In keeping with the advancements in social media and internet technologies, email marketing has proven to be the most useful marketing tool in recent times. It is the most preferred option for the B2B websites as an effective and a low expense means to connect to a wide section of online audience.
Defining Email Marketing
Simply put, email marketing can be defined as a procedure of establishing an association with past/present consumers and prospective clients by sending them communications such as direct mailers, newsletters, brochures and other digitized information about a product, service or promotional offers through e-mails.
Email Marketing – A Trusted Medium
Today email marketing has emerged as a trusted medium of carrying on online brand and product marketing initiatives. Furthermore, the symbiotic nature between email and the online experience is supported by the increased rate of “triggered mails” or online notifications driven by online communications. This includes instances such as “welcome mailers” when you sign up for any service, when someone updates their status or shopping cart and the like.
Interactions of such kind heavily depend on and assist emails’ considerable trust quotient. Simultaneously, research has indicated that such kinds of mails have the highest-open rates because the consumers expect them. This is further because the notifications are significant to their actions.
It has been estimated that more and more marketers in the near future would concentrate on the “no-brainer” mails that at the first glance may make no mark, but in reality might be a power conduit. Therefore, we can expect potential marketers to leverage email marketing to yield higher revenues and brand awareness.
Industry Solutions For Email Marketing
In the recent past eminent companies engaged in a B2B marketing automation with their email marketing platform ensures that enterprises to attain their marketing objectives by helping them to identify the “website visitor intent”. Thus enterprises can generate and nurture prospects with intent-based emails in the following way:
- Sending follow up mails with relevant data based on intent
- Sharing emails that covers recent consumer feedback, success stories, score over other market players with links to support the same
- Sending out invitations to technological events and online seminars and webinars
- Inviting the online audience to read up case studies or download interesting Whitepapers
- Sending out newsletters regarding industry developments and other important technological news
- Identify in real time as to when a prospect is seriously thinking of a purchase decision
The reach of an email is widespread and its nature is very individual and personal. This indicates that a reader when going through a mail is in his/her private space to browse through the relevant content provided. Hence, if used appropriately, email marketing has the potential to become the face of online marketing in the forthcoming years.
Also read more on - Search Engine Optimization Tools, Lead Scoring Model, Marketing funnel
The Lead Generation process helps to convert website visitors into prospective buyers. To leverage the right techniques, marketers need to be armed with lead contact information such as email id, phone no, company name, demographic details etc. This information helps to qualify leads so that Sales teams can further work on them (lead nurturing) to convert them into customers.
Today we find that buyers prefer to do their research about the product and features before contacting the marketer or assistance. In fact, many companies have already created processes to reach out to people who want to be identified. There are techniques to identify leads o when they respond to an RFP, or fill up a Contact Us form. What is missing here is that marketers miss out on the ‘large’ volume of visitors who do not perform any activity and are yet interested in the product or service that is offered.
Although B2B marketers use trade shows and other events for lead generation, prospect information gathered through online sources are becoming reliable these days. Some B2B organizations even tie-up with 3rd party content sites like TechCrunch, Technorati etc., to capture form-fill data (who use assets like white papers, case studies etc. as lead baits to attract visitors). By synergizing between 3rd party list providers, companies can get data and insights which can be used for custom nurturing of leads.
How can marketing automation software help in lead generation?
- Run automated and custom nurturing campaigns (as appropriate) to convert them into opportunities and customer wins.
- Depending on the intent marketers can engage the prospect by sending out related articles and white papers to sustain the interest shown.
- Drive results for teams like Inside Sales, Sales, Marketing and Web Optimization.
- Can get real time information on the decision maker or influencer of the purchasing decision, in a manner that can be leveraged by an organization to convert its website visitors into opportunities that can be nurtured into business deals, thus enabling sales to clinch deals faster.
- Send out highly targeted, carefully crafted emails with links to the company website.
- Conduct intent-based e-mail campaigns for a targeted audience, based on the intelligence displayed/exhibited.
- Send out newsletters about industry developments and other interesting technology related news.
- The business intelligence gained can reveal where they are in their purchase cycle.
- Manage all contacts at one place
- Reduce the lead time to contact leads.
Since lead generation is today crucial for business growth marketing automation systems can make a large difference to the revenue generated.
Read more on - Marketing automation , Lead Nurturing
According to Wikipedia, marketing automation systems provide information across all phases of the marketing process, including demand generation, lead management, lead scoring, lead nurturing, lead generation, campaign analysis, lead qualification and sales effectiveness. Out of the processes listed here, marketing automation solutions are most highly preferred for automating scoring leads, executing automated email campaigns and deploying landing pages.
Today, many companies have introduced new and exciting features that enable B2B marketers to gather information from social media campaigns, score leads based on responses and, communicate in a timely manner by sharing valuable content. In this article, let us first look at the three primary uses of marketing automation software which has made it an essential part of running a B2B business.
1. Scoring
Marketing automation software helps B2B marketers to score and rank leads in order to keep the sales and marketing teams focused on the best sales opportunities available with them. Lead scoring helps marketers to prioritize lead nurturing activities so that the warmest leads are nurtured in a personalized and customized manner depending upon what interest them and their buying capacity.
Lead scores can be based on demographics and behavioral activities. Marketing automation software helps to send alerts and triggers to users when leads cross threshold scoring levels so that sales teams can reach out to a prospect in a timely manner.
2. Email Campaigns
Marketing automation software can be used in executing automated email campaigns and lead tracking. Marketers can deliver targeted messages to prospects about their products or services and also build/manage useful email lists. The software also helps sales teams to create email lists for recipients who need to be left out during email campaigns based on any specific criteria.
Marketing automation services provide users with ready to use templates that can be modified quickly to suit their campaign needs. Time-based triggers can be set up to enable timely delivery of nurture emails to prospects at regular intervals. With ready to use and timely reports, B2B marketing teams can constantly assess the efficiency of their marketing campaigns as well.
3. Deploying Landing Pages for Email Campaigns
One of the most highly rated benefits of marketing automation solutions is the ability to deploy customized landing pages. Users can easily create personalized landing pages with visuals, videos, call-to-action buttons, forms, etc. Also, marketing teams can get them published in minutes without having to involve web development teams.
Also read on - Email Marketing, lead generation services
