Reasons to automate small-business marketing

Over the years, marketing automation has become more accessible to small businesses. Thanks to innovative cloud solutions, large and small enterprises can reap the benefits of automating tedious marketing tasks. Here are a few advantages to automating your small business’s marketing efforts.

Inbound lead assignment

When you have phone calls, emails, and meetings piling up, it’s hard to keep track of which customer needs what and who is working with them. With marketing automation software and tracking, customer service representatives are automatically assigned to inbound leads based on specialties and demographics so they can work on building profitable rapport right away.

Instant responses to email requests

If a customer or prospect sends your business an email via your website or a “Contact Us” form, any delay in response could ultimately cost you a sale. But if you have a marketing automation plan in place, you can customize automatic email responses to these leads as soon as an email is received. This either provides potential customers with the information they requested or informs them that you will be responding in greater detail soon.

Stop leaving voicemails and start closing deals

There’s a reason most people prefer to communicate via email: keeping in touch over the phone can be tough if both parties are always busy. An automated system solves this by logging information about the leads you have contacted and automatically emailing them about follow-up times. The call, email, and response are all logged in your CRM and calendar without a single minute wasted on inputting mundane information.

Give and you shall receive

Potential clients and leads get dozens, sometimes hundreds, of business emails every day. You need something to set your business apart from the rest. By offering valuable content such as how-to guides and total cost of ownership tools in exchange for contact information, you can create a win-win scenario. Prospects get the content they want, and you get the information you need to make a sale.

All it takes is a web form and some creative writing that ultimately leads visitors back to your products and/or services. Your automation software delivers content to anyone who provides contact information, and it downloads metrics that can be tracked and analyzed by business analytics tools.

Never type another phone number again

Networking events mean new contacts and new leads. They used to mean having to keep track of thick stacks of business cards, but cutting-edge marketing tools now make it possible to take a picture of contact information and automatically store it as part of a cloud-based database. Call-ins, scanned business cards, and received emails are all organized into a single digital Rolodex with recommendations on whom to contact and when it is best to do so — without one minute of tedious data entry.

Every business owner knows that automating mindless tasks is worth it. But not everyone knows what sort of tools are available to cut down on wasteful work. Our team specializes in using technology to add value to your business. Get in touch with us today to make your marketing technology work for you.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.