Marketing Automation Definition

Marketing automation is exactly how it sounds. It’s all about making the steps in marketing automatic, as opposed to manual in nature. And it’s accomplished by using software that can execute automated marketing steps.

Imagine harnessing the power of technology to engage your prospects. Via email. Via text messages. Via social networking sites. And then setting up the relationship building process to work completely automated. You still have personalized messages. You still make that connection with your prospects. But it’s all done with an automated system – making technology working for you!!

Moving Parts

When you build a marketing campaign, there are a lot of moving parts. Yes, you need to get the message out there to your prospects, but you also need to ensure that the message stays consistent. Using software that helps you do this saves time, money and allows you to do things within your marketing campaign that perhaps wouldn’t be efficient if you conducting the various aspects manually.

Marketing Automation in Action

You build your marketing campaign. You develop the marketing messages and you will get them to your target market through the following: text messaging, direct mail, email, Facebook and MySpace ads and banner ads. Each message sent through each of these methods will have a call to action and will allow for a response from your prospects.

However, there is no “man behind the green curtain” choosing when to unleash each message. The delivery of the messages are already pre-determined and set up on a fine-tuned schedule. Banner ads are in place on day one. Social media ads (Facebook and Twitter) are also ready to go. Emails will be sent 3 days later. Text messages will go out 4 days after that. And then the direct mail will hit the streets a few days later. Each message is completely scheduled and each message invites response from prospects.

And the moment your prospects begin to respond and utilize those response mechanisms, your automated marketing system continues to plug away at the campaign, kicking into high gear. Whether the prospect responds via a web form after clicking on a banner ad, or a personalized URL, that prospect is sent information that directly corresponds to the prospect’s interest.

Relationship building via an automated system saves resources in regards to both money and time. And by providing relevant information to the prospect in a timely manner, a company is more likely to foster that relationship and turn it into a sale.