“Marketing and automation a match made in heaven”.. Howard Williams, Parker Software

Howard Williams, marketing manager at Parker Software, explains exactly how marketing software can help to maximise the results of campaigns

As most marriage counsellors will tell you, any partnership can experience the fact that a gradual decline in interaction will lead to dwindling interest and, ultimately, dissatisfaction. Marketing activities often work on similar emotional levels to a relationship.

While marketing professionals may not find themselves sleeping on the sofa if interaction breaks down, a lack of meaningful engagement will mean campaigns are ineffective. Howard Williams explains how to maintain a happy marketing relationship.

Modern marketing is all about making and maintaining a meaningful connection between business and customer. After all, a campaign that fails to catch the attention of an audience is one doomed to fail. The problem is, in the current global market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep tabs on which campaigns are going well and which tactics are falling short.

While tracking campaigns used to be an arduous task, recent software developments have allowed businesses to keep a closer eye on certain analytics such as open rates and link clicks. These statistics allow for a rudimentary overview of how well a direct campaign is being delivered, going some way to justifying tactics and return on marketing investment. This is particularly useful for email marketing campaigns.

A tangible return on investment

However, these in-built analytics only cover certain aspects of a campaign and don’t offer a comprehensive breakdown on whether there is a tangible return on investment. For less direct tactics, such as press releases, many marketing teams lack valuable insight and are guilty of taking a ‘spray and pray’ approach to distribution.

These approaches, while theoretically effective, often fall short of the mark. Any traffic that results from such an approach is difficult to attribute to any specific campaign and subsequently means that businesses miss opportunities to increase likelihood of conversion.

Fortunately, automated marketing software is not the only digital support for marketers, as there are now business automation products that can complement existing techniques. While marketing programs are tools to be used by staff, business automation software operates as an extra member of the team – delivering comprehensive analysis of campaign results, rather than simply dumping volumes of data about individual tactics on someone’s desk.

Strengthening valuable customer relationships

For example, if a press distribution is featured on an online publication with a link, business automation software like our ThinkAutomation tool can analyse referral data to determine inbound traffic coming through that link. The software can furthermore be set up to tailor website experience to suit the interests of a specific visitor, with traffic from a particular source getting a unique reader journey. This personal touch satisfies the visitor, strengthening valuable customer relationships.

This functionality, combined with real-time translation capabilities, means that global marketing strategies suddenly become much more manageable and quantifiable. Campaigns can be measured accurately for effectiveness, informing future campaigns to ensure that the customer is at the heart of all activity. After all, knowing one another well and acting with consideration is key to any long-lasting relationship.

Other automation features such as live chat connectivity and automated responses, enabled on the website itself, can ensure that each of these interested leads get the most appropriate level interaction and support they require during their visit.

With relationships that lack communication and interaction being doomed to fade, using business automation for marketing ensures companies and customers remain on the best terms.

By using tactics that have proven successful, personalising browser experience and providing a smooth journey from point A to B, marketers ensure that customers are fully engaged at all times. If only maintaining all relationships could be that straightforward!

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