The Dual Benefits of Marketing Automation for B2B Lead Generation

Many of those who consider using marketing automation and demand generation software first think about its applications for cost-cutting. Automated marketing packages can make light and easy work of a project that could tie up a staggering amount of man-hours if it was done by hand. This makes these systems very attractive to managers or small business owners who have had to let employees go during the current economic climate. Even those enterprises which have not needed to cut their wage bill may desire to use automated marketing so that valuable employee time can be used more efficiently and staff freed up to work on growing or consolidating the business.

However, automated marketing is not simply a tool that is used to replace personal attention; it is a valuable tool in its own right that gives particular benefits over and above that which can be gained from individual workers. Marketing automation allows a wide net to be cast in B2B lead generation through demand generation and email marketing. Generally speaking, the more contacts that are made, the more leads that are generated and the more leads that are converted to sales. This is not all that marketing automation is about; it is more than simply a automatic email-shot to a contact list. This kind of software also allows automation of responses based on the replies that customers send and integration of email marketing with the business’s entire online marketing strategy.

Marketing automation software also allows analysis of trends and development of strategies based on hard data. Analysis of website visitors’ behavior allows for automatic targeting of receptive potential customers so that they can be prompted to return to a business’ website and convert into sales. Follow-up strategies to maximize the amount of sales from a single customer are also possible. This allows a more accurate determination of return on investment so that unsuccessful strategies can be abandoned or reworked and more focus can be put on those strategies that are resulting in successful B2B lead generation. May software packages also offer integrated control systems so that all of the elements of a business’ marketing campaigns can be seamlessly organized from a single program.

While the cost-saving elements of marketing automation in B2B lead generation are a valuable draw, business owners should not forget the other benefits that they can gain and ensure that they choose the software that best allows their business to grow and prosper.