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email marketing versus
marketing automationWhat’s the difference and why should B2B marketers care?
You’re a B2B marketer in a company that’s been using
email marketing for some time now. You’ve heard about
marketing automation. You’re intrigued, because it seems
like it’s a tangible step forward in your organization’s
marketing efforts
But you’re not really sure how to really define the
difference between the two terms...which makes it pretty
hard for you to explain to management why you should
bother with marketing automation... Or maybe you’re
looking for answers on a personal note, out of curiosity.
Reading (or even skimming) this whitepaper will get you
two things:
You’ll be able to put your finger on the difference
on email marketing and marketing automation (to
the point where you’ll be able to explain it, too).
You’ll get practical tips on how to make the
transition from email marketing tomarketing
automation.
who is
this white paper for?
Hi, I’m Meredith, Manager of the Net-Results Customer Success Team! Thank you so
much for reading our whitepaper. If you have any questions, you can always reach
out to us on [email protected] or 303-771-2552. We’d love to talk to you!
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EMAIL MARKETING IS MARKETING AUTOMATION
Email Marketing and Marketing Automation are two terms that are often used interchangeably. However, they’re two very different things. Knowing - and grasping - the difference between these strategies is crucial if you want to be successful in modern B2B marketing.
NOTNOT
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Before we explain to you why it’s old
news, let’s first define what we mean
when we say "email marketing".
Despite its proclaimed "death," email marketing is still alive and
kicking. Every day, businesses of every kind send out millions of
emails to their contacts using email marketing tools.
Most of us in B2B marketing know this game in-and-out: create
a list of subscribers.Segment it down into chunks of contacts that
have something in common. Send out emails that contain relevant
messages. Test the response to your email by sending out two versions
of the same email to your list: an A segment and a B segment. Look at
the response rates, bounces and click-through rates to see well how
you’ve done.
(Lather. Rinse. Repeat.)
marketing is evolving...
keep up!
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Example: if you’ve been
sending out coupons to
existing customers, or you’ve
just been keeping customers
informed on product updates,
you’ve probably seen good
results. But if you’ve been trying
to generate leads through
simply sending emails alone,
chances are you’re not quite
as thrilled about what you’re
getting from email marketing
as you used to be.
Specifically, email marketing
isn’t quite as effective for
lead generation as it once
was. It used to be that just the
act of sending out messages
alone was enough to keep
people interested. But today,
at a time when we’re all used
to "on demand" and getting
what we want when we want
it, people aren’t going to sit
around for your message if
someone else is giving them
what they want right now.
Conventional email
marketing tactics fail to
take a very important factor
into account: behavior.
The way email marketing is
traditionally done relies on the
marketer’s timing, which is a
shot in the dark every time.
Modern marketing is about
giving the customers what
they want, when they want
it. And it’s timing that is the
core concept of marketing
automation.
This approach still works today. But not nearly as well as it used to.
And not for achieving the same goals, either.
Hey, AJ from the Customer Success team here. If you’re wondering: yes, you can
still ‘blast’ emails from your marketing automation platform if you want to. But, as
you can tell, there’s so much more you can do!
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enter marketing automation
Customers have become savvier and choosier about how they engage with
brands. Meanwhile, search tools have trained us to expect instant, personalized
results when we need information. Just hit "enter", right?
So, if you send out an email to your list, the timing might be right. The recipients
might respond. If you get your segmentation right and know your audience well,
it just might.
But you’re still sending out messages on your terms. By definition, it’s still less
effective than it used to be. How to fix it? You’ve got to flip the tables. What you
say to your prospects and customers has to be "on demand".
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The problem with email marketing is timing (or
lack thereof). Which is why marketing automation
is all about timing. And not your timing. Your
customer’s timing.
Marketing automation enables you to craft an
"on demand" purchasing experience. Instead of
having prospects see something when you decide
that it’s time, they can get it whenever they want.
This approach is often called "inbound marketing."
It’s about attracting the
customer to you (on their
terms). As opposed to
"outbound marketing,"
where you move towards
the customer (on your
terms).
But make no mistake:
your customer still needs information in order to
make a purchasing decision. They are out there,
right now, looking for it on the internet. They are
looking for answers to questions, like:
• "We need to do something, what’s wrong with
our situation?"
• "What’s out there that solves our problem?"
• "What kind of solution do we need exactly?"
• "Who are the suppliers of this solution and
what sets them apart?"
The B2B sales process is one that’s long and
complicated - for you, but also for your prospect!
If you can give that prospect the right information
when he requires it, you’ll beat the competition.
In summary, marketing automation helps you
create an inviting place to do business. You’re
making things easier for your prospects and
customers. Marketing automation helps you
recognize how someone prefers to engage with
you. Play into that preference and you’re able to
create a relationship
that’s based on trust
and added value - even
when a sale is still far
off.
On the business side
of things, marketing
automation allows
you to drive leads more effectively through lead
nurturing. It also helps you to retain customers
after the sale, since you can continue to engage
with them in ways that are relevant to them.
It’s not just about making people feel better and
generating warm, fuzzy feelings (though all of that
is great). Ultimately, marketing automation is
going to be moving the needle for your company’s
sales and retention efforts.
your customer still needs information in order to make a purchasing decision.
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HOW DOES MARKETING AUTOMATION WORK?
Okay, so marketing automation is better than email marketing. Cool... But how does it work, exactly?
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You should think of a marketing
automation platform as your "customer
hub." It’s the place where all your
customer information lives: email
addresses, website behavior, forms
they’ve submitted, or even interactions
with your sales team (through
interaction with your CRM software).
Email is still a big factor in marketing
automation when interacting with
prospects and customers. Simply put,
it’s still the most effective medium for
communication. Business decisions
are still made in email inboxes, not
on Facebook.
But marketing automation also allows you
to integrate and communicate through
other channels, like social or chat. It’s all about engaging with customers on their
preferred communication channel.
The most important thing to remember here is that marketing automation tools
are not list managers. Marketing automation tools are about managing all levels of
leads (not just lists) and then applying business rules, analytics, segmentation and
scientific data to manage prospects in your sales funnel.
Marketing automation software helps you to manage and reward individual prospect
interactions by providing specific marketing materials (and messages!) designed just
for them, at the right point in their sales process.
your customer
hub
Hi there, it’s Rachel from the CS team! Automation + multiple channels = talking
to your customers when they want, where they want. That’s the secret recipe. Still
have questions?
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CHAT WITH AN EXPERT
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
If this marketing automation thing’s got you intrigued, we have more great resources for you to sink your teeth in.
More marketing automation, please!
If you want to know more about the "why" behind marketing automation and all the great things you can do with it, check out this whitepaper:
MA101 will expand upon what you’ve just learned in this whitepaper. It will teach how to think about marketing automation in a way that will lead your organization to digital transformation and success.
Want to start implementing marketing automation?
If you’d like to know how you can implement marketing automation in your business effectively, the Net-Results Success Guide is where it’s at.
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DOWNLOAD MA 101
It contains the exact worksheets, examples and tips that we use when onboarding our customers. You can use it to implement a platform yourself or you can just read through to gain understanding of what an implementation could actually look like for your organization.
Get started with Net-Results right away
Finally, if you just want to jump in feet first, you can schedule a demo with one of our marketing automation experts.
Best part? If you sign up for a Net-Results 14-day trial, you’ll get an official onboarding by our industry-leading Customer Success team. Completely for free, of course, so you can figure out if Net-Results is right for you.
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