A category that still makes sense?
When analyzing the numbers of the marketing automation industry , it seems like we have barely scratched the surface . B2B marketing automation alone represents over $14 billion in revenue in 2020, with a growth rate of 20% per year (source: SharpSpring, investor presentation).
Today, every marketer needs, wants, or uses marketing automation. The reason is simple: not only does it have many benefits, but the category has become so broad and meaningless that you probably bahamas whatsapp number data 5 millionalready have a tool that fits the description. It’s this same ambiguity that keeps marketers from truly finding what they need to grow their revenue.
Technology is a way to solve a problem like retaining customers, generating leads, or increasing upselling. While finding the right technology is already a huge effort, it can distract you from the real problem . Suffering from shiny object syndrome (being attracted to new things all the time) could leave you with a big investment on your hands without even breaking even.
The automation challenges of the modern marketer are too complex to be grouped into a single category . Indeed, we are proud to be part of Scott Brinker’s “Martech Landscape ” and Frans Riemersma’s “Overview of European Martech Providers ”, but we still see VW Polos alongside Ferraris and tractors.
That’s why we don’t believe in “best marketing automation solutions” rankings. These rankings often put the $10/month tools at the top, while the $100,000/year tools are in the middle. Things would be so much simpler if it worked like that. Even if the intention was good, these lists won’t help you find the right solution that will help you tackle this major challenge of satisfying your customers and increasing your revenue .
Here are some things to consider when you’re faced with problems that are typically solved with marketing automation. Focus on the “why” first , which should eliminate 80% of the tools on the market.
If you want to find the right tool for a project, consider these criteria:
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Do you speak B2B or B2C?
One of the main criteria is probably the difference between B2B and B2C tools . B2B marketing automation software like Salesforce Pardot and Marketo are intended to target entire organizations and often come with typical features like sales automation, lead nurturing or lead scoring.
This group makes up the largest portion of the marketing automation category, with a strong focus on attracting new customers. It promotes alignment between marketing and sales, favors a sales pipeline or opportunity funnel approach, and manages multiple contacts within a single company. Once the sale is closed, it moves on to the next prospect.
B2C tools are focused on customer relationships. Where the B2B customer acquisition flow is simple and well-defined, the B2C customer journey is more fanciful and unpredictable .
You will find that a B2C marketing automation platform has a more complex database , aiming for greater personalization and a customer experience such that it makes your audience want to get your logo tattooed on their arm. It makes sure to maximize every touchpoint with a customer to improve and prolong their loyalty to your brand, to the point of becoming your ambassadors.
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Inbound marketing vs customer activation
Attracting new customers or evolving existing customers: most software vendors have made the wise decision to pick their battles. Companies like HubSpot have mastered the art of inbound marketing, attracting and converting new prospects. They are the sprinters who get you to sign a sale before the others . On the other side of the track, there are the marathoners, concerned with retaining customers for as long as possible, with maximum return on these relationships: they are the specialists in customer activation.
Make sure you know what goals you want to achieve. People can easily be tempted by new features that are built to attract prospects when it's better to focus your efforts on an existing customer base.
Note that acquiring a new customer will cost you five times more than retaining an existing one. GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple) regularly increase advertising costs because they know how valuable their data is to you. When you attract new customers, GAFA practically makes you pay taxes on your profits. Moreover, if you do not offer a good customer experience and people leave after a single transaction, your brand will lose more money than it will earn in the long run.
That’s why when talking about priorities, we should start with upselling, customer retention, a good welcome program, etc. This is the fastest and cheapest way to earn more revenue from your existing customers . Once you have a solid customer journey in place and made sure to capture all the opportunities throughout the customer lifecycle, you are ready to work on acquisition. Quality over quantity , right?
Need a hand writing your marketing plan? These ebooks will surely come in handy .
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"Attracting a prospect is like a blind date between two strangers, while activation is like giving flowers to your loved one every week for life."
Benoît De Nayer - co-CEO
Actito
One channel to rule them all?
Email isn’t dead, but content is king and reigns in many territories . While email marketing offers great opportunities, customers aren’t hanging on their inboxes, and neither are you. Plus, the term “marketing automation” doesn’t tell you whether a solution is single-channel (like Sendinblue or Flexmail) or multi-channel.
Single-channel solutions are great for SMBs that only use social media or email, but today most marketing departments have a set of channels to stay in touch with their audience. However, launching email campaigns with links to forms that barely connect to your database or having a mix of reporting from four or five different platforms is probably not what you had in mind when you heard the term “multichannel marketing.” As a brand, your message needs to be unambiguous, no matter which channel you use.
It’s a whole different thing when you can orchestrate your campaigns from a central platform with your channels organized around a central database . That’s why using Actito, for example.
Data: compression or integration
We're getting into a bit of a technical part, but don't panic, we've created an infographic to make it easier to understand. What you need to know is that a flat data model, which is actually a big Excel file (often called a "list" in tools like ActiveCampaign for example), limits the amount of customer data you can historically store.
This is not a problem if you don’t need a lot of customer insight and personalization. On the other hand, if you want a single, dedicated, centralized marketing database for deep, behavior-based personalization over time (like RFM segmentation), you’ll need a relational data model . There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the choice will depend on your needs and the value you want to bring to your marketing plan.
