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Today, whether you are a small or large business, it is all about elevating the customer experience and building personalized connections with your target audience.
But where do you find the time to maximize your marketing strategies if you are stuck doing repetitive and mundane tasks?
This is where marketing automation comes into play.
When we talk about marketing automation, we consider the several benefits that come along with it; including:
- Reduced staffing costs
- Increased revenue
- Improved efficiency
- Refined marketing processes
- Extended reach to potential customers
- Improved accountability
- More creativity
- Ongoing A/B testing
- Repurpose existing content
- Schedule campaigns
- Better reporting
However, although the benefits are great; many marketers worry they can not easily automate processes without a developer at hand to manage all the coding needed. This would require time and resources that are not always available.
So which automation tool is right for your brand’s needs?
Well, let’s take a look at one of our favorite automation tools, Zapier.
Zapier is an automation tool that connects different apps like Gmail, Slack, Mailchimp, and over 2000 more, without the need for coding or developers to integrate workflows. Over 895 companies have integrated Zapier into their strategies across multiple departments.
Zapier enables companies to automate complex multi-step processes by helping these apps work together to increase productivity and get a lot more work done in less time and using fewer resources.
CEO Wade Foster, who co-founded the company in 2011, says, “Zapier reduces what would be multiple, manual steps to connect data from a variety of apps into a single action. The ultimate goal is to help folks be productive.”
So how does it all work?
You can sign up for your free Zapier account and get access to their core features, as well as other paid features for 14 days.
Once you have created your account, you will have access to your dashboard and various Zap templates, which you can start integrating into your different apps.
Not sure how to create a Zap? Here is everything you need to know.
Your automated workflows are called Zaps and push data from one app to another using triggers and actions. You can create different triggers to perform various activities you need to complete different tasks.
Here is an example:
When you receive an email in Gmail, with an attachment, you want to save it in your Dropbox.
To start the Zap, you need to define your trigger. In this case, the trigger is receiving an email with an attachment in Gmail.
The action you want the Zap to perform is, uploading the attachment to your Dropbox. This action then completes 1 task.
There are thousands of different Zaps you can use across your marketing strategies and processes. And the best part is, you can create the Zaps yourself, in just a few clicks.
Let’s dive a little deeper into some important areas for B2B marketing and eCommerce platforms that can benefit from growth hacking automation.
B2B businesses rely on lead generation and management to increase sales. However, getting information can be a long-winded process.
Until now, Zapier helps you automate processes to maximize sales in a few simple steps.
Here are some areas where Zapier can help:
- Lead Management: Import leads to a CRM with two simple Zaps, so the information is visible to everyone. A new entry can trigger the data import and create a list of inbound leads.
- Lead Nurturing: Move down the sales funnel by getting to know your customers better and collecting vital information. Easily integrate surveys, emails, and host webinars by reaching out to a broader audience and getting more registrations and subscribers.
- Content Marketing: Content is king. But although there is no magical Zap to create the content for you, you can at least reach out to a target audience and increase social activity across all platforms to know what is worth sharing and writing about. Also, manage and follow the right people to get access to great information. Keep tabs on any mentions and create spreadsheets, so you know who is doing what.
Similar to B2B, eCommerce platforms rely on customer engagement to boost sales. This means creating endless lists of customers at different stages of the customer journey.
You can easily differentiate these lists based on the activities you need to perform, using Zapier.
We have made a list of some tasks Zapier can help you perform and why they matter:
- Add Customers to a Mailing List: Whenever you get a new customer, their email address can be automatically added to a mailing list for future correspondence.
- Add Customers to a CRM: Importing customer information to a CRM can help all members of the team stay in touch with them. This increases the chances of future sales.
- Create Follow-up Tasks: Once an order has been placed online, there are plenty of tasks to tick off after. Packaging, printing labels, and shipping, for example. Create follow-up tasks to ensure orders are created and fulfilled efficiently.
- Customized Emails for New Customers: Today, customization matters. Once you receive new purchases from new customers, confirmation emails are a good idea. Personalize the customer experience to create lasting customer relationships.
- Create Follow-up Tickets: Getting in touch post-sales is a great way to ensure customer satisfaction and to let you know your customers are still on your mind. Create follow-up tickets to prompt your team of the essential tasks that need to be done.
Are you already dreaming about how much time you can save using Zapier? Creating Zaps is just as much fun as it sounds.
Zapier is a great tool to use to help you complete those mundane tasks and collect the information you need to improve your marketing processes and strategies.
To achieve scalable growth is really about a combination of growth hacks and how well they work for your business needs and how well you can implement them into your strategies.
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