Automated marketing applies to all types and sizes of businesses. Years ago, you could count on one hand the number of tools available. Now, there are hundreds of automated marketing platforms to choose from.
Therefore, my favorite automated marketing platform is SmartEngage, as the only software that allows you to connect directly to your subscribers’:
- Facebook Messenger (with Chatbots)
- Push notification
The best part is that you can cross communicate using all those platforms.
Here are 10 features that you need to be successful with automated marketing:
1) Email triggers
Your email marketing tool needs to be able to ‘trigger’ emails. When someone does something, your system should be able to send an email automatically. For example, someone completes a form, and automatically, SmartEngage sents an email to the new subscriber.
2) Send by date
Once an email is triggered, you should be able to have a series of emails. Plus, autoresponders can be scheduled to send an email based on date/time. For example, once your email campaign is triggered, you want to send every 2 weeks on Tuesday at 9 am.
3) Send by behavior
Some programs can send an email based on the behavior of the email recipient. For example, once the email is triggered, you only want to send another email if the recipient engages. As a result, if someone opens an email, they receive the next one. If someone clicks on something specific in the email, they get more information on that specific topic. The KEY is to get your email list engaged, increasing your deliverability rate, and (most importantly) delivering the type of content your list wants WHEN they want it. Most autoresponder programs do not have this functionality.
4) Design
You want a program that has existing templates as well as gives you the ability to create templates. I would recommend getting a program that allows you to access the HTML. Even if you are not familiar with HTML and CSS, it still makes sense. When you can create using HTML, your design flexibility increases significantly. You can get designers to create amazing templates.
5) Forms
In addition, creating forms to add to your site is essential. As a result, most automated marketing platforms have this functionality like SmartEngage. In other words, you are able to create forms quickly and have flexibility in the design.
6) Integration
You need to integrate your marketing automation tool with various apps. It’s crucial your application can do this (and already has the combination set up). Therefore, you don’t have to pay programmers to create integration. There are tools out there that help integrate everything like Zapier.
7) SMS/Text Messaging
Being able to text someone as part of your sequence is vital. Text messages get opened/read at significantly higher rates.
8) Templates for automation
If you are new to marketing automation, it’s helpful to have sample automation, you can copy. Active Campaign has this, and it makes setting up your automation so much easier.
9) Customer relationship management (CRM)
It’s a database of your contacts with crucial information. Your marketing automation tool needs to be able to access the CRM as well as update it.
10) Scoring
In addition, the purpose of marketing automation is to help ‘warm-up’ leads and provide higher quality, and higher quantity leads to your sales team (or to you if you’re the salesperson too). Also, automated marketing tools should be able to tell you who is ready for your call.
With scoring, you decide what behavior is essential, and you assign the points for that behavior. For example, you may give 1 point for opening the email, 2 points for clicking on a social media link, and 4 points for clicking on a call to action. As a result, scoring allows you to see to what level someone is engaging over all your campaigns.
Conclusion
Since digital marketing keeps growing, you need a service like automated marketing to help you make it easier, even work while you are not around. SmartEngage is the best option, allowing cross-communication with your subscribers through their email, messenger, and push notification.
Plus, it provides a fantastic variety of tools such as reports and a great variety of templates for emails, funnels, leads magnets, and many more to help improve your business.
The following video brings you an overview of how SmartEngage can improve your company.
As a matter of fact, the best part is that they offer a free account, or can use their 14-days free trial for the premium service. You got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Therefore, for more information about automated marketing platform and digital marketing, I invite you to read:
- The importance of an automated marketing system
- 2,413 SEO Leads in 30 Days on Autopilot
- What is Digital Marketing?
- 13 Reasons to use SmartEngage for Digital Marketing
These are some of the best tips to promote your business. You can start using these or later on develop your own.
