Marketing Automation Effectiveness Audit
“…companies that are focused on
lead generation i.e. filling the top of the funnel and not lead
management i.e. managing the entire buyer’s journey will not get the
full value of their marketing automation investment.”
Many marketers still believe that their
corporate web site is the fulcrum around which marketing automation
pivots. Organizations
looking to adopt automation or improve an investment already made
need to think beyond lead generation and their internal web site and
focus on lead management and the buyer.
We are in the middle of the Buyer 2.0 world
with buyer’s control increasing and the traditional buying journey
decreasing. This was
evidenced most recently in a DemandGen Report study that found that
more than 83% of organizations surveyed stated their buying process
did not follow a traditional buying path.
Buyers are now involving Sales much later in the buying cycle
and instead are turning to their peers as sources of information in
the early and middle stages of the buying cycle.
The collaboration of buyers with their peers has been further
enabled through the prevalence of social media making it very
possible that organizations will have developed some kind of short
list before engaging 1-1 with a vendor’s sales representative.
This being the case companies that are focused on lead
generation i.e. filling the top of the funnel and not lead
management i.e. managing the entire buyer’s journey will not get the
full value of their marketing automation investment.
People,
Process & Technology
Organizations looking to develop an automated
Lead Management framework need to look at people, process then to
technology to ensure success. Unfortunately, too many organizations
are jumping right to technology and are unable to realize the
promises of what automation can deliver if approached in the right
manner.
People
The right skill set within an organization is
vital to ensure the adherence to process, the execution and delivery
of campaigns, and campaign measurement.
Finding the right people can be a challenge as many BtoB
marketers have been brought up at the foot of the marketing branding
tree. However, organizations that ensure the proper skill and
mind-set among their people will excel.
These people have a deep understanding of the new buyers and
the importance of a process-based approach to sales and marketing.
Process
The operational approach to Buyer 2.0 is the
development of a lead management process in the form of a Lead
Management framework.
For this approach to succeed, the involvement of marketing & sales
is a must, but other groups like IT, Ops., Finance, Web should be
considered. Any
other resource or group that has a part in the demand generation
process (inquiry to close) should ideally be part of the lead
management journey.
Beginning with an audit to get a clear
assessment of the current gaps, then moving to a development and
implementation stage is the way to approach organizational lead
management.
Technology
Having the right people managing the proper
process is the perfect time to bring in an enabling marketing
automation technology.
This ensures there will be business rules that will govern
the use of the technology and the right people with the professional
skill-set managing the solution.
It’s true that there is still a lot of
confusion about marketing automation in BtoB organizations;
however, focusing solely lead generation and the state of
your website as indicators as to when to buy or implement automation
is focused on the corporation, not the buyer. Focusing on people,
lead management process, then enabling marketing automation
technology will greatly improve your return on all your marketing
and sales activities and your return on your investment.
Meitasoft Advantage
Meitasoft is a leader in marketing and sales
process development, implementation and automation. With over 11
years’ experience, Meitasoft has developed marketing and sales
processes and lead management programs for companies of all sizes
helping their clients vastly improve the return on their marketing
and sales investment.
A marketing automation assessment is the best
way to determine whether your marketing initiatives are helping you
meet your goals in the most efficient, cost-effective and generally
beneficial way.
Assessments developed by marketing automation experts like Meitasoft
ensure that your initiatives are analyzed and compared with the best
solutions available, which you may or may not have the time or
contacts to determine.
Contact us to arrange
an initial consultation at no charge to your firm. We will discuss
what you are doing, how it is working and then suggest things you
could be doing to help achieve your business objectives.
Call us now at 617-398-0445 send
us an fcusick@meitasoft.com
and ask to set up your Initial Consultation.
Click the
resource bar on the right to download our white paper.
