Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a VP of Marketing about converting emails into two-way conversations. We were reviewing my proposal for email nurture streams designed to move prospects from the top to the middle of the lead funnel. We found it easy to visualize the emails themselves. What required more thought on our part were the “engagement triggers” – incentives designed to turn one-way emails into trust-building conversations between the recipients and the staff. Many of you are having the same discussion. Both demand generation marketers and marketing automation vendors are grappling with the question, “How do we …
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Finding the right marketing automation (MA) platform for your company can be a daunting task. According to The Annuitas Group, a demand generation consulting firm, there are more than 100 vendors, and their features vary significantly. This means that picking the right automation vendor is a lot harder than choosing a flavor of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. And there’s a lot more riding on the decision, because your tool must support the unique mix of communications channels and analytics your company needs. Where Do I Start? General Lists of Marketing Automation Vendors Within my network, I’m known as an MA …
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In the world of digital marketing tools, “automation” is a tricky word. To social media experts who advocate authenticity, it may have negative connotations, conjuring up visions of over-programmed newsfeeds lacking personal interaction. To direct marketers managing complicated multi-channel campaigns, “automation” may have positive connotations, implying tools that simplify daily tasks, such as sending emails or producing lead reports. As a result, it’s not surprising that my blog post last month – Need Social Media ROI? Try Marketing Automation — triggered a discussion about what “automation” meant for marketers using social media, and the role automation should play in digital …
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It almost goes without saying that marketers must generate leads. Interactions in social media pose a challenge because their connection to lead nurture isn’t always easy to see. Marketing automation (MA) software can help marketers manage their lead generation efforts and leverage the power of social media. Why Marketing Automation Inspires Passion I’ve worked as a B2B marketing manager for a number of years. Like many in my field, I had always tracked the overall performance of key touchpoints, like events and the website. However, when I focused on reporting marcom’s contribution to the sales funnel specifically, I faced greater …
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