… if you expect that a simple fact of marketing automation alone will solve all your problems. It’s not enough to buy software license. First of all, it’s because taking advantage of Marketing Automation system is a complex process and switching to automation, without taking certain steps, may turn out waist of time and money. In order to see real results from automation, one needs to make a real effort. Theoretical preparation plus gradual and patient preparation of each element is crucial.
Marketing Automation allows to accomplish ambitious marketing and sales goals. However, no matter how effective automation software is in your hands, it won’t fix processes that don’t work properly.
Before you decide to invest in Marketing Automation you need to consider the following issues:
- Have you carried out a training for employees in order to take full advantage of tools being part of Marketing Automation systems?
In the Internet, we can find plenty of materials regarding Marketing Automation in the business. Yet, it’s worth to choose trainings and courses organized by specialists. On-line meetings in form of webinars, where participants pick up practical knowledge and can ask questions directly, are particularly beneficial. After the training, they often receive additional materials and further assistance to adjust the system to their individual needs or their work specific.
- What can be done to enhance the relations between marketing and sales department? How to improve the flow if information between them?
If both departments have to cooperate with each other, it’s a key thing to confront expectations of both sides. Stating the expectations clearly is the best way to clear the atmosphere and reduce tensions significantly. Having precise information, both teams are able to cooperate with each other along certain lines, what may only improve work efficiency.
- Is your sales model already customized to Marketing Automation?
Get acquainted with Marketing Automation tools and figure out if they can reinforce the sales methods you use to date. It may turn out, that the new solutions prove really successful in your company. Taking certain changes may in effect result in switching to brand new sales model.
- What’s your approach to e-mail marketing and other communication channels with clients? Have you specified what you expect and what you want to accomplish?
It’s not possible to build effective communication with clients without setting the goals clearly. As a first step, let’s set the basic expectations from carried out activities and choose strategic channels we want to focus the development on. It also needs to be stated what the role of e-mail marketing will be in the communication as a whole.
After in-depth analysis of the issues above, you may finally answer the questions:
Is your business ready for changes? Do you already know what you can do in order to facilitate the switch to different marketing model? Considering your marketing automation, it’s worth to begin with those simple questions. When answering them, you’ll clearly determine the direction of further activities and prepare the ground for Marketing Automation implementation.