Why do I need a marketing automation software when I have a CRM?
A number of businesses ask us this question because it seems rather obvious – after all CRM and marketing automation software are the same, right? WRONG! If you have been having problems with your marketing and sales funnel, it is probably because you are unable to use the right software systems to streamline your processes.
The most basic difference between a CRM system and a marketing automation software is that the former is sales-focused, while the latter, as the name suggests, is clearly marketing-focused.
Marketing automation “allows companies to streamline, automate, and measure marketing tasks and workflows,” says Marketo, a leading marketing automation software, “so they can increase operational efficiency and grow revenue faster.”
Salesforce, a leading CRM service provider, defines CRM as “a strategy for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with your customers and potential customers.”
A report by Digital Capital Advisors found that in a survey of 220,000 small businesses, only 5% used marketing automation tools while more than 50% of larger businesses use them. Smaller businesses may feel that they need only a customer relationship management system to ensure lead closure. However, if businesses wish to grow, it is important that their marketing teams have a robust software that can help reach out to a larger audience. Currently, only 46% B2B companies are believed to be using a CRM-marketing automation integrated system. But there is still a chunk of businesses that uses CRM and marketing automation tools separately, which may have inverse effects such as loss of leads and low ROI.
Read:What’s better than marketing automation? Marketing automation with analytics!
It is not enough to buy a marketing automation software that works independently for your marketing team. Integration of marketing automation with your CRM is the first step to build a coherent and powerful marketing and sales team that is seamless in its processes and works without any data leaks.
The benefits of CRM and Marketing Automation Integration
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Synchronized marketing and sales efforts
The most important benefit of integration is clearly how it brings your marketing and sales team on the same page. Segregated software systems have too many open ends, which result in data leaks and disruption in customer interactions. When two robust systems come together and work hand-in-hand, the result is a unified platform that defines the whole process from the beginning to the end, for all to view and analyze. A centralized system also means ease in data input, which makes organizing, tracking and reporting way easier.
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Getting the most qualified leads
B2B marketers say the number one benefit of marketing automation is the ability to generate more and better leads. In fact, 70% of marketers say converting leads is their top priority. However, you can reap these benefits only when your marketing automation tool is linked to your CRM. When the leads are scored and synced with the CRM, your sales team knows which ones need to be pursued with immediate effect. It is good to note here that sales personnel, who attempted to reach leads within an hour, were nearly seven times likelier to have meaningful conversations, compared to when they crossed the one hour mark. That is one more reason for integration!
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Better vision means heading in the right direction
82% of B2B decision-makers think sales reps are unprepared. Sales is a tough job; and the job gets harder when sales reps are in the dark about what their prospects’ interests are. This typical B2B pain point finds its solution in CRM-marketing automation integration. The latter provides sales teams with so much more customer information than just demographics. They reveal how prospects are responding to campaigns, what type of content they are interested in, and what websites they are visiting, giving sales reps the power to personalize each conversation, keep the messaging consistent, and make the right kind of impact.
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Giving credit where it is due
One of the challenges faced by companies is to track which focused efforts led to a closed deal. This can create a lot of confusion among the members of the marketing and sales teams, resulting in disillusionment and low morale. An integrated system ensures that a closed deal is rightfully tied to the efforts behind it – there will never be another argument on who sourced the deal, what campaign went into the effort and which team worked on it. You get to give credit and revenue attribution where it is due.
Did you know that businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects see a 451% increase in qualified leads? Your CRM may have given you fairly good results until now; but your growing list of customers is a signal that it will soon become impossible to manually handle your client list. Nurturing your contacts is a lifelong process and it needs a dynamic marketing automation tool to pass a good lead to your sales. It is about time to integrate your CRM with your marketing automation system.
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