Marketing Automation: An Introduction

If there was an easy way to know who your website visitors are, which units they are most interested in, and how best to follow…

If there was an easy way to know who your website visitors are, which units they are most interested in, and how best to follow up with them – you would use it, wouldn’t you? If you had a way to prioritize online leads that are most likely to purchase and customize messages to them in a way that would make them want to respond, wouldn’t that be helpful? Marketing Automation is an effective way to simplify and streamline your marketing efforts, ultimately helping you convert more leads into sales.

There are four basic steps that encompass the major benefits of Marketing Automation, with plenty of room for customization to make the tool work at its most efficient level for your dealership. To get a clear picture of the strategy, let’s look at a prospect named Jim who wants to buy a new grill.

First, Jim visits the website of his local hardware store. He browses the site for a bit, looking at the different types of grills they carry, and fills out a lead form for the grill he likes best. Marketing Automation software, integrated into his website platform, collects Jim’s information. This identifies Jim and begins to track all actions he takes on the site. 

Next, Jim begins to receive emails from the hardware store that are related to that grill. These may be tips for storing and cleaning the grill, parts and accessories that would be helpful to purchase with the grill, invitations to visit the hardware store when they are holding sales or specials on grills, or other similar promotions. Marketing Automation has allowed the hardware store to provide Jim with follow-up that best fits his individual needs. Jim clicks on many of these emails and sometimes responds to them with additional questions. He also visits the store’s social media pages and starts following those posts as well.

Due to Jim’s level of engagement with both the hardware store’s email marketing and social media activity, the hardware store assigns Jim a lead score of 85 through Marketing Automation software. The hardware store has identified actions that are most important to their business goals, and the actions Jim has taken show that he is serious about the purchase.

Jim’s high lead score indicates that it’s time for a sales representative from the hardware store to reach out. When he does, that sales rep knows exactly what to talk to Jim about. He can see the grill Jim initially showed interest in, the emails he has opened and responded to, the social media posts he has engaged with, and every other action he has taken in his customer journey. The sales rep will be able to customize his message to Jim in a way that will make Jim as likely as possible to purchase the grill.

What is key about Marketing Automation and why it works so well is that it allows a business to get personal with online visitors in a way that would otherwise be impossible to do. It improves the online experience for customers while at the same time making it easier for businesses to convert leads to sales.

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