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Re: What Is Marketing Automation and Why Should You Care?
Posted by: Ian Michiels 2009-05-14 11:00:18
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The term "marketing automation" is perhaps one of the most widely used, ill-defined and ambiguous terms in the marketing and sales technology landscape. Ask 10 different people how they define marketing automation, and you'll probably get 10 different answers. Are there marketing automation solutions? Is it a category? Is it a type of technology? Or is it just a bunch of hooey? As an analyst, I thought it would be appropriate for me to dispel some of the myths and haziness that shroud the marketing technology landscape, particularly the use of the term "marketing automation."
The Human Element in Automated Customer Engagement
Posted by: smersy 2009-05-19 21:49:43 In reply to: Ian Michiels
Thanks for the article, Ian. It's great to explore the definition(s) of the term and space we know as "Marketing Automation." As much as the category already encompasses, it continues to grow to contain additional functionality.
Importantly, in B2B, the automated processes you described can now also feed direct, actionable, real-time behavioral information directly to the sales team at the moment the lead score or specific behavior indicates that it's time for a real person to engage. After all in B2B sales, the human element of engagement - to consult, inform, and sell - is still paramount.
So, in answer to your question about (paraphrased): "...otherwise, what's the point of automating at all?" While data over time and optimization and improvement is definitely important, but don't overlook the importance of the right touch leading to the right personal interaction at the right time.
Importantly, in B2B, the automated processes you described can now also feed direct, actionable, real-time behavioral information directly to the sales team at the moment the lead score or specific behavior indicates that it's time for a real person to engage. After all in B2B sales, the human element of engagement - to consult, inform, and sell - is still paramount.
So, in answer to your question about (paraphrased): "...otherwise, what's the point of automating at all?" While data over time and optimization and improvement is definitely important, but don't overlook the importance of the right touch leading to the right personal interaction at the right time.
Interestingly, we just finished a white paper on another variation of this - Local Marketing Automation. The concept here is that marketing automation is critical for brands to translate national marketing strategies into local execution. If you're interested in reading it, you can get a copy here: www.balihoo.com/lma
I'm happy to see some academic research here that validates the entire premise of my marketing consulting firm. In finishing up my MBA in MArketing I never see this approach and I love it. The small business needs to thrive in this environment and the ONLY way to do it is to automate their marketing so it's being done for them on autopilot!
There is certainly a need for the industry to have this sort of dialogue to better define the types of technology that fall under marketing automation, particularly the difference in value they can provide to organizations. While channel-specific technologies can be described by some as marketing automation technologies, only cross-channel marketing solutions with a central database of customer information can help avoid the inefficiencies otherwise caused by siloed data and multiple interfaces and holistically tie together performance as Ian mentions.
-Kristin Hambelton, Neolane
-Kristin Hambelton, Neolane
