Marketing goes far beyond the simple act of letting the world know you’ve got a product or service for sale. Particularly in 2020, when, as consumers, we’re overwhelmed by branded messaging across every medium and touchpoint in our digital worlds, successful marketing is becoming more and more about the creation, communication and delivery of value. Does your product achieve a specific outcome for your customer base? Great. Does it do so in a way that, on a deeper level, identifies their functional, social and emotional needs, fulfilling those needs on as many levels as possible? Now we’re talking.
The crafting of compelling and engaging brand messages via marketing activities offers a rich opportunity to build relationships with your customers and increase sales outcomes at every touchpoint of your customer journeys, new or repeating. In order to make the most of the many channels to market that exist in our digital-heavy age, marketing automation for small business is the name of the game. Here’s three tips on how to dip your toes into the water of these powerful marketing automation tools.
- Shape your messaging to suit the schedules of individuals
Some people are most receptive to your message first thing in the morning as they ponder the day ahead, coffee in hand. Others find that time of day a particularly intense time of personal challenge, shepherding kids out the door, prepping to get to work and trying to make sure no-one gets left behind. Marketing automation tools can analyze your individual contact’s online activity, delivering your regular EDMs to your consumers based on what suits them individually across your entire database. This one small business marketing automation move can lead to as much as a 200% increase in open and click-through rates.
- Remind your customers of abandoned carts right within Facebook Messenger
We’re used to receiving emails alerting us to unfinished shopping expeditions. However, with up to 69% of eCommerce carts sitting abandoned before check-out is completed, finding more nuanced ways to gently nudge your customers into action is well worth the automation investment. With marketing automation tools that can approach your customers via Facebook Message with a reminder of the list of products they left sitting in their shopping cart, you’ve just doubled your potential to see that sale closed.
- Adjust discount offers based on customer patterns
Looking to reel a repeat customer in with a new offer? Upping the discount you’re willing to offer them, but not a first-time browser, becomes an easy automation trick with a range of small business marketing automation tools. Reward loyalty with personalized offers, automated according to customer activity. Pull in old faithfuls through the automation of additional discount codes to customer bases who may have previously engaged, but haven’t returned in a while. Shape marketing strategies based on loyalty and customer journey processes, all without adding a single layer of manual work into your marketing activities.
In the automating of your marketing processes, you can shape your business to deliver highly personalized experiences.