Learn how to master small business marketing automation.
While marketing automation software can be indispensable for businesses of all sizes, when you are first getting started, it can be easy to be overwhelmed. You might ask yourself questions like:
- How does this fit into what I’m already doing?
- What type of automations should I be running?
- How do I go about developing a strategy?
When we sit down with clients to really discuss the nuts and bolts of a small business marketing automation campaign in HubSpot, we like to remind them that half of marketing is really predicated on the power of simply showing up. Just like the organic content on your website and on your social media profiles, the act of just letting the people know that you are here and that you exist as an option is half the battle. Using small business marketing automation allows you to be able to continually engage folks at various stages of their decision-making process and to become that option in the back of their mind. Ultimately, it’s about how close someone is to making a decision on a particular purchase.
In our guide, 5 Handy Automation Tips for Small Business Marketing Automation, where we discussed key workflows for businesses to streamline their marketing processes, we actually had 3 overarching principles. Focusing on these 3 concepts can really help you get into the mindset of marketing automation tools and hone your strategies.
So, with that in mind, here’s a quick look at these principles, that allow ways to both think about marketing automation for small businesses and key strategies to practically implement it.
Re-Engage with Email Marketing
Sometimes leads just fall through. You could be doing everything right, keeping them engaged, offering them the best prices, and the perfect package for them, and for one reason or another— a certain percentage still ultimately don’t choose you or your services. However, a “cold” lead isn’t gone forever. You can always re-engage with them with emails or other targeted marketing to bring them back into the fold.
Continually reengaging your leads and customers is a key part of small business marketing automation.
While sometimes these leads do go with another company or service, there are a lot of factors as to why a deal can fall through. Perhaps they lost their job or got distracted. Maybe their budget got shifted or maybe they just got overwhelmed. People are viewing more content and streams of information than ever before, so sometimes a personalized check in is just what they need to remember you and hire you when they are fully ready.
Check In: Leveraging Small Business Marketing Automation
You never need an excuse to reach out to your contacts to remind them of both who you are and what you do (that’s the point of using small business marketing automation software). Checking in with personalized, automated messages not only keeps you top of mind, but also expresses that you care about connecting with them and the value of your work. You don’t even need to send specific marketing promotions or coupons most of the time. Just sharing updates and your key services is enough, though of course incentives don’t hurt from time to time.
Just being present in the inbox and offering Calls-to-Action for your core leads will help keep you in mind just when they need you. Calls-to-Action are typically going to be a part of any small business marketing automation software.
Incentivize Action
Finally, beyond re-engaging “cold” leads and keeping in contact with customers by checking in, we want to speak to how you can incentivize your customers to take action. A key way to do this is by utilizing HubSpot’s automation tools to really send out exclusive offers to your leads. For example, if you’ve already sent someone a quote or given them an estimate, and the system sends out a limited time coupon code or discount, that’s a great way to get them to take action. That is a limited time offer that they are primed to and should act on.
Make them an offer they can’t… ignore.
Alternatively, there are plenty of ways to make incentivized actions feel more personal. For example, you’ll see a lot of eCommerce companies send birthday or anniversary emails and promotions. While it may sound cheesy and obviously automated, it can seem to the customer that the company cares (I mean, someone had to put in the time to create the automation, right?) Even little automations like sending an email if a customer leaves something in the shopping cart and navigated away, or an email that says “Hey, I noticed you’ve been to the page a couple times, do you want to buy this?”, can feel personal. By tailoring the language to reflect you, your business, and how you want your customers to feel, people can be inspired to click that button and complete a purchase.
Need More Help with Small Business Marketing Automation?
Applying all of these concepts together, by focusing on nurturing your leads, checking in, and finding ways to incentivize, you can really flesh out your automation strategy. Of course, these are all just a jumping-off point and with everything HubSpot has to offer, it can be overwhelming.
Download our guide, Small Business Marketing Automation, for even more tangible tips and watch the full video this is based on here.
If you’d like more help or have any questions about your marketing automation strategy, we’re always ready to help. My iterative approach to digital marketing is transparent and measurable. Learn how we can develop a bespoke plan designed around key metrics and your vision here.