How Marketing Automation Makes B2B Marketing More Efficient
The world of business has become increasingly competitive due to the vast reach of the internet. Companies can now easily conduct business online from anywhere in the world. They can work with any vendorthey choose and receive almost the identical products or services as they would locally. No company is too small to be exempt from global competition.
B2B providers need an advantage to stand out from every other supplier if they expect to convert online traffic into sales. Marketing automation is that advantage. It is an automated system that efficiently streamlines the entire marketing process, so companies can create stronger relationships with B2B buyers faster.
Automated & Efficient Lead Generation
Marketing automation makes B2B marketing more efficient by tracking every contact on a business’ website and automatically recording all of their online activity. It starts at the very beginning of the B2B purchaser’s buying process when they are still researching their options. It evaluates the pages they are clicking on and the information they are gathering to determine what they need to know and what they are interested in buying.This is valuable information that can be used to direct a lead towards additional information about a specific product or service.
Determines Leads with the Greatest Potential
Marketing automation is used to screen and segment leads based on their demographic characteristics and online behavior. It compares each lead against a typical B2B buyer and ranks their activity based on relevancy. For example, if a lead is a senior buyer with a lengthy history with their company, there would have a greater ranking than a new junior buyer. Once the potential of each lead is assessed they are grouped into similar segments based on their profile. Lead segment groups will make it easier to create more personalized lead nurturing campaigns.
Encourages B2B Leads to Share Information
Marketing automation uses online registries as barriers to encourage leads to share vital information. A quick pop up questionnaire appears prior to revealing pertinent content, so it can extract details about a lead to determine theirbackground and purchasing authority. Anytime a lead wants to download relevant and informative content, they are first required to share a bit about themselves. If the B2B lead needs that article or tutorial to help with their decision, they will willingly supply the necessary contact information to obtain it.
Marketing Automation Focus on Quality Content
Today’s B2B buyers are smart. They have higher expectations and want businesses that are willing to offer support and guidance prior to the sale. Marketers will have greater insight into what a lead needs because marketing automation profiles every lead. Various articles and tutorials can be created for each different lead segment and then sent automatically using auto-responders. Offering a lead informative content prior to a sale will help build trust and loyalty in a company.
Most computerized marketing approaches fail to connect with B2B buyers, because the entire system is automated. Marketing automation makes B2B marketing more efficient without eliminating the human element by automating the lead generation, scoring, segmenting, and nurturing process while always maintaining focus on the customer’s needs and interests.