Tag Archive for: Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation Like my Pool Guy

Background on Pool Shopping

Professionally, I work for Lead Liaison as a technical solutions specialist. Personally, I’m a father of two beautiful girls, 10 and 7, with an amazing wife that puts up with my shenanigans – for 12 years running now! Occasionally my professional career and personal life overlap. When you’re immersed in your job, and understand the real benefits of marketing automation technology, you start to look for real life use cases for how this technology is used. You’re more aware of it once you understand it. A recent experience in my personal life made it easy to discover how a company is benefiting from the power of marketing automation. My experiences starts with shopping for a pool in our backyard, only because the kids and wife really need it (ha!).

I started pool shopping pretty much clueless. I was uneducated. Most of my initial knowledge base was built up from talking to friends, family, and neighbors about their own experiences. My final list after conducting my research included 10 pool builders, so I began making calls. Most of the providers stopped by our house and gave us their pitch. Through the information from the pool designers and salespeople, I began to build up my knowledge on pools. As a buyer, I tended to gravitate towards the companies that didn’t give me a hard sales pitch or bash other pool companies. I gravitated towards the companies that educated me the most, the companies that really highlighted why they were unique, the companies that made me feel comfortable about the process and what would happen from our meeting to actually diving into the water.

The ones that fell off my radar sounded good at first, but they never followed up and didn’t continue to educating me or build the relationship. After getting to the 10th pool builder, they all started to blend together. I took copious notes on each provider, noted their pricing, and tried to decide who to partner with on the project. My budget was small. It turns out that it wasn’t possible to get what I wanted for our budget, so something had to give. Fortunately, the budget expanded – because we really wanted a backyard haven and outdoor quarters to relax!

Selecting a Pool Builder

Marketing Automation Like My Pool GuyI narrowed my list down to three providers. One had a great reputation. They were #1 in the marketplace, but their price was high, I knew multiple people would be involved, and I was concerned we’d just be another number in the 100s of pools they build. If this provider had used technology to support their sales process, I probably would have chosen them. The 2nd provider was a smaller company, building 30 to 40 pools a year, but the salesperson was the owner, who was also the project manager. I felt like I’d be taken care of. This person also had a ton of knowledge. Since I’m a first time pool buyer, I thought from the very beginning that I would be comfortable putting my trust with this provider. The 3rd provider really caught my interest though! Their bid came in as the most expensive bid of all ten providers, which I kind of knew coming in. And their sales person was new to the pool industry, so didn’t have a ton of knowledge to offer in our conversations. But, they really shined with their approach to pool buying. They were different. They focused on educating me, with a process that is bullet proof – regardless of the sales person running the deal. Although I went with the 2nd provider, the 3rd provider is worth talking more about. They did it right for sure.

Pool Builder’s Use Marketing Automation Too!

This company used marketing automation to it’s fullest potential by educating the buyer, me, with different ways of communicating. They sent me emails, a brochure, and postcards. Their themes changed, but their core focus was on educating me.  They knew that most pool buyers probably have no idea what they want, what they are doing, and what a pool costs. They sent me a brochure along with a CD about two days (since I’m local) after our first meeting. The CD provided “backyard ideas”, totally appropriate for someone like me in the early buying stages. I thought that was impressive. It was a great follow up, and gentle, educational reminder from this company that got me thinking more about them.

After this impressive touch point, I was pleasantly surprised to receive more communication. They sent me the Top 10 questions to ask your pool provider, another very relevant touch point. They knew that buyers will talk to other companies. They phrased their questions in a way that also highlighted their strengths and differences. Then, they sent me something with a little humor in it, a postcard with the top ten reasons to buy a pool over an RV.

Marketing Pool BuilderAll things considered, they walked me through the buyer’s journey, over the typical timeframe – also known as the sales cycle – for buying a pool. Communication was spread out about every 1-2 weeks. The communication was gentle, informative, educational – with different types of media (mail, email, etc.). Being critical here, they could have sent me some text messages, or maybe a real handwritten letter from the president of the pool company thanking me for their inquiry. These educational touch points were complemented by two phone calls from the sales person. The sales person didn’t have to be the authority here, since the material was helping to educate the buyer. The material was likely created from experienced pool professionals that work at the company. The key is that they transferred this knowledge from their heads, into sales and marketing material that wasn’t pushy, but was educational. In general, they nailed it! As a potential buyer, I remembered this company. Their brand and company name is at the top of my mind. They helped me through the process.

 What Could they do Differently?

After seeing their marketing, here’s what they could have done differently:

  1. Sent communications from their sales person. This would have built more trust and the overall relationship during my research phase.
  2. Used marketing automation to onboard me as a new customer, sending me tips, keeping me updated on the schedule, etc.
  3. Used a hand written letter
  4. Sent a gift card thanking me for the inquiry

Summary

The takeaway here, is that the pool provider used technology to differentiate themselves from a saturated pool provider market. If I wasn’t on a budget, and finances were not that much of a concern, I probably would have selected this provider. The provider knows this though. They are aware that they install premium pools, at higher costs – they admitted that and were upfront about it. Less pools, at higher prices, probably nets them about the same amount of revenue as other companies doing more pools at lower prices. The company can invest in marketing automation technology to reduce the cost of sales, and help educate prospects through the buying process. Technology works for them – and they’re the only company doing it!

I’ve added some pictures of what the pool provider sent me so you can get a glimpse. If you want to know how your company can use multi-channel marketing to assist your sales team, let us know. We can help you build a scalable, systematic process, that stands the test of time and employee turnover, that your company can use to differentiate themselves and walk your prospects through the buying cycle. We can help you send postcards, handwritten letters, emails, and text messages – to build stronger relationships with your potential buyers as they navigate their buying journey. Whether it’s a pool, a car, enterprise software, professional services, it doesn’t matter! Every company has something to offer, something to educate their buyers with, unique philosophy’s or approaches that prospects would benefit from. Help your company by taking the initiative to:

  1. Map out the buyer’s journey. What decisions do they need to make, what do they need to know, what questions do they ask.
  2. How long is their journey? What is the typical sales cycle.
  3. Transfer knowledge from brain to paper, then put this knowledge into marketing technology from a company like Lead Liaison to help scale your business and reduce your operating costs!

Interested in utilizing marketing automation for our own business? Sign up here to receive a complimentary demonstration of all that we can do!

How Marketing Automation Can Help Real Estate Agents Convert More Leads

 

Home for SaleWhen used correctly, marketing automation is a powerful tool for real estate agents. It allows agents to streamline their marketing efforts and push leads through the funnel much faster. Here are some specific ways that marketing automation helps real estate agents succeed.

Better Buyer Profiles

Lead Liaison uses data from over 100 social networks to enrich Prospect (Buyer) profiles with social information, giving you more insight into who you buyers are and what they are looking for. We also track what your website visitors are searching for on your website, and can categorize buyers based on their search keywords. Knowing what your buyers want is the first step to finding them the perfect home.

Utilize Web Forms

Agents can use web forms to convert more website visitors while simultaneously gathering additional information about that buyer, like their bedroom count or location preference.

Send Your Message Strait to Their Phone

Text messages are a great way to get a quick message out, and since it’s (usually) conscience, the chances of your audience reading it is very high. With marketing automation, you can send a text message to a list of people that might be interested in a new home you have for sale. You can even use the merge feature to make the entire message dynamic, so your text message could read: “Hi Jennifer, I have a new listing available at 123 Street Lane. Let me know if I can schedule a showing for you!”

Send Updates in Real Time

Real estate is a fast-paced industry, and buyers want information quickly. It is easy to deliver that information when you use marketing automation software. Agents can build customized email templates in advance, and simply plug in relevant information which can then be sent immediately or scheduled for later. Educational or touch-base emails can also be sent out as a part of a nurture campaign, or can be sent to certain lists (ex: “Buyers interested in 3 bedrooms” list, or “lakefront buyers” list). This type of real-time, relevant information is critical in real estate. Here are 11 Time-Saving Email Templates Every Real Estate Agent Needs.

Reach the Right Leads with Lead Scoring

It’s no secret that some people merely browse on real estate websites without much interest in buying, while others are ready to buy immediately. Marketing automation software allows users to take advantage of lead scoring. This process scores leads based on how likely they are to convert. Using a lead scoring system, real estate agents can put all of their resources into leads that are ready to buy. This will allow them to increase conversions without wasting their time on browsers that aren’t ready to buy a property.

Speak Directly to Leads with Dynamic Websites

Many real estate agents create websites with general information that doesn’t speak to a buyer. Lead Liaison’s SiteEngage™ allows agents to create dynamic content on their websites based on each individual visitor. For instance, an agent can tailor their website to speak to visitors based off of their location. This is especially helpful for agents that cover a large geographical area. Dynamic content could also be used to speak to a buyer’s preference by showing them a featured property based on their Prospect Profile.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is an important part of real estate marketing. But, it can also be time consuming, especially if you’re logging into and posting on multiple accounts. Real estate agents can streamline their social media marketing by posting to multiple accounts at one time, and even scheduling those posts in advance so you’re sure not to miss peak social media hours.

These are just some of the ways that marketing automation helps real estate agents convert leads. When you use marketing automation software, there is no limit to what you can do in real estate. Request a demo from one of our experienced professionals, and we can show you how we can help you succeed in the real estate business!

How to Run a Webinar: Syndicate Webinar Content

How to Run a Webinar

This is the ninth and final installment in the series How to Run a Webinar.

In our most recent post in this series, we talked about pre-webinar bonding & follow-up. The last step of the process is to syndicate your content.

Syndicate Webinar Content

You’ve invested a ton of time planning and preparing for your event. Make sure you get the most out of your investment by syndicating your content. Syndication means taking the content and reformatting it to fit other mediums or marketing channels. For example, take your webinar recording and:

  • Have the video transcribed. We suggest using Upwork to hire someone to transcribe your video. It’s super affordable and worth the money!
  • Format the transcription into a white paper. Place the white paper on your website as Trackable Content in your marketing automation system and gate the content.
  • Put your video on an internet video hosting and analytics company like Wistia, embed it in your website, and gate the video.
  • Break down the white paper into smaller blog posts. Schedule the blog posts using your CMS.
  • Include the video, whitepaper, and any other related tools or documents in a downloadable “kit”, which is a fantastic lead generation strategy. Prospects are more inclined to give you their email address in exchange for lots of value.
  • Put the webinar recording in a “Resources” section on your website.

What to Expect

Attendance depends on the factors described in the beginning of this document. About 40-60% of registrants will show up for live viewings, but you can expect more registrants to trickle in and watch on demand over the next few days following your webinar.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If you’ve got an idea for a series, we’d love to hear it! Comment below.

Do you want your own personal copy of the entire guide? Download the full white paper here.

Interested in a demonstration of our robust marketing automation tool?

 

How to Run a Webinar: Pre-Webinar Bonding & Follow-Up

How to Run a Webinar

This is the eight installment in the series How to Run a Webinar.

In our last post in this series, we talked about building a compelling landing page and “Thank You” page. The next step is to get comfortable with pre-webinar bonding and follow-up.

Pre Webinar Bonding

If possible, create further short pieces of content that cover any possible objections and start building more trust with registrants. This can be drip fed via email before the webinar. This content could be short videos or articles or just a nice webinar cheat sheet to download and print off before the webinar. Your marketing automation software can help you build a simple drip track for new registrants prepping them for the event.

Follow Up

Make sure to follow up with attendees and no shows once the event is over. We suggest doing so three (3) days after the event. In your follow up, include a video recording of the webinar. Put it into an email, but only include an image of the video. When clicked, the recipient should be taken to a landing page, separate from your registration page, where they can play the video. Separating your follow up page from your registration page will help you isolate statistics and get better tracking from your marketing automation system. This is especially handy for people that couldn’t attend the event as they can watch the video later at their convenience.

In the next, and final, installment of How to Run a Webinar we’ll talk about syndicating your content.

Can’t wait to get your hands on the entire guide? Download the full white paper here.

Interested in a demonstration of our robust marketing automation tool?

 

What Does a Marketing Automation Platform Cost?

Marketing Automation CostAlthough marketing automation is one of the most rapidly growing segments within the business software industry, there is still tremendous room for growth. If your organization is considering the implementation of marketing automation in the near future, you might wish to know how much of a budget you should set aside before beginning a search for the right program. There are numerous marketing software pricing plans and models. Below, we explore the various factors affecting marketing automation platform costs.

The question of how much a marketing automation platform costs is one that many marketers often ask. It should be understood that the cost of a marketing automation platform will vary based on a number of factors. While there are some open-source marketing automation platforms that may at first appear to be free, most such platforms have a certain cost of ownership. Generally speaking, prices for marketing automation software will be based on the following factors:

  • Number of prospects, which is how we refer to contacts at Lead Liaison
  • Edition (whether you choose standard, professional, or enterprise)
  • Third-party services that connect to the platform
  • Number of emails sent per month
  • Number of unique active contacts per month

Additionally, there could also be other plug-ins or add-on fees. Examples include fees for APIs or other third-party services that connect to the platform. Extra fees may be based on the following features:

  • CRM integration
  • Number of users
  • Training
  • Feature add-ons, SEO, social media management, content management plug-ins, SPAM analysis, email deliverability testing, customized landing page URLs, dedicated IP addresses, etc.

Each of these factors should be taken into careful consideration before choosing a marketing automation package to ensure the package you select is in line with both your budget and your needs. In addition, consider the size of your organization as well as scalability for growth.

On the low end, a small to mid-sized package will typically begin at about $300 per month. However, it should also be noted that pricing can range up to about $4,000 per month for higher-growth companies.

Interested in a demo of our marketing automation platform, free of charge? Click here to put in a request!

How to Run a Webinar: Building a Compelling Landing Page and Thank You Page

How to Run a Webinar

This is the seventh installment in the series How to Run a Webinar.

In our last post in this series, we talked about Promoting your webinar. The next step is to build a compelling landing page and “Thank You” page!

Build a Compelling Landing Page

Your marketing automation system should have some great tools in place to help you build a landing page and web form that’s styled and customized to fit the look and feel of your brand. Here are a few ways you can make a compelling landing page:

  • Keep your communication succinct and list out the three benefits to joining the webinar (what you’ll learn).
  • If the presenters are well known, consider putting a picture of the presenter on the page to personalize the event.
  • If you’re offering an incentive, make it clear to the user what that incentive is.
  • Keep the focus on the page, and converting the visitor. Don’t put other things like your website navigation menu or other links that could divert the user’s attention.

Build a Great “Thank You” Page

Similar to the landing page, you want the Thank You Page to be simple, with an easy way for the user to add the event to their calendar. Add a “add to calendar” button with instructions on how to add the event straight to their calendar. AddToCalendar has some neat tools to create buttons and links for this purpose. After the registration form is submitted, make sure to send a thank you email. All of this will increase your attendance rate.

In the next installment of How to Run a Webinar, we’ll talk about pre-webinar bonding.

Can’t wait to get your hands on the rest of this intuitive guide? Download the full white paper here.

Interested in a demonstration of our robust marketing automation tool?

 

Being Prepared in a Marketing Automation Demo: Finding a Partner

This is the second post in the series Being Prepared in a Marketing Automation Demo

Being Prepared in a Demo

One of the most important questions you can ask in a marketing automation demo is, “What processes does your company have in place to make our relationship feel more like what it should be: a partnership?” Once you ask the question, there are three things you need to look for in the answer. That will let you know if the company will truly partner with you.

Support Staff

Excellent support is a key to creating a partnership. The support should be readily accessible when needed and easy to access. Features like live chat make it easy to reach the support team. Support should begin as soon as you get the software. You will need help with training and implementation in order to get the most out of the software. Then, the support should continue for as long as you hold a license.

Explore Your Goals Together

Partners also explore goals together. If you team up with a marketing automation company, you should be able to go over your goals, such as increasing your conversions or improving your lead scoring system to make it easier for your sales team. When you go over these goals with a marketing automation company, it is much easier for you to reach them. The company is able to configure the software to help you reach all of the goals you have set forth. Then, once you reach your goals, you can discuss new goals with your partner.

Your Own “Client Happiness Manager”

Companies that have a “Client Happiness Manager” go the extra mile in regards to forming partnerships with their clients. The manager touches base with you on a regular basis to make sure you are achieving your goals. If you aren’t, the manager discusses options to help you get on track. This type of one-on-one attention is essential if you’re going to be a partner in the process.

Forming partnerships is key to having success with marketing automation software. Your partner will keep you on track and help you achieve everything that you want to accomplish with the software. Be sure to ask this question during your next demo so you will know if the company is the right choice for you.

Interested in putting your questions to the test?

 

How to Run a Webinar: Promote the Webinar

How to Run a Webinar

This is the sixth installment in the series How to Run a Webinar.

You’ve figured out how marketing automation can help you with the entire process. The next step is to promote your webinar!

Promote the Webinar

Don’t rely solely on emails as the gateway to webinar success! Your target database is just one of the ways you can get people to attend your webinar. Think out of the box, get help from companies in your network, and promote the event through other channels. Here are some suggestions to maximize promotion of your event:

  • Issue a Press Release at least two (2) weeks prior to the webinar. Make sure to include a link to your webinar registration landing page (more about that later!) in the Press Release. The Press Release will also give you a little SEO boost on the topic. Here are some tips from a 3rd party on how to write your press release. Here’s an example of a company doing a press release on their webinar.
  • Consider getting help from your partners to announce the webinar to their database and send prospects to the same registration page.
  • Don’t forget to invite your customers!
  • What about your partners. Don’t forget to actually invite them!
  • Hire a list broker who can send out email (through their resources) to drive contacts to the same registration page.
  • Post the webinar on social media. Your marketing automation system should offer a way to schedule posts. Spread out your posts leading up to the event.
  • Create a handful of blog posts on the topic leading up to the event.

In the next installment of How to Run a Webinar, we’ll talk about creating a landing page and “Thank You” page.

Can’t wait to get your hands on the rest of this intuitive guide? Download the full white paper here.

Interested in a demonstration of our robust marketing automation tool?

 

Companies with Bad Websites Need Marketing Automation

bad websitesYou’ve likely heard of the importance of marketing automation, but you might think that your site isn’t very good so it might not help you. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Bad websites need marketing automation even more than good websites do. While all sites benefit from marketing automation, it actually helps guide struggling companies to where (and what) can be changed to make the biggest impact.

What’s Working, and What Isn’t?

First, marketing automation will let you know what is working and what isn’t. You will quickly find out which pages aren’t getting any clicks and which ones are causing people to leave your site.

On top of that, you will find out which content and information people are devouring on your site. Maybe you have a great page or a whitepaper that is buried on a bad site. You will find out what content you need to showcase and what content you need to shelve.

With the help of this information, you can fill your site with content that engages and converts. It won’t be long before you’re beating the competition.

Better User Experiences with Dynamic Website Engagement

You can take it a step further by using a marketing automation company that also offers a package that gives you the ability to create dynamic website engagements. This allows you to analyze your visitors and then provide them with relevant content. That means that you could alter what visitors see on your website based off of their location, or how they interact with your site. If the system notices that they are looking at a certain product on your page more than once, it can trigger an engagement window with a 10% off coupon for that specific product. So even if your website doesn’t grab their attention, the pop-up will.

Don’t give up on your website. With the right tools, your not-so-great website can turn into a oh-so-great one.

Being Prepared in a Marketing Automation Demo

This is the first post in the series What Questions to Ask in a Marketing Automation Demo. 

Being Prepared in a Demo

You’ve spent some time researching different marketing automation tools and now you’re finally ready to move on to the demo stage. Many people kick back and watch the demo unfold, but you need to prepare questions ahead of time and ask them during the main event. The right questions will ensure that you get the marketing automation tool that you need.

Get Real Information

Demos are full of useful information, but do you know what else they are?

They’re scripted.

You can toss that script out the window by asking some useful questions. You will get unscripted information that you can use when deciding if you want to purchase the tool.

Boost Engagement Levels

Questions also keep you engaged in the presentation. It’s easy to be passive and possibly even catch a few zzz’s during a presentation, but that is a terrible idea. If you have some questions prepared, you’ll be engaged and will be certain to understand what the tool has to offer.

Questions play a huge role in demos. Don’t make the mistake of coming up with questions during the demo. If you do that, you will waste your energy thinking of questions instead of listening to the demo. Come up with them ahead of time and then insert them at the appropriate times. Then, you will listen to the demo and get answers to your questions.

Check in next week for the next post in this series. We’ll begin covering important questions, and what you should and shouldn’t hear in the answers that you receive.

Interested in putting your questions to the test?