Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing Automation

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1 Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing Automation What Is Marketing Automation And Demand Generation? Marketing automation software enables you to automate the internal and external processes of target marketing and communications, such as automatically generating follow up s to prospects based on their actions. Demand generation refers to the use of sales and/or marketing tactics, such as marketing and outbound sales calls, to generate interest in your product or service. What Is Marketing Automation s Purpose? Marketing automation is for marketing departments what CRM's are for sales. Why is marketing automation so important? For too long, marketing has not been able to prove that their actions directly contribute to revenue. Marketing Autmation systems do just that. In addition to automating the marketing function and nurturing a prospect until they are ready to buy (ie. become a sales qualified lead) such solutions show reports and metrics that clearly point to a marketing organization s efforts. In addition, if a company has an existing CRM system in place (like Salesforce) marketing automation software seamlessly integrates so that marketing can track through closed deals and show where marketing activities influenced revenue. How Do These Systems Work? Most marketing automation solutions are a web-based subscription service that doesn t require you to purchase or install any software or additional hardware. They do not utilize spyware or any other invasive technology to infringe on privacy. Instead they simply provide you with a unique code that you or your website manager can easily attach to each of your web pages. That code identifies your visitors and track behaviors specific to each while they are visiting your website. Basic information will be available instantly without any visitor interaction including: company name, geographic location, entry page, exit page, referral source, time of visit, total visit duration, number of pages viewed, specific pages viewed, duration of page view, repeat visits, search terms, and more. When specific visitor actions are taken identifiable information is collected from these visitors including their name, phone number, physical address and address. How Is Marketing Automation Different From Google Analytics And Other Free Tools? There is one major distinguishing feature: analytics can in no way show you identifiable visitor information, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers. When specific "opt-in" user behaviors occur, marketing automation solutions can provide this information.

2 While traditional analytics and web statistics provide some very useful knowledge about your website visitors as an entire group, marketing automation allows you to focus on precise details about individual users. For example, analytics can determine the geographic locations of people visiting your site. Separately, analytics can also list the sources of referral traffic to your site. However, analytics is not able to combine multiple elements on a per-visitor scale; it won t tell you the exact referral source of a distinct user (including their name and address) from a particular geographic location. Marketing automation compiles large amounts of information about unique visitors and provides detailed data for each, including identifiable information when certain conditions are met. How Are Marketing Automation Tools Different From Other Mass Tools? If you have used basic ing services in the past, you may have noticed the lack of in-depth reporting. Most marketing solution providers, particularly the less expensive ones, will allow you to create and send custom s. But you might be less than pleased with the results returned once an has been sent. You may be able to see who opened the and who clicked certain links, but you may not be able to see what they did on your website after that. And, you will not be able to know if they have previously visited your site and when they come back. You are simply left with a few small pieces of information with little indication of how big the puzzle of user interaction could really be. Marketing automation solutions not only provide the features and reporting of standard services, such as open rate, clickthrough rate, templates, contact management, and list management, but also provide tracking on everything recipients do after they click through your . This includes tracking individual users with identifiable information by which pages they view, how long they spend on each page, how long they stay on the site, exit pages, and more. Plus, you ll know if they have previously been to your site and every time they return, regardless if subsequent visits come from the initial . You ll also be able to create extensive drip campaigns and remarketing opportunities unlike any other service you ve tried. Marketing automation service providers show all of your visitor tracking and reporting data is easily be obtained, sorted, and analyzed in ONE place. It's accurate, complete, and fully integrated with all features and capabilities in a central location. You will not have to go through additional set up, search for data in multiple places, manually upload information to another location, or fail to understand the data as analyzed.

3 How Is Marketing Automation Different From Crm Tools Like Salesforce.com? Customer Relationship Management or CRM tools are a great way to keep track of your contacts information and communications, manage your sales pipeline, forecast revenue, and keep track of schedules. However, a CRM tool is only as good as the information you enter into it. CRM tools are not able to automatically track website visitors and reveal identifiable information the way a marketing automation solution does. Any sales intelligence you gain about a prospect has to be manually entered into a CRM. Generally, CRMs can automatically send communications, but on a limited scale. Large drip campaigns are typically not available unless you install a third party application for an added cost. In addition, because CRMs do not track website visits, campaigns cannot be based on specific user behavior. Integration with third party tools is often a difficult task that goes beyond an entry-level user. Marketing automation tools fully integrate visitor tracking with campaign systems, requiring no additional set-up, alternative billing, multiple report locations, or any other hassles. Will Marketing Automation Make My Website Slower? No. The code you install contains specific instructions that allow the entire page to load before data is sent to the software providers servers. Your visitors will not notice a difference in the speed of your website. What Kinds Of Companies Are Using These Systems? Any company that is selling to B2B or B2C in other words companies both big and small. If you are interested in increasing revenue, doing more with less, and maximizing your sales team s time, then marketing automation must be a serious consideration. However, according to Laura Ramos of Forrester, only 2-5% of companies are using marketing automation systems today and the belief in the space is that over the next four to five years that number is going to grow to a staggering 85%. Who In Their Organizations Are Doing The Buying? Mostly CMO's but also COOs who are interested in improving operations, CFO's who are interested in improving the bottom line and Reference Managers who are interested in aligning sales and marketing organizations. Is There Training? Yes. While most marketing automation companies offer basic tech support most do not support implementation or advanced training. That is what we offer. We are dedicated to making companies successful and see a return on their investment.

4 How Long Does Training Take? That depends on how much time and effort a client is willing to put into their training and implementation. Who Gets Trained? Usually it is the in-house marketing staff consisting of marketing managers and/or Marketing Coordinators. However, in the case of SMB's and Micro Businesses, this could also include the owners. What Is The Right Solution For My Company s Needs? RPM is partnered with several of the industry s leading marketing automation software providers. However, we pride ourselves on being VENDOR AGNOSTIC. That is, while most sales teams will sell you their product and then try to fix the problems after the purchase, we take a hard look at your business and find the right solution, and if necessary, services package for your needs. And if none of our partners solutions fit your needs, we will be more than willing to suggest one that is even if that means we don t make any money. Why Would Companies Want To Transition From An Existing System To These New Solutions? One word, efficiency. Marketing automation not only makes sure that no prospect falls through the cracks (as can happen manually...ie. human error) but most importantly that sales is only engaging a lead when they are in a buying cycle. The result is that the sales rep's time is being maximized and as a result, sales' numbers go up and so does revenue. Another byproduct of installing such a system is that sales and marketing is forced to align. How Long Does A Transition Take? As with all things, the more you put into it the more you get out of it. If the company is dedicated to its success and willing to devote the time, we have seen organizations up and running successfully in days. At RPM we have four key service offerings. 1) The fasttrack program. As the name implies, the goal of this program is to get our clients on the fast track to success. Therefore this is for companies who have just purchased the solution. We get them integrated, work through 1-3 of their initial campaigns, and hand over to the in-house staff. 2) For companies that already have such a solution in place but are frustrated we offer the Status Check. We come in, look at what you have been doing right, what you have been doing wrong, work out the kinks, and get them on the way. 3) The BPR (business process review). What I have found by working with many clients is that they install these solutions, flip the switch and think that bunnies and unicorns will fall from the sky. Instead what happens is that a spotlight gets shined on all the broken processes. The BPR is great

5 for companies that are considering such a solution because we do an on-sight workshop where we look at existing campaigns, what they are doing right, where things are falling through the cracks, what are the pain points, etc. 4) Campaign management. Many SMBs don't have the resources or time and so we act as their in-house marketing staff. What Are The Upfront Costs? All most all marketing automation solutions are SaaS so they are all on a subscription basis. All have varied rates and depending on the solution, size of the company and the database. However all marketing automation vendors make it easy for small (even single-person) marketing departments to achieve phenomenal growth. However, in order for a company who purchases these systems to be truly successful, you need to put aside a budget for implementation and training. What Is The Cost Of Your Service Offerings? At RPM we believe that every client is unique and as such, one size does not fit all. Therefore, although we have defined service offerings, our prices depend on the scope of the project, the time frame and the complexity.