Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation: How to convince the C-level

Today’s marketing specialists already know that marketing automation is a useful tool in the field of content marketing. But the question is: How do you convince the C-level of an investment?

 

by Carla Bösl
Communication Manager

 

The field of marketing is known to be particularly strong in bringing forth new buzzwords. While many are just temporary fads that quickly disappear, others persist and become an integral part of a meaningful marketing strategy. For example, marketing automation has meanwhile blossomed into an important and widely spread tool.

 

Marketing Automation: What is actually behind it?

The term briefly describes a tool, usually in the form of its own platform, which fulfills two higher-level tasks. On the one hand, it helps the marketer to play the right content in the most diverse forms to the right people at the right time in the customer lifecycle – theoretically. However, not only one point of contact is used for this purpose – a colorful mix of channels is used, from content hubs over social media to classic e-mail campaigns.

 

On the other hand, a marketing automation tool serves the purpose of monitoring and evaluating all measures and analyzing the results. This way, the marketing team always knows the most exact level possible at which a potential new customer, also called prospect, is currently in the sales funnel and what kind of content they need in order to become a customer in the end. Another advantage: The sales team gets this information via the platform and is thus always informed when it is time for them to step in.

 

Next step: Convince the C-level of the new tool

A marketing expert may instantly understand how marketing automation can help your own department (and ultimately the entire company). For the leadership, things look a bit different: They might see the benefits, but they’ll still be interested to know where an investment-related tool can actually solve existing problems in the business – and thus generate a fast ROI.

 

In order to be able to persuade the leadership, you need one thing above all: good arguments. Simply enumerating advantages is not enough. Instead, prepare a negotiation strategy that shows how the investment will pay off quickly.

 

Exactly these arguments are still missing? No problem, you just need to read this article in order to convince your bosses of marketing automation in the blink of an eye.


Source of cover picture: iStock / Weekend Images Inc.