Functions of The Marketing Automation Software †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Automation Software Functions. Answer: Introduction: The essay is a discussion on customer relationship management (CRM) with special focus on Marketing Automation, considered an emerging trend in CRM. The essay commences with a brief overview of marketing automation and goes on to mention its benefits. There is also discussion about the attributes that contributes to the effectiveness of digital marketing operations. The essay gives an insight into the functions of the marketing automation software. There essay also explains how Netflix Australia has undertaken marketing automation. Netflix is an American entertainment company that helps in providing streaming media and online video on demand via mail. Discussion: Marketing Automation refers to the technologies and software platforms designed for supporting marketers and organizations for effectively carrying out marketing on various online channels like email, social media and various websites (Heimbach, Kostyra and Hinz 2015). This also helps in the automation of repetitive task. Marketing Automation is an emerging trend in customer relation management and is used by campaign and marketing managers, market managers and analyst, promotions managers, direct marketing managers and database managers. Marketing Automation platform primarily used for replacing the repetitive manual processes with advanced automated solutions. Marketers nowadays use this platform for planning, coordination, measuring and managing both the offline and online marketing campaigns (Jarvinen and Taiminen 2016). The application of marketing automation ensures implementation of newer processes and efficiency of the existing process. Thus, marketing is a tool that allows designing, execution and automation of a time bound workflow in marketing. Platforms for Marketing Automation allow marketers in simplifying and automating the client communication through the management of complicated Omni channel strategies of marketing by using a single tool (Khodakarami and Chan 2014). The areas in which marketing automation serves as a great help includes segmentation, lead generation, lead nurturing and scoring, relationship marketing, retention and measurement of return on investment. The benefits of Marketing Automation include increase in the marketing efficiency through greater control over the cost and implementation of cost efficient and streamlined processes (Sweezey 2014). This helps any incumbent in efficiently carrying out the process. Marketing automation also ensures greater productivity in marketing through elimination of manual processes where marketers can have increased focus on tasks that requires more stringent monitoring. The platform also helps in increasing responsiveness. The application of the process allows the marketers to respond to opportunities even when it is not a part of their plan. The function of marketing automation enables companies to be a part of real time marketing and instantly respond to identified opportunity. Marketing automation helps in improving the marketing insights through its embedded functionality of analytics and reporting. Improvement in marketing insight primarily takes place in terms of customers, campaigns, eve nts and markets that leads to both enhancements in effectiveness and efficiency (Chaffey, Smith and Smith 2013). The process also ensures enhanced customer experience and customer retention. Marketing automation can help in customer retention and satisfaction through intelligent marketing. This is done by providing the relevant insight into both the prospective and existing customers. The process will help increased number of companies in predicting customer decisions and needs thereby enabling them in acting accordingly with wastage of time. Marketing Automation also leads to improvement in accountability (Powell 2012). The data analytics aspect of marketing automation enables the firms in better judging commercial return from the marketing activities, ensure improved transparency and lead to timely information of management. Marketing automation helps in the availability of complete customer data. The process allows sourcing, capturing and storing customer data in a particular loc ation and allowing real tine analysis and access. The availability of tools allows modeling and visualization of customer data. The five attributes of effective digital marketing operations includes truly understanding the customers, delivering an enhanced and superior experience, selection of the appropriate technology for marketing, implementation of governance and process and making use of the right metrics in driving profit(Miller 2012). Truly understanding the customer refers to the knowing the customers well. This involves tracking, analysis and interpretation of the customer attitudes and behavior that helps in not only shaping and targeting the relevant experiences but determine delivery (Lemon and Verhoef 2016). Feeding such insights into the marketing operation requires quick delivery and analysis in a form that becomes appreciable to the decision makers. Scaling such capabilities requires organizations in automating the processes. Superior delivery experience is necessary for continuation of the customer journey. This requires mapping of every step that define the sole customer experience. This requires implementation of technologies and automating the processes for ensuring a smoother journey. With the emerging trends of customer relationship management, selection of the right marketing technology is of utmost importance. The choice of marketing automation would ensure delivery of Omni channel customer experi ence and thereby bridge the gap between the marketing operations and customer experience. Adoption of technology through the process of marketing automation helps in implementation of governance and processes. Digitalizing marketing operations through the adoption of marketing automation helps in tracking, monitoring and managing the effectiveness of the marketing investments. Thus, the process helps in using the best metrics for driving success. Marketing automation software undertakes the function of marketing campaigns, online and digital marketing along with strategic and other marketing (Lee, Tang and Sugumaran 2014). The marketing campaign ensures campaign management and campaign management through the process of direct mail. It also ensures campaign management via email along with undertaking of trigger marketing, event based marketing and telemarketing. Marketing campaign also ensures optimization of marketing and lead generation. As the name suggests, online and digital marketing, deals with online marketing, keyword marketing, content management, social media marketing, analysis of data and search engine optimization. The Strategic and other marketing function of the marketing automation software ensures integrated marketing management, marketing performance management, marketing the resource management, management of loyalty, partner marketing, customer and market segmentation and selection, asset and document mana gement, lifecycle management of projects, development of workflow and marketing analytics. Netflix has been the biggest online sensations of the world offering a completely new kind of entertainment (Netflix.com, 2018). The company has undertaken marketing automation that has benefited not only the consumers but also the business. Therefore, the things one can learn from Netflix include their capability of learning to use the available data. Marketing automation allows a company to use data to their advantage. Netflix has also made use of such data to not only make recommendations but also use it for producing content as per the preference of the people. The adoption of marketing automation also helps Netflix in being where their customers are and remain completely responsive to the needs if the customers. This is done by embracing mobile, social and digital technology. Thus, Netflix have a stronger presence in social media that is also the platform for the largest target market of the company. Marketing automation has also taught Netflix to overcome stagnancy (Stahlberg a nd Maila 2013). The company has been in business for a longer period of time and the reason for it being the presence of the open-ended system. The important aspect of Netflix lies in the fact that the company is not only proactive but also adopts constant change to include the preferences of the people. Conclusion: The essay ends with a discussion on Netflix viewed in terms of the Marketing Automation. The success of Netflix has led many company executives to reexamine its business model and henceforth shift towards a model that focused on live streaming of movies and television. The essay also discusses about the functions of the marketing automations software along with a focus on the attributes that result in digital marketing operations. Marketing automation make life easier, help in scaling the personal touch into the company and help the business to grow faster. Marketing is an essential portion of the business and marketing automation is such a tool that helps effective business growth by helping them to grow in terms of strength. References: Chaffey, D., Smith, P.R. and Smith, P.R., 2013.eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimizing your digital marketing. Routledge. Heimbach, I., Kostyra, D.S. and Hinz, O., 2015. Marketing automation.Business Information Systems Engineering,57(2), pp.129-133. Jrvinen, J. and Taiminen, H., 2016. Harnessing marketing automation for B2B content marketing.Industrial Marketing Management,54, pp.164-175. Khodakarami, F. and Chan, Y.E., 2014. Exploring the role of customer relationship management (CRM) systems in customer knowledge creation.Information Management,51(1), pp.27-42. Lee, Y.C., Tang, N.H. and Sugumaran, V., 2014. Open source CRM software selection using the analytic hierarchy process.Information systems management,31(1), pp.2-20. Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C., 2016. 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