What is Marketing Automation?
It is the use of software to automate marketing processes and campaigns, across multiple channels, such as email, web, social, and text.
The utilization of such technology can help marketers target customers with relevant and timely messages, based on their behaviour, preferences, and needs. Marketing automation can also help marketers measure and optimize the performance and ROI of their marketing activities.
Marketing automation is important for several reasons:
- It saves time and resources, by reducing manual work and human error.
- It increases efficiency and productivity, by streamlining workflows and tasks.
- It improves customer experience and satisfaction, by providing consistent and personalized communication.
- It enhances customer loyalty and retention, by nurturing relationships and delivering value.
- It boosts revenue and growth, by generating more leads, conversions, and sales.
How can brands implement marketing automation in their marketing strategies?
Here are some key steps that are involved in marketing automation:
- Define your goals and objectives: What are you trying to achieve with marketing automation? What are your key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics? How will you track and measure your results?
- Identify your target audience and segments: Who are you trying to reach with marketing automation? What are their characteristics, behaviours, and needs? How can you segment them into different groups based on their attributes and actions?
- Create your content and messages: What are you going to say to your audience? What are the benefits and value propositions of your products or services? How can you create engaging and relevant content and messages for each segment and stage of the customer journey?
- Choose your channels and tools: Where are you going to communicate with your audience? What are the best channels and platforms to reach them? What are the tools and software that you need to automate your marketing processes and campaigns?
- Set up your workflows and triggers: How are you going to automate your marketing activities? What are the workflows and sequences that you need to create and execute? What are the triggers and conditions that will activate and deactivate your workflows and messages?
- Test and optimize your marketing automation: How are you going to ensure the quality and effectiveness of your marketing automation? What are the methods and techniques that you need to test and optimize your workflows, messages, and outcomes?
What does marketing automation mean for the customer journey?
In short, it means creating personalized and consistent experiences for customers across different channels and stages of their journey. It will help in the delivery of tailored messages and offers to customers based on their behaviour, preferences, and needs.
Applied to different stages of the marketing and sales funnels, depending on the objectives of the marketers and salespeople. Here is a brief explanation of how marketing automation can work at each stage:
Top of the funnel (TOFU):
This is when potential customers become aware of the problem and start looking for solutions. By executing marketing automation at this stage you can capture leads in their discovery process.
The most relevant channel to locate customers at this point is usual Search Engines. Sponsoring keywords that may be relevant to the audience you are trying to reach during the discovery phase.
Middle of the funnel (MOFU):
When potential customers evaluate and compare different solutions, and consider your product or service as one of the options. Marketing automation can help you nurture and qualify leads by sending them personalized and timely messages.
This is also known as the selection process, where customers know the problem they are facing a are reviewing products. Marketing Automation can help in the segmentation of leads based on their needs and preferences, and deliver USP messages.
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU):
This is the stage where potential customers decide to buy your product or service, and become customers. This the implementation process. Marketing automation can help you close and convert leads by sending them targeted messages.
Marketing automation can also help in the automation of the sales process, such as creating quotes, invoices, and contracts. It can also be integrated with CRM and payment systems.
Post funnel:
This is the stage where customers use your product or service, and become loyal and repeat customers. Also known as the evaluation phase, with a proper feedback loop you may be able to get customer feedback.
Marketing automation can help you retain customers by sending them relevant messages, such as onboarding, support, feedback, and loyalty rewards. It can also help upsell and cross-sell by sending customers timely messages, such as product updates, new features, and recommendations.
Where to start?
It is usually executed with the use of a software to automate processes and campaign across multiple channels.
Many software and platforms can be utilized for marketing automation, depending on the goals, budget, and features. Here are some of the most popular ones, along with their pricing and main functions:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
CRM is used to manage and improve the relationships with customers, prospects, and leads. CRM platforms can help marketers store and access customer data, track interactions, segment audiences, and automate workflows. Some of the best CRM platforms are:
- Salesforce: A comprehensive and customizable CRM platform that offers various products and solutions for sales, marketing, service, and more.
- Zoho CRM: User-friendly and affordable CRM platform. Integrates with the Zoho suite. Offers features such as lead management, email marketing, analytics, and AI.
- HubSpot CRM: A free and easy-to-use CRM platform that connects with HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and service hubs. Offers features such as contact management, email tracking, live chat, and reporting.
Marketing Automation Platform (MAP)
MAP platforms are used to create and execute marketing campaigns across multiple channels, such as email, web, social, and text. MAP platforms can help marketers design and deliver personalized and engaging messages, based on customer behaviour, preferences, and needs. Some of the best MAP platforms are:
- Brevo: Affordable and all-in-one MAP platform tat offers features such as email marketing, landing pages, webinars, forms, surveys, and analytics.
- HubSpot Marketing Hub: A premium and all-in-one MAP platform that connects with HubSpot’s CRM, sales, and service hubs. Offers features such as email marketing, SEO, content management, social media, and analytics.
- Omnisend: A MAP platform designed for small businesses and e-commerce. Offers features such as email marketing, SMS marketing, push notifications, segmentation, and automation.
Customer Data Platform (CDP)
CDPs are used to collect, unify, and analyse customer data from various sources, such as online, offline, and third-party channels. CDPs can help marketers create and update comprehensive and unified customer profiles, based on their attributes and actions. Some of the best CDP platforms are:
- Segment: A CDP platform that integrates with over 300 tools. Offers features such as data collection, data governance, data warehousing, and data activation.
- Emarsys: A CDP platform that offers features such as data integration, data enrichment, data analysis, and data activation.
- Lytics: A CDP platform that offers features such as data ingestion, data unification, data enrichment, data segmentation, and data activation.
Case Study 1: Talabat
Talabat is the leading online food delivery platform various countries in the Middle East. Operating in seven countries and offering over 27,000 restaurants and cuisines. Talabat’s vision is to be the most customer-centric food delivery company in the region.
One of the ways Talabat has implemented marketing automation is by creating personalized campaigns targeting users based on browsing, ordering history, preferences, and behaviour.
Talabat uses marketing automation software to segment its customers into different groups, such as new, loyal, occasional, and inactive. Marketing then sends them customized messages, such as welcome messages, product recommendations, discounts, loyalty rewards, and reactivation offers.
By implementing marketing automation in its web and app campaigns, Talabat has achieved (source, source, source):
- A 35% increase in web and app conversion rates
- A 25% increase in web and app retention rates
- A 20% increase in web and app revenue
- A 15% increase in customer satisfaction
Case Study 2: Ounass
Ounass is the leading luxury e-commerce platform in the MENA region. Operating in six countries and offering over 600 brands and designers across various categories, such as fashion, beauty, and home. Ounass’s mission is to provide an unparalleled online shopping experience for its customers.
Ounass has implemented the automation through personalized email campaigns while targeting based on browsing, purchase history and preference.
Ounass uses the technology to segment its customers into groups, new, loyal, high-value, and inactive, Ounass then sends each group a tailored email message based on where they are in the sales funnel.
By implementing marketing automation in its email campaigns, Ounass has achieved: (source)
- A 40% increase in email open rates
- A 30% increase in email click-through rates
- A 25% increase in email conversion rates
- A 20% increase in average order value
Case Study: Bank Audi
Bank Audi is a leading bank in the MENA region, operating in 11 countries and offering a wide range of banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. Bank Audi’s vision is to be the most customer-centric and innovative bank in the region.
One of the ways Bank Audi has integrated marketing automation in its campaigns and customer segmentation is by using a customer data platform (CDP) that enables it to collect, unify, and analyse customer data from various sources, such as online, offline, and third-party channels. Bank Audi uses the CDP to segment its customers into different groups based on their demographics, behaviour, preferences, and needs. Bank Audi then sends them customized and relevant messages, such as welcome messages, product recommendations, cross-sell and upsell offers, loyalty rewards, and reactivation messages.
By integrating marketing automation in its campaigns and customer segmentation, Bank Audi has achieved:
- A 25% increase in customer acquisition rates
- A 20% increase in customer retention rates
- A 15% increase in customer loyalty and advocacy
- A 10% increase in customer lifetime value
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