Have doubts when it comes to implementing Marketing Automation for the first time? We often receive questions from Marketing Automation beginners and doubts are certainly common. With that said, here are 10 frequently asked questions answered by our Marketing Automation specialist to help you make informed decisions.
Q1: Are Marketing Automation softwares affordable for SMEs? I’m afraid we don’t have as many customers and financial resources as compared to large organisations.
Marketing Automation is available for all types of businesses! We believe that small and medium enterprises deserve the chance to experience improvements in the most significant way. Most Marketing Automation tools start with limited features under basic subscription plans. As your business grows you can upgrade it with additional preferable features, according to pre-designed plans.
However, at Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM, we believe that your business has the potential to grow rapidly in no time, and what you may think you don’t need today – you may need tomorrow. That is why we provide an all-in-one subscription plan that comes with all the features you need at an affordable price, ensuring that your business is ready for growth!
Q2: Does Marketing Automation require a certain level of technical skills, I fear my team is not tech-savvy enough. Does this mean Marketing Automation is not for us?
Did you know?
Around 80% of SMEs in Malaysia have started to recognise the benefits of taking the business online.
Source: Paul Hype Page & Co, 2022
Marketing Automation softwares are not products for programmers but for modern sales and marketing teams. Its interface is intuitively understandable and similar to the interfaces of other solutions you already use. But it is also important to note that implementing it will require active participation of all team members who should embrace new routines.
Most Marketing Automation platforms provide online documentation and studying resources to guide their users through the learning process. However, localised Marketing Automation platforms such as Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM provides you with timely communication via WhatsApp or even phone support to train your team ensuring that you can fully optimise your Marketing Automation tool.
Q3: How can Marketing Automation benefit the whole organisation?
Did you know?
83% of marketing professionals agree that consolidating tools [such as Marketing Automation and CRM] in their marketing and sales would increase productivity and efficiency.
Source: The State of MarTech report, by the research firm Ascend2
When using a Marketing Automation platform with balanced CRM features, you would be enabling efficiency by aligning both sales and marketing teams together allowing them to focus on the big goal, driving leads and making conversions. It will allow both teams to work hand-in-hand when it comes to arranging and executing campaigns where input from both ends are required. With both teams aligned, data transparency plays a key role as it can effectively speed up operations. Data reports generated from the system are also made easily available for all parties so that everyone can make informed decisions from different departments.
Q4: When should I consider Implementing a Marketing Automation into my business?
Consider implementing Marketing Automation when your company grows and you realise that you are short on resources required to handle new leads and customers. In this case marketing automation will help you to handle routine email communication automatically and will free up valuable time. You also can consider using a Marketing Automation tool when aiming to shorten your sales cycle and generate more conversions in a shorter time. This works well as Marketing Automation allows you to nurture your leads in a more personalised manner. Marketing Automation tools also work great if you are running multiple online campaigns and require a single platform to automatically nurture and groom these leads down the path of conversion.
Q5: What is important when implementing a Marketing Automation tool for my sales and marketing strategy?
The initial and the most significant step is for you to understand your customer’s journey and build your communication flow first. This includes the types of interaction you would like to make with your customers through various phases of their journey that leads to their purchase decision. You should also consider which areas you would like to personalise to create targeted messaging that resonates with your customers needs.This way, you would be able to create meaningful conversations between them and your brand, winning their attention and trust. Once these have been planned out strategically, the marketing automation tool will automatically execute the processes above without much need for manual intervention.
Q6: What is the difference between Marketing Automation software and Email Marketing service?
Marketing Automation and Email Marketing are often used hand in hand with each other. In fact, some leading email marketing services also come with Marketing Automation features and provide pre-designed workflows with in-depth analytics and segmentation. However, most of them lack automation features that are more essential and catered for sales teams, such as sales notifications, meeting bookings, chats or automated tasks. Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM differs from other Marketing Automation tools out there as it provides a balanced solution that includes features outside of email marketing. For example, sales team alerts, chatbots, etc.
Read more about differences between marketing automation and email marketing in our blog post.
Q7: How is a Marketing Automation tool different from a CRM?
CRM softwares are mainly designed for reaching specific goals of sales teams while Marketing Automation caters more towards marketing needs. For example, a CRM will help you to optimise sales processes, assign tasks and maintain organised customer databases. Marketing Automation on the other hand will help you generate and nurture leads for the sales team through automated campaigns, landing pages and lead scoring. You may notice that both CRM and Marketing Automation compliment each other, and software such as Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM provides you with a balanced solution that will contribute to your organisation’s success. It ideally fits startups, small businesses, and other enterprises that aim towards both generating more leads and closing more deals.
Q8: To what extent can we track lead behaviour?
Tracking leads behaviour and engagement with your business is a must-have feature. Platforms such as Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM provide you features such as Life of the Lead which tracks the following:
Q9: What kind of support will I get from a Marketing Automation vendor?
The most common type of support is usually via email. As additional service for more extended subscription plans, you may also expect chat support. However, this is also highly dependent on location and time zone differences which often causes a delay in response. Here is where local Marketing Automation vendors are an advantage. For instance, at Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM, besides email support we also keep in touch with our clients via WhatsApp, and at times, even via live phone calls. This is additional support that is provided on top of the initial customised onboarding training for all your team.
Q10: What differentiates Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM from other Marketing Automation platforms?
Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM provides a balanced solution that combines CRM and Marketing Automation that will benefit both sales and marketing teams. Besides that, we do not offer multiple subscription plans that limit the number of features provided.We simplified the process, making all features available for you from the beginning under the same affordable price. You won’t need to worry about what you may or may not need in the future as the platform is fully equipped and ready for your business to grow. Another significant difference is our customised approach and support for each and everyone of our clients, which includes onboarding trainings and timely consultations by email, WhatsApp and phone.
Found the answers to your questions above? Fret not if you haven’t! Kindly reach out to us if you haven’t found your answers here and we will get back to you with an answer and free marketing automation advice for your business!
What's next for you?
Choosing a Marketing Automation solution for your business can be challenging. Especially if you are a beginner and is unsure of what to keep your eye out for when choosing the right solution. This is where research on the right Marketing Automation platforms plays an important role to make the right decision.
To save some time on your end, we have prepared a Competitor Handbook that breaks down some of the most popular Marketing Automation platforms in the region.
