There is technology currently available that can help businesses in every industry to transition some or all of their operations to the cloud. It is advisable to take advantage of this opportunity and move your marketing operations to the cloud.
According to marketing expert Clare Price, global companies have been making investments in automation for many years. The significance of this investment became evident during the years 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic hit. Thanks to automation, employees were able to smoothly shift to remote work during the initial lockdowns.
Price, the CEO of Octain Growth Systems, a global consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, emphasizes that large companies had an advantage in adapting to the hybrid work model, which combines on-site and remote employees, due to their existing automated tools that enhance profitability, productivity, and operational efficiency.
Price states that small enterprises and solopreneurs were not as fortunate as others when faced with lockdowns, as they had to urgently work towards regaining momentum. As a result, there has been an increase in the realization among small business owners about the significance of automation in improving operational efficiencies within their organizations, according to Price.
Business owners and marketers in every industry have access to technology today that can help them move their operations to the cloud, either entirely or partially. In order to do this, Price suggests automating the five marketing functions listed below.
Appointment scheduling online is a beneficial option as it provides flexibility for customers and protects your time. There are various calendaring software options available for booking individual client appointments, such as Calendly and Calendarwiz. If you are in need of a more comprehensive appointment-setting solution, along with virtual administrative support for class scheduling and training, TimeTap is recommended. TimeTap offers features like multiple locations, class scheduling, customized booking forms, and automatic payments. Simplybook.me is another online booking system that caters to professional services companies. It provides features like online booking, notifications, payments, and marketing incentives such as coupons, gift cards, memberships, and product sales. Furthermore, SimplyBook.me also offers the opportunity for listing in their professional services directory.
If your company manually submits proposals for jobs, especially in professional services, I highly recommend investing in proposal software. Proposal software not only drastically reduces the nonbillable time you spend creating your proposal, but it also allows you to track the prospects’ response by monitoring when, what, and how they view the sent materials. Instead of wondering and blindly sending follow-ups, you will have the advantage of knowing when your prospect has read your proposal. Furthermore, you will be able to determine which pages caught their attention, whether it was the benefits, features, or pricing. This knowledge will better enable you to send a follow-up that addresses their specific interests. PandaDoc, Proposify, and BidSketch are examples of proposal software that can provide these functionalities. Most of them offer a limited free version or trial.
If you rely heavily on email marketing for your marketing efforts, there are numerous affordable and efficient solutions available in the market today. These solutions automate basic marketing tasks, allowing your team to excel in generating demand and leads. From simple email marketing systems to advanced platforms for demand generation and prospecting, there are various options to choose from. Marketing automation is a vital element for achieving success in digital and social media marketing.
- Top Email Marketing Automation Tools For Small Businesses
Running a small business necessitates the inclusion of email marketing, but it is also time-consuming. By using appropriate email automation tools, not only can you save time, but you can also enhance your marketing effectiveness. This, in turn, boosts open rates and enables you to effortlessly categorize your audience, ensuring that your customers receive the information that is most relevant to them.
Investing in email marketing automation tools has the potential to yield various benefits. These tools can handle numerous repetitive tasks associated with email marketing, allowing you and your team to concentrate on more significant aspects, such as your overall marketing strategy.
- Jotform
Jotform can assist you with email marketing in various ways. Jotform offers form templates that consist of different options, such as an email signup form, a blog newsletter signup form, an email list form, and an opt-in form. These forms can streamline the process of collecting information, thereby supporting the initial stage of your email marketing funnel.
Jotform provides various table templates, such as an email marketing calendar, an email signup sheet, an email list, and an email subscription list template. You can utilize these templates as databases to handle your email lists and email marketing endeavors. The convenience of having all your information consolidated enables effortless tracking and monitoring of the efficiency of your marketing efforts.
- HubSpot
HubSpot provides a wide range of beneficial tools for email marketing that enable you to develop and personalize your marketing emails without requiring assistance from a designer. Utilizing this tool, you can enhance your open and click-through rates and conveniently send automated, tailored emails to recipients based on specific actions they take.
Thanks to its drag-and-drop editor and wide range of email templates, HubSpot makes the process of creating email campaigns simple.
- Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers a variety of tools that enable you to market your business professionally. One of its features, the Creative Assistant, utilizes AI technology to generate personalized designs, while you also have the option to utilize numerous available templates.
You can easily automate your email marketing by using customer actions, which will ensure that your emails are tailored and personalized to each customer. Mailchimp also allows you to synchronize your online store data, providing pre-built customer segments that make email segmentation easier.
- Salesforce
Salesforce provides a vast array of solutions for small businesses, and in addition to this, their customer relationship management (CRM) platform aids in enhancing email marketing by allowing you to gain a better understanding of your customers.
The CRM data can be used to improve connections and interactions with customers. Salesforce provides real-time insights, ensuring you have the most up-to-date data. By utilizing AI technology, you can enhance the personalization and effectiveness of your emails.
- ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is an automation platform for enhancing customer experiences. It is applicable to e-commerce, B2C, and B2B enterprises and accommodates diverse forms of email marketing such as broadcast emails, triggered emails, targeted emails, and others.
The drag-and-drop designer is user-friendly, and the segmentation feature makes use of customer data for targeting specific groups with the messaging that is most effective for them.
- Constant Contact
By using Constant Contact, you have the opportunity to boost your sales by ensuring your subscribers stay interested through receiving appropriate and timely emails. Options such as sending automatic welcome emails to new subscribers, triggering emails, and being able to resend emails to those who have not opened them can assist you in expanding your email lists.
By following a step-by-step approach, you have the option to import contact lists from Excel, Outlook, or Salesforce. Furthermore, it allows for the convenient addition of new contacts as they are obtained, providing a centralized and user-friendly method to oversee your list.
- GetResponse
GetResponse is a marketing tool with a wide range of email automation features, such as email newsletters, autoresponders, automated emails, transactional emails, and more. Its intuitive design tools simplify the process of creating emails, and its 99 percent deliverability ensures improved marketing outcomes.
- Drip
Drip is an automation platform that enables you to expand your audience and automate campaigns for increased revenue. Using Drip’s workflow builder, you can effortlessly create campaigns, and split testing assists in identifying the most effective strategies for generating revenue, clicks, and opens.
By having the feature to send emails triggered by specific events, you can ensure that appropriate messages are delivered at each phase of the customer’s journey.
- Pardot
Pardot is a solution for marketing automation that provides assistance in various aspects, starting from generating leads to managing email campaigns. With its user-friendly email builder, you can easily design visually appealing and impactful emails. Additionally, it offers automated engagements to foster leads, incorporating integrated testing and reporting features.
Automatic segmentation makes it easier to target your email marketing campaigns, and A/B testing helps you identify what works.
- Omnisend
Omnisend is a platform for email marketing and SMS that has the potential to boost revenue growth. Utilizing pre-built automations in emails can enhance sales, whereas segmentation has the potential to increase conversions. Getting your initial automations set up and operational in as little as 30 minutes is simple, enabling you to promptly observe the impacts of this marketing automation platform.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a crucial tool for any business. It is a cloud-based sales enablement tool that should not be overlooked. CRM software solutions primarily focus on developing and nurturing customer relationships. They provide the means for your sales team to communicate with potential customers and monitor their interactions throughout the entire sales process, from initial contact to the final purchase. CRM systems encompass various features, such as contact management, lead management, opportunity management, and sales forecasting. Additionally, some CRM systems can be integrated with marketing automation programs, whether they belong to the same organization or not. In terms of preferred CRM options, my top five recommendations are Salesforce Sales Cloud, Nutshell, Copper, Pipedrive, and Zoho CRM.
Customer Service. In order to ensure remote work is successful, it is crucial to provide clients with a seamless customer experience (CX). These clients expect prompt support through various channels and devices, mirroring the level of service they receive from Amazon. Relying solely on phone and email support is no longer sufficient given the current challenging circumstances. By making two online CX investments, any small business owner can completely transform their customer service. Additionally, investing in live chat as a customer service technology can effectively turn a static information website into an interactive customer resource center. This upgrade enables a significant reduction in response times, from hours to seconds, while also contributing to increased sales. According to the American Marketing Association, B2B companies that implemented live chat witnessed an average increase of 20% in conversions. To explore live chat options, it is highly recommended to consider using Live Chat, ZenDesk, and Olark as potential software solutions.
