The Real ROI achieved from Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is gaining in popularity among big businesses, but is it really worth the investment? What’s the real ROI from marketing automation?

Absolutely! Anytime a traditional system is changed from manual to automated, it increases efficiency and enhances its capabilities. Automation significantly reduces labor expenses while increasing the total volume of leads generated, since more can be achieved in less time. In today’s highly competitive and fast-paced marketplace, most time saving solutions are worth the investment. Let’s talk about the real ROI achieved from marketing automation.

Marketing automation uses software to automatically generate leads based on online activity. Every visitor on a site is a potential consumer and the only way to effectively track each of these visitors is by using an automated program. Every lead also leaves their own unique trail of evidence in regards to their purchasing potential. The manual labor that requires tracking and profiling every visitor’s behavior and characteristics would be astronomical, especially if the website generated a high volume of website traffic.

Being able to quickly capture leads and generate useful profiles on every lead is one of the real ways marketing automation is able to achieve ROI. Lead profiles can be used to categorize each lead into segments based on similar attributes. Rather than focus on thousands of individual leads, a company can focus on groups of related leads.

Another way to measure the true value of marketing automation comes from how these profiles can then be used to nurture and convert each lead into a sale. Marketing automation efforts should always be aligned with a personalized lead nurturing campaign. Content used to persuade each lead should be targeted to a particular concern or interest of a various lead segment.

For example, if automation software has established that a group of leads have all visited the site’s “do it yourself home renovation” page. These leads can then be targeted with helpful articles on how to successfully complete a home renovation project on your own.

Being able to tap into a lead’s needs is a priceless ROI and it is a direct result of effective marketing automation. The more a company can connect and develop trust with the lead, the more likely the lead will become a life-long customer.

Another ROI factor worth mentioning about marketing automation is its ability to produce higher quality leads. Marketers are only handing over leads that are truly interested and ready-to-buy. This pre-screening process will use the sales team’s time more efficiently. Since every lead is first profiled, nurtured, and scored before the sales team is involved, they are closer to being ready to make a decision.

Marketing automation is popular because it works. Big businesses benefit from a reduction in labor expenses, stronger lead profiles, a more personalized approach to lead nurturing, and a higher lead conversion rate. The ROI for marketing automation is certainly worth the investment.