Marketers have started to recognize the power of marketing automation solutions. These solutions can help streamline all the marketing tasks and lead to improved lead management that has an effect on the overall revenue of the business. Businesses that have incorporated a marketing automation solution register an extreme increase in the qualified leads, have managed to shorten the sales cycle and have enhanced efficiency in marketing.
“Companies that automate lead management see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6-9 months.”
-Gartner Research
The many benefits of marketing solution software have led to an overwhelming number of market automation software options that might confuse you when looking to adopt them. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a marketing automation solution to match your strategy.
1. Features and functionality
There are solutions that have ‘top of the funnel’ features while others provide lead generation and management functionality. The choice of the software should tactically support what the company wants strategically.
2. Integration
Find out if the automation software integrates with your customer relationship management (CRM) platform, website, social media, webinar platform, and other tools. It is important for a business to establish a connected process to unify marketing and sales functions. Compare and consider an automation solution that can easily match with your current CRM and ease the process of lead management.
3. Market position
Compare the credibility of automation vendors and their market share. Monitor the different software and vendors in terms of their customer base, their social following, and blog subscribers. Understand how long they have been in the market, client base, and their commitment to upgrading features and functionality. HubSpot is an example of a company that continues to rapidly add innovative features to their automation platform which has attracted investors such as Google.
4. Packages & pricing
Depending on the automation vendor, pricing may be based on the size of the prospect base. You should estimated the number of leads you anticipate nurturing. Beyond size, pricing can vary dramatically between vendors and packages within a vendor. Make sure you are matching a solution to your company size and strategy. A solution like Marketo or Pardot may not be suitable for a small mom & pop business and MailChimp Automation may not be suitable for a Fortune 500 enterprise.
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