead generation requirements.
ANONYMOUS PROFILING
Up to 98% of web page visitors are anonymous. While some of these anonymous visitors are customers who are not logged in, the larger percentage are individuals unknown to the company. Therefore, these unknown prospects can become leads with targeted marketing. Marketing automation offers several ways to interact with these anonymous visitors for lead generation. For example, most automation software comes with website visitor tracking software. This feature allows users to identify anonymous individuals with their IP addresses or browser IDs and assign them unique IDs. Companies can then build a profile of these people and send them personalized content. Your companies can also communicate with anonymous customers with push notifications on the web. In addition, automation software can help create custom contact forms and landing pages to collect personal information.
BEHAVIOR TRACKING
Timing is key to lead generation. The best time to engage with prospects is when they take actions that demonstrate a clear interest in a brand. Therefore, tracking behavior is very important, and automation software helps with that. Behavioral tracking can show marketers when a prospect visits a web page, opens an email, or downloads a resource. Real-time alerts improve this process. It helps companies respond with triggered emails or live chats right after action has been taken. Doing this greatly increases the chances of winning over these prospects.
EMAIL DRIP CAMPAIGNS
The most common application of marketing automation is email marketing. Automating software can take your business a step further in marketing with drip campaigns. An email drip campaign consists of a series of pre-written emails that are sent when a prospect or customer takes action. These actions can range from shopping cart abandonment to newsletter signups. As a result, drip campaigns are excellent for lead generation and nurturing.
ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
A data-driven approach can make all the difference in generating leads. Automation software can provide rich insights into campaigns generating the most leads and leads likely to convert the most. It can also reveal cost analysis of lead generation and obstacles to lead conversion. In the hands of the right marketing team, this data will shape strategies that generate more leads.
Finally, it is essential to admit that generating leads can be a difficult process. Marketing automation however, offers the platform to put the processes on autopilot. Invest in one automation platform to increase the number of qualified leads your company generates today.
