6 ways to get the most out of marketing automation

6 ways to get the most out of marketing automation

04/11/2016

 

04/11/2016

 

6 ways to get the most out of marketing automation

WRITTEN BY

Aled Herbert
Content director

Aled oversees all editorial as our content director. He loves a good story – which is no surprise, as he started out in children’s publishing.

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Marketing automation technology lets brands market effectively across multiple online channels and automate repetitive tasks, such as emails and social media outreach. Here are some tips for getting the most out of marketing automation campaigns.

  1.  Divide and conquer through segmentation

Emails are one of the most powerful tools for conversion, allowing one-to-one interaction with customers. Make use of their full potential by segmenting contacts into relevant groups and personalising content accordingly. This will increase retention, reduce unsubscribe rates and improve email open and clickthrough rates. It can be as simple as sending special offers to customers on their birthdays.

  1. Use storytelling to get the message across

People don’t like being sold to. So  employ great stories that inspire and entertain or help and guide customers and prospects. Not only will this help create trust around your brand, it’s more likely your content will be liked, shared and spread far and wide. For example, Dove enjoyed success by tapping into women’s emotions through its ‘Real Beauty’ campaign and Airbnb tried to inspire its customers with authentic traveller stories through its ‘Neighbourhoods’ platform

  1. Offer a virtual handshake

When new subscribers sign up to your newsletter, welcome them with a personalised message. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the benefits of being part of your email list. For example, they may be offered exclusive discounts, be the first to hear about flash sales or receive useful advice around key topics

  1. Reach the right people at the right time

Don’t risk your marketing efforts falling on deaf ears. Instead, use marketing automation tools to ensure your content is distributed to the right people, at the right time and through the right channels. For example, if your audience is largely millennial Londoners, you might consider producing content that distracts them from their daily commute

  1. Ditch automated ‘no-reply’ emails

Emails are one of the most effective ways to communicate with customers, opening a door for one-to-one interaction. Why then would brands send emails with no means for a customer to reply? This leaves a bad impression and sends a message that you don’t care, aren’t willing to listen to feedback or are too busy to deal with customers directly. Moreover, ‘no-reply’ emails are far more likely to be trapped by spam filters, reducing the likelihood that your emails will even make it into your customer’s inbox.

  1. Use live chat and talk to customers

Live chat is a fantastic way to interact with customers and gather direct feedback. It’s efficient, slick and simple and keeps customers happy. We all know how frustrating it is when you call a company and can’t speak to a human, so implementing live chat is a brilliant way to circumvent this, by putting employees ‘in front’ of customers.

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