A few years ago, sales and marketing departments were still separate entities in many companies. This has long since changed with options such as big data, different data analysis tools or various marketing technologies that the Internet provides us with these days. The two departments are becoming ever more entwined thanks to modern technology and software. The result is that marketing is taking over more and more parts of the actual sales process.
However, one disadvantage of this development is also the increased potential for conflict between the two departments: marketing is now taking on some lead generation, which used to be part of the sales department's job. Likewise, the sales department can now also give their colleagues in marketing the responsibility for too few leads, which used to be their own remit.
Back to the future!
Many companies have researched your products or services and made a decision to buy well in advance of the use of new technology. This is precisely why it is important to get them excited about what you offer with interesting content.
We use software for this that observes and analyses in detail your buyers' behavior on your website. Individually tailored content can then help you to gain more qualified leads for your sales department later on. So, instead of delivering any old content, marketing automation also tries to offer the right content at the right time. Your buyers receive targeted advertising that interests them but doesn't annoy them. The result: more traffic, more leads and so more sales.
We can offer you two marketing automation systems to help you achieve your goals: Oracle Eloqua for large enterprise solutions and HubSpot for small and medium-sized companies. W4 is a certified solutions partner for both systems.
Establishing a qualified lead can be pretty time consuming. Marketing automation can be used to completely automate many activities. Potential buyers and business partners are accompanied all the way from information gathering to the purchase. During this process, not only is a user profile created, it is also constantly updated with new information to make communication even more personal. Further useful content means that new prospects for qualified leads can also be gained. Regular communication also means that contact with these users is not broken off so quickly.
Example: How exactly does marketing automation work?
A company wants to access a new service. It therefore researches the issue on the net and comes across your website. In return for some information (e.g. name and email address), an eBook can then be downloaded from a purpose-built landing page. These interactions (downloads, website clicks, visits from social media pages etc.) are then collected by the system to generate targeted contact.
Then comes the most important step: the qualification of the lead – also known as lead nurturing. Here, it is important to give the interested party the right information at the right time – depending on the lifecycle phase the lead is in at this time. Using the marketing automation software we offer, you can even send them more information afterwards. You can also customise this (for example with a personalised greeting) so as to prepare the lead for the sale in an ideal way.
On to the next level!
In addition to reducing your business's marketing expenses, the benefits of marketing automation are clear: more traffic, more leads, more sales and better measurability of your overall marketing activities.
But one thing is for sure: by introducing marketing automation, you will be well prepared for future tasks and challenges and ready to take it all to the next (marketing) level.
