We love digital marketing, but we can’t deny how frustrating it is to have to juggle dozens of different tools. Your website, your email marketing tool, your independent social media accounts, your Google Analytics, your Google My Business Listing, and that’s just the bare minimum! If you also have to toss a CRM and other programs like Eventbrite or Slack in the mix, it gets even more overwhelming.
It can feel, well, pretty 💩
If you’re struggling to manage your marketing tools, it’s time to turn to marketing automation.
What is Marketing Automation?
Simply put, marketing automation is one software that houses your entire marketing strategy. Instead of having to log into your CRM, then log into your Facebook, then log into your blog, with a marketing automation software you simply log into one program and can flip between those tools on one page.
We recommend HubSpot as a marketing automation tool. Not only is it easy to use, but it integrates seamlessly with external software like Sprout Social, Mail Chimp, Slack and more. HubSpot covers all your marketing bases – CRM, blog, email, website, forms, landing pages and social media.
How Do I Use Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation makes it much simpler to strategize and create whole campaigns. Many companies fall back on random marketing – an email here, a social media post there, maybe a blog at some point. It’s usually on the spot and very irregular.Â
Instead, using marketing automation you could pre-write and schedule content on a regular basis. Instead of writing and publishing a blog “when you have time” you can pre-write blogs and schedule them every other month. You can do the same with social and email. If you wanted to go even further, you could integrate your CRM with your email marketing to send select emails – for example a congratulatory email on a contact’s Birthday or an announcement of an upcoming tradeshow to contacts living in a select area. Â
Additionally, using marketing automation you could create an inbound marketing campaign. A campaign is one chunk of marketing aimed at a clear goal. For example, let’s say you have an ebook written you want to market. Here’s how you could do that with marketing automation:
- You create a landing page with a form to download the eBook and run ads on social media.
- When someone fills out the form, they are sent a thank you email.
- A few days later, everyone who downloaded the eBook gets a follow-up email with a blog related to that topic.
- When someone clicks on that blog, your sales team is sent an email with the lead’s contact information.
At the end of the day, marketing automation saves you time and reduces stress. It might even make you smile. 💩
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Automate Your Marketing with HubSpot Inbound
Are you not seeing the results you expected out of marketing with your current program? It’s time to go Inbound. Inbound Marketing is a strategic, proven approach to digital marketing that laser-focuses on your goals that doesn’t just get eyeballs on your content – it sends you primed and warmed leads. You’re reaching the people you want most as customers, which means better business for you. As a Minneapolis HubSpot Partner Agency, we have the tools to create killer campaigns, and the knowledge to slice and dice the analytics.
Need a new digital marketing or web design plan? We are a Minneapolis SEO, digital marketing, social media marketing, web design and HubSpot inbound marketing agency. We’re located just outside of Minneapolis. Stop on by and get started – and while you’re here, pick up a free honey stick (yes, we love our bee-related theme).