Marketing Automation: And Why They Are Important

By Dominique Singer

What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation is software that handles routine marketing tasks without the need for human action. We see marketing automation come up daily without even realizing it. More common ones you may recognize are email marketing, behavioral targeting, lead prioritization, and personalized advertising. Survey emails are also an example of interactive automation that provide feedback on products, services, and other updates.

So Why is Marketing Automation Important?
Automation puts more work on a software versus employees, so it allows businesses to enjoy the benefits of marketing without having to dedicate large amounts of time and resources. Essentially, automation makes the process of improving sales from marketing that much easier as well.

Automation means that businesses can enjoy the benefits of marketing without having to dedicate an inordinate amount of time and resources. By automating their marketing efforts, businesses are able to save money, time, and effort while also improving their conversions by getting more relevant traffic for less money.

If we dive deep into the specifics of marketing automation, there are many different types. Common ones include B2B marketing automation, B2C marketing automation, Small business marketing automation, and Mobile marketing automation. Each of these is suited to the specific marketing and sales needs of a given market segment. These platforms are available from many vendors, at various prices and feature sets to fit your company's needs.

Business-to-business, otherwise known as B2B, has traditionally been recognized as the “home” to marketing automation. This is because B2B prospects and customers form a small target group which is usually engaged in a multistage procurement process and part of an ongoing relationship of repeat business. Being relationship-driven, product education and awareness building is a vital part to this automation process.

Moving on, business marketing to consumers, otherwise known as B2C automation is about convincing potential buyers in a much shorter time frame. This marketing also tracks potential consumer behavior to determine messaging and advertising strategies which is a big component, similarly with B2B.

Continuing into more kinds of marketing automation, it is truly meant for all company sizes not just for Fortune 500 companies. Automation can be very beneficial for small businesses bny handling small tasks that they do not have the resources to tackle. New softwares for small businesses allows them to have the ability to grow without blowing their entire budget.

Lastly, mobile marketing automation takes the capabilities of traditional marketing and applies them to mobile devices. Examples of this include personalized, real-time messaging, analytics, and integration with apps and other data sources coming from the user’s mobile device. Regardless of the business size, connecting directly to customer’s mobile devices is a very powerful way to build personal relationships with them.

​Overall, marketing automation is a great investment for companies regardless of their size. Automating the steps between marketing your brand and sales of it gives your team more of a chance to focus on other aspects of your company. Marketing automation allows you to receive a richer, more detailed picture of your potential consumer behaviors.