email marketing versus marketing automation What s the difference and why should B2B marketers care?
who is this white paper for? You re a B2B marketer in a company that s been using email marketing for some time now. You ve heard about marketing automation. You re intrigued, because it seems like it s a tangible step forward in your organization s marketing efforts But you re not really sure how to really define the difference between the two terms...which makes it pretty hard for you to explain to management why you should bother with marketing automation... Or maybe you re looking for answers on a personal note, out of curiosity. Reading (or even skimming) this whitepaper will get you two things: You ll be able to put your finger on the difference on email marketing and marketing automation (to the point where you ll be able to explain it, too). You ll get practical tips on how to make the transition from email marketing tomarketing automation. Hi, I m Meredith, Manager of the Net-Results Customer Success Team! Thank you so much for reading our whitepaper. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to us on support@net-results.com or 303-771-2552. We d love to talk to you. 2
NOT EMAIL MARKETING IS MARKETING AUTOMATION Email Marketing and Marketing Automation are two terms that are often used interchangeably. However, they re two very different things. Knowing - and grasping - the difference between these strategies is crucial if you want to be successful in modern B2B marketing. 3
Before we explain to you why it s old news, let s first define what we mean when we say "email marketing". marketing is evolving... keep up! Despite its proclaimed "death," email marketing is still alive and kicking. Every day, businesses of every kind send out millions of emails to their contacts using email marketing tools. Most of us in B2B marketing know this game in-and-out: create a list of subscribers.segment it down into chunks of contacts that have something in common. Send out emails that contain relevant messages. Test the response to your email by sending out two versions of the same email to your list: an A segment and a B segment. Look at the response rates, bounces and click-through rates to see well how you ve done. (Lather. Rinse. Repeat.) 4
This approach still works today. But not nearly as well as it used to. And not for achieving the same goals, either. Specifically, email marketing Conventional to isn t quite as effective for marketing existing customers, or you ve lead generation as it once take a very important factor just been keeping customers was. It used to be that just the into informed on product updates, act of sending out messages The way email marketing is you ve probably seen good alone was enough to keep traditionally done relies on the results. But if you ve been trying people interested. But today, marketer s timing, which is a to generate leads through at a time when we re all used shot in the dark every time. simply sending emails alone, to "on demand" and getting chances are you re not quite what we want when we want Modern marketing is about as thrilled about what you re it, people aren t going to sit giving the customers what getting from email marketing around for your message if they want, when they want as you used to be. someone else is giving them it. And it s timing that is the what they want right now. core concept of marketing Example: if sending out you ve been coupons tactics account: automation. Hey, AJ from the Customer Success team here. If you re wondering: yes, you can still blast emails from your marketing automation platform if you want to. But, as you can tell, there s so much more you can do! 5 email fail to behavior.
enter marketing automation Customers have become savvier and choosier about how they engage with brands. Meanwhile, search tools have trained us to expect instant, personalized results when we need information. Just hit "enter", right? So, if you send out an email to your list, the timing might be right. The recipients might respond. If you get your segmentation right and know your audience well, it just might. But you re still sending out messages on your terms. By definition, it s still less effective than it used to be. How to fix it? You ve got to flip the tables. What you say to your prospects and customers has to be "on demand". 6
The problem with email marketing is timing (or lack thereof). Which is why marketing automation is all about timing. And not your timing. Your customer s timing. The B2B sales process is one that s long and complicated - for you, but also for your prospect! If you can give that prospect the right information when he requires it, you ll beat the competition. Marketing automation enables you to craft an "on demand" purchasing experience. Instead of having prospects see something when you decide that it s time, they can get it whenever they want. This approach is often called "inbound marketing." It s about attracting the customer to you (on their terms). As opposed to "outbound marketing," where you move towards the customer (on your terms). But make no mistake: your customer still needs information in order to make a purchasing decision. They are out there, right now, looking for it on the internet. They are looking for answers to questions, like: "We need to do something, what s wrong with our situation?" "What s out there that solves our problem?" "What kind of solution do we need exactly?" "Who are the suppliers of this solution and what sets them apart?" your customer still needs information in order to make a purchasing decision. In summary, marketing automation helps you create an inviting place to do business. You re making things easier for your prospects and customers. Marketing automation helps you recognize how someone prefers to engage with you. Play into that preference and you re able to create a relationship that s based on trust and added value - even when a sale is still far off. On the business side of things, marketing automation allows you to drive leads more effectively through lead nurturing. It also helps you to retain customers after the sale, since you can continue to engage with them in ways that are relevant to them. It s not just about making people feel better and generating warm, fuzzy feelings (though all of that is great). Ultimately, marketing automation is going to be moving the needle for your company s sales and retention efforts. 7
HOW DOES MARKETING AUTOMATION WORK? Okay, so marketing automation is better than email marketing. Cool... But how does it work, exactly? 8
your customer hub You should think of a marketing automation platform as your "customer hub." It s the place where all your customer information lives: email addresses, website behavior, forms they ve submitted, or even interactions with your sales team (through interaction with your CRM software). Email is still a big factor in marketing automation when interacting with prospects and customers. Simply put, it s still the most effective medium for communication. Business decisions are still made in email inboxes, not on Facebook. But marketing automation also allows you to integrate and communicate through other channels, like social or chat. It s all about engaging with customers on their preferred communication channel. The most important thing to remember here is that marketing automation tools are not list managers. Marketing automation tools are about managing all levels of leads (not just lists) and then applying business rules, analytics, segmentation and scientific data to manage prospects in your sales funnel. Marketing automation software helps you to manage and reward individual prospect interactions by providing specific marketing materials (and messages!) designed just for them, at the right point in their sales process. Hi there, it s Rachel from the CS team! Automation + multiple channels = talking to your customers when they want, where they want. That s the secret recipe. 9
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? If this marketing automation thing s got you intrigued, we have more great resources for you to sink your teeth in. More marketing automation, please! If you want to know more about the "why" behind marketing automation and all the great things you can do with it, check out this whitepaper: MA101 will expand upon what you ve just learned in this whitepaper. It will teach how to think about marketing automation in a way that will lead your organization to digital transformation and success. DOWNLOAD MA 101 Want to start implementing marketing automation? If you d like to know how you can implement marketing automation in your business effectively, the Net-Results Success Guide is where it s at. 10
It contains the exact worksheets, examples and tips that we use when onboarding our customers. You can use it to implement a platform yourself or you can just read through to gain understanding of what an implementation could actually look like for your organization. GET THE SUCCESS GUIDE Get started with Net-Results right away Finally, if you just want to jump in feet first, you can schedule a demo with our Product Team. Best part? If you sign up for a Net-Results 14-day trial, you ll get an official onboarding by our industry-leading Customer Success team. Completely for free, of course, so you can figure out if Net-Results is right for you. BOOK A DEMO CREATED BY NET-RESULTS MARKETING AUTOMATION 2018 11