Employing Marketing Automation for Your B2B Business How to effectively handle and use marketing automation in B2B ecommerce According to the Annuitas Group, businesses that use marketing automation to nurture potential customers have a 451% increase in qualified leads. With statistics like that, marketing automation is sure to make a lasting impact on the business world. But what is marketing automation? Marketing automation is a type of technology that enables users to measure, streamline and automate their business’s marketing tasks and efforts. Marketing automation software includes tools that can automatically send emails when customers reach certain points in the sales funnel, track leads, and produce analytics reports. Below are some key components of a successful marketing automation strategy and tips for making marketing automation work for B2B ecommerce businesses. Outline Goals The first step when creating a strategy for B2B marketing automation is to outline goals that you want marketing automation to help you achieve. Do you want more leads? Do you need better leads? Do you want to use marketing automation to help you up-sell? Cross-sell? Knowing where you are starting from and what you expect out of your marketing automation software helps you created a focused strategy that will help your business best achieve its goals. How B2B Differs from B2C Marketing Automation As with any business strategy and software you are implementing or using, it’s imperative to remember that business-to-business and business-to-consumer businesses have different requirements and needs. When it comes to marketing, B2B customers tend to have a longer lead cycle, take longer to decide, and need more facts, content, and interactions before making their decisions. Keep the B2B customers’ needs in mind when setting up your marketing automation software and choosing or creating a marketing automation strategy for your business. Demand Generation Strategy A possible strategy to employ when using marketing automation for B2B ecommerce is a demand generation strategy. The focus of the demand generation strategy is to create awareness of your business and products. The marketing automation software can be set up to send perfectly timed emails containing content that is pertinent to the buyer’s position in the sales funnel. In the beginning, it may just include information about the company, its offerings, and its business philosophies. Further down the funnel, you may be sending specific information and articles about the products the buyer has been viewing and maybe even discussing with a sales representative. Learning to Walk Before You Run When beginning to use marketing automation software, it is smart to first start small and get your bearings before creating a full blown marketing campaign. Examine how your competitors are using marketing automation software and check into boards and forums on your marketing automation software’s website to find out what others are doing with marketing automation. For your first few campaigns, start small and simple and then scale up once you know what you are doing is working for your B2B business. Clarity Can Help At Clarity, we know how beneficial automated marketing can be for any ecommerce business. Being able to reach the right customers at the right time helps you nurture leads, foster relationships, and close deals. Our team of experts has helped many businesses, both B2B and B2C, implement marketing automation software to better sell their products and services. To find out more about automating your marketing or to speak with an expert about creating a marketing automation strategy for your B2B business, call or click to contact us today!