Marketing automation systems continue to enjoy considerable popularity among both large and smaller companies.
At the same time, these same companies also work in parallel with specialized online marketing agencies. How can the work of the system and the human be well coordinated to ensure maximum synergy and effectiveness of marketing activities? The answers are in the article below.
Marketing automation is a must-have
The great fascination with marketing automation systems began about 4 years ago. Today those emotions have cooled somewhat, while online marketing has made enormous technological progress. Much has also changed in marketers' approach itself, especially among those working on the side of specialized agencies. Today they use a variety of work tools and have broad knowledge, thanks to which they are able to deliver to the client excellent-quality traffic and highly precise leads. Companies that have already implemented a marketing automation system and at the same time use the services of marketing agencies should strive for synergy and maximum cooperation between these two areas, because such a combination can prove to be incredibly effective.
Before the client enters the MA system
The human factor turns out to be irreplaceable in many areas of marketing. The same is true when it comes to creating the 'groundwork' for integrated online campaigns involving multiple channels. Hence, already at the stage of constructing the communication plan, the role of the marketing agency cannot be overestimated. It is its employees who make strategic decisions concerning the campaign message itself or the selection of media tools. When the campaign is launched, however, the agency begins the processes of targeting and microtargeting, which require extraordinary precision and product intuition. Optimization is carried out on an ongoing basis and also concerns the picture of the actual target group. In this, in turn, 'sprints', that is, the stages of campaign division carried out by the agency, prove to be extremely helpful. The picture of the audience may turn out to be completely different from the one originally assumed by the client or by the agency itself.
Leads in the MA system
Audiences coming from campaigns optimized by the agency are mostly leads ready to buy. At this very moment, by introducing them into the MA system, we can achieve maximum improvement in the work of salespeople as well as automation of the lead nurturing process. Of course, the role of these tools does not have to be limited only to collecting and organizing contacts acquired through agency campaigns. After all, they 'warm up' leads coming from sources other than advertising campaigns. However, if we are talking about acquiring new leads and preparing them for purchase, the synergy of media activities, marketing automation, as well as PR is highly advisable and can ensure very good results.
The client's important role
It has long been known that cooperation, regardless of the area in question, more often brings better results than acting alone. The same is true in the case of advertising activities carried out by agencies and a marketing automation system. In this case, however, much depends on the client itself, who should look at marketing activities for their brand in a holistic way and from the start strive for synergy between the work of agency specialists and the tool implemented in their company.
Author: Anna Kacprzyk, Digital Team Leader. Associated with the Adexon agency since 2015. She is responsible for the campaign execution department, media planning, and maintaining client relationships.
Adexon has been operating on the market since 2013. It is an advertising network specialized in consulting, planning, and execution of advertising and digital campaigns on the Internet. The company has a wide selection of modern advertising products, thanks to which it is able to reach every target group. As a result, it is able to provide campaigns with the highest conversion rate from the online channel. The agency's clients include companies from the automotive, energy, and healthcare industries.
Terms from the article
Nurturing — warming up leads. A sequence of valuable content sent to a person who is not yet ready to buy — it maintains contact until the decision is made.
Why it matters: Most inquiries do not buy right away. Nurturing turns "not now" into "now" instead of handing the contact over to the competition.
When it is used: In long B2B purchasing processes, the sale of solutions requiring decisions by several people.
What skipping it risks: Without warming up, leads that did not buy in the first week are in practice lost — no one returns to them.
PR — Public Relations. Activities that build an organization's reputation and relationships with its environment: media, clients, employees, partners, and communities. PR includes statements, media relations, crisis management, events, and brand narrative.
Why it matters: It builds what no advertisement can buy: credibility in someone else's voice. An editorial publication and a well-managed crisis weigh more than a campaign — because a third party speaks, not the brand about itself.
When it is used: Continuously: media relations, statements, interviews, events; especially in a crisis and during changes in the company.
What skipping it risks: Without media relations, a company speaks only through paid channels, and in a crisis it is left without spokespeople and without trust.
