Nirvana for marketing and sales effectiveness has always been saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. In other words, to be relevant. The continuing rise of AI-driven automation is moving marketing and sales ever closer to that perfect place.
In this article, we provide examples of how automation can be used. And we’ll explain how it benefits the customer experience and business performance.
Conversational Bots
These little helpers can be used intelligently to help a website visitor find what they need, connect with who they need to talk to, or simply sign-up for a newsletter.
For example, you have a potential new customer taking a look at your website. You could serve up a pop-up form to offer them some content, or sign-up for your newsletter. Both of these are good things to do.
Another option is to use a conversational bot to provide a higher level of contextual relevance and choice to their experience. In the example below on our Contact Us page, we offer visitors options of how they can connect with us—thereby empowering them with a choice that suits.
Nurturing Leads
It’s one thing to gather leads, but it means nothing until the lead progresses to the moment of purchase. The stats are compelling:
- Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Source: Forrester Research)
- 25% of marketers who adopt mature lead management processes report that sales teams contact prospects within one day. Only 10% of marketers report the same follow-up time without mature lead management processes. (Source: Forrester Research)
- 65% of B2B marketers have not established lead nurturing. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
Lead nurturing works and those who get started now will be ahead of more than half of their competitors.
Automated lead nurturing is enabled by online behaviour that triggers the delivery of relevant content. The contextual relevance of content delivery can be enhanced by measuring things like:
- What content has the lead consumed already?
- What have we discovered about their problems, opportunities?
- The user persona: where does this lead fit into our segmentation?
- Have they been searching for high-level answers, or are they actively looking for a solution?
- Have they visited your services or pricing pages?
The answers to these questions and others that fit your business and target customers will help you to create lead nurture automation that helps the lead and frames your business as the best solution. Or not, as the case may be. Remembering that we also want to work out who is not the right fit.
Scoring Leads
Automated lead scoring is a process of awarding points to leads that are actively consuming your online content. Then, once the lead reaches the target score, the lead is classified as a Marketing Qualified lead and passed over to sales.
Over time, you can measure the type of behaviour that increases the probability of sale conversion. Measurement provides the data to optimise the lead score to make it more accurate. The benefit is:
- Better quality leads to sales
- Higher sales conversion
- Greater sales team productivity
- A more aligned marketing and sales effort.
Sales Sequences
Now your sales team has a nice new lead that has an introductory level of qualification. Now begins the process to qualify fit, need, and readiness to buy.
Sales sequences automate communication with the lead and set time-specific tasks to remind the salesperson to follow up. They can automatically deliver documents and other content that align with specific stages of the sales process. Once again, automation provides better customer experience and increases the effectiveness and productivity of the sales program.
Measurement and Optimisation
Another immense benefit of implementing marketing and sales automation is that it's all measurable. Every element can be measured for conversion effectiveness, compliance and activity. There’s nothing like having data to know where you are and what is happening. It’s the foundation of continuous improvement in activity, performance and efficiency.
Automation Adds Value
The few examples of marketing and sales automation provided here merely scratch the surface. Despite that, we’re sure you can appreciate the tremendous and undeniable value they will add to your business.
By implementing marketing and sales automation, you will have greater confidence that you are being more relevant and providing the right information to the right person at the right time. You will know that the sales engagement process is operating as you intend. Your business will be designed to improve. And you will unlock new levels of competitive advantage.
Learn more about Marketing Automation and Strategic Marketing.
