Marketing Automation just might be the next game changer for your business.

Email Marketing Automation
  • 12:23 pm

Is Email Marketing Automation Worth Looking Into?

Email marketing has been around for quite some time, but it is far from dead! Marketing automation could be a gold mine and time saver for your business and you might not even know it. This service has only been a buzz phrase for the last 5 years. Unless you have your ears close to the tracks of the internet marketing world it might have passed you by.

Everyone that has a seasoned business knows that reminding clients you exist is a huge part of the job. Marketing Automation Software can be a game changer. It can help with reaching out + keeping the conversation going with prospects and clients.
 
Think of it as a system that monitors your interested parties and performs scheduled tasks based on their activity. Once you have funnels and automatons setup correctly, you can sit back and spend the rest of your time doing what you do best. Spend more time perfecting your services and products.
 
Besides, being a sales funnel you can use it for a slew of other things. Tasks like nurturing leads, confirming email delivery and newsletter optimization scheduling for example. 
It’s like a CRM that keeps track of all your contacts and their interest in what you offer. Bundled with a intuitive email and SMS marketing automation platform, it has options. It doesn’t take much time to figure out the nuts and bolts of it, so trust me it could be a Win – Win.
email marketing automation

Marketing Automation Platforms

There are quite a few providers offering this service in various flavors now, Infusionsoft, Active Campaign, Click Funnels and Hubspot to name a few. I wanted to find the best solution looking at both cost and functionality as key points.

I did not want this to be a review article, but when looking at setup fees, monthly cost and ease of use, Active Campaign seemed to come out on top. It only took us a few days to get our initial campaigns and pipeline setup and so far we are incredibly impressed with the service. I was able to get our responsive WordPress website and landing pages integrated and connected without any hangup.

Create a hierarchy of actions

Active Campaign uses a system of tags, goals, deals and activity to keep track of your contacts and where they are in your communication pipeline. You can also connect Active campaign to a multitude of API connection options that can help you with your sales funnel. For example GoToMeeting, Woo Commerce, Facebook Custom Audiences, Basecamp and Slack, to name a few.
 
The best way to explain the automation implications would be with a simple reference and process list. Below is a simple but powerful example that was the first automation we created using Active Campaign’s service. In this example, I have a basic setup for prospects opting in for more information. The CTA is located on our web development and marketing services page using a specific form on our website.
The visitor fills out the form with their name, number and email address. The prospect is then tagged as (Prospect) coming from our service inquiry page. This way I know that they are already interested in what we have to offer. 

  • A Notification email is then sent to me or one of my team with the opt-in details.

     

  • The visitor enters the automation because he or she is tagged as a (Prospect) from the landing page form options.

     

  • I then have a (Thank You For Your Interest) email template that is already set up with a PDF brochure attachment, video, and next step information. This email will ask the prospect to schedule a quick call or meeting regarding their project. using a Calendly API connection to Active campaign.

     

  • A (Wait) node can be dropped in where we have added a 1 day period of time to pass before executing the next condition.

     

  • We then have an (If Then) process. In this case if the email has been opened and the appointment request link was clicked, it will send a reminder notification. 

     

  • Then it will create a task for one of our reps to follow up on that contact. Otherwise, if those conditions were not met the service will wait another day before sending a follow up email with a different subject line.

  • After the second follow up email is sent out. That contact is tagged as (Unresponsive) but added to a different automation. The other automation is sent out after 3 days in case they were preoccupied. To control the hygiene of my list after 2 weeks pass and a final follow up, I then have the contact removed from the list.
Automation Diagram
You can get creative with the CRM functionality of Active Campaign as well. They make it easy to customize, colorize, rename and invent goals, deals and tasks. 
This helps significantly with keeping your sales team on track. My best advice is to sign up for the 14 day free trial and play with it for a week. This platform has the potential for a multitude of solutions. The team at Active Campaign have great support and they keep adding features to this platform every month.
 
Interested in learning more about what marketing automation can do for your company? Feel free to reach out to us. Blue Light Labs offer Marketing Automation consulting and solution design.
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