Marketing Automation For Dummies (2014)

Introduction

The marketing world has changed more in the last few years than in the entire 100 years prior. Technology has given rise to an ultra-connected world and a new way in which people operate, communicate, and find things. This fundamental change has also given rise to new and better ways to reach your consumer. Marketing automation allows a business to reach people in a personal and scalable way, increasing your marketing’s effectiveness — and your revenue.

In this book, I tell you all about marketing automation: what it is and why it is something you should strongly consider putting to use for your company. I show you how to find a marketing automation tool to suit your needs, how to set it up, and how to create better campaigns than ever before.

About This Book

This book exists to help you understand this new technology called marketing automation. Whether you need to run marketing campaigns for your company, work on the sales side, or employ the people doing those things for you, having a strong understanding of the most critical marketing process is a must. The reason marketing automation has become such a critical piece of the marketing world is that it solves the issue of how to be relevant at scale. This book gives you a look at marketing automation that’s unlike any other publication on the topic. I’ve laid this book out to teach you the why, the what, and the how.

The book uses a step-by-step approach to guide you through every aspect of working with this technology. Here are some conventions used in the book that you should know before jumping in:

· Web addresses and programming code appear in monofont. If you’re reading a digital version of this book on a device connected to the Internet, note that you can click the web address to visit that website, like this: www.dummies.com.

· I’ve included Twitter handles of key people and companies when possible, and I’ve included them so that you can take action and follow them. Being successful with this technology requires constant learning. These are the best people to learn from.

Foolish Assumptions

The most foolish of assumptions is that you already know how to do automated marketing. The concepts that are the basis for current marketing methodologies do not translate directly into the work of marketing automation. Marketing automation is just as much of a mind shift as it is a new technology, and throughout this book I show you how to think correctly about marketing automation and how to best execute programs to meet your goals.

For those of you who are beginners to the field of marketing, I encourage you to learn the basics and stay with low-level techniques for a while. Don’t try to run too fast without fully understanding how to walk. Also, realize that you most likely have lots of work ahead of you. I have, however, organized this book to make the workload as easy as possible to tackle.

For those of you who are advanced marketers, make use of the information that’s appropriate for you and leave the rest. Also, realize that an advanced technique for you may be a basic technique for someone else. It’s all about context, and I give you plenty of that in the book.

Finally, if you have a marketing automation tool, you must read this book. I can’t tell you how many people have already tried working with marketing automation tools and still have no clue how to use them correctly. I see people still struggling to accomplish their basic goals a year after they’ve purchased their marketing automation tool, and I see people who are successful with their tool in very short order. The difference between the two is how they approach a new technology.

If you approach marketing automation without understanding it, and you use an outdated approach, you will not accomplish your goals and will likely end up having to hire a consultant to help you use your marketing automation tool. Reading this book will save you lots of money and months of work just by showing you the basic elements to focus on, how to think about setting them up, and how to improve your automated programs over time.

Technology is moving fast, and new tricks, tips, and tools emerge every day. Knowing which ones are important is necessary so that you don’t get caught chasing fads.

Icons Used in This Book

The Tip icon marks tips (duh!) and shortcuts that you can use to make this process easier.

Remember icons mark the information that’s especially important to know. Make sure to take the time to read these. I’ve included them because these are critical items to understand when working with marketing automation.

The Warning icon tells you to watch out! It marks important information that may save you headaches, so do NOT skip Warning paragraphs.

Beyond the Book

I have written some extra content that you won’t find in this book. Go online to find the following:

· Online articles covering additional topics at

www.dummies.com/extras/marketingautomation

Here you’ll find a Top 10 guide to creating great content, tips for automating follow-ups, help with data management, and more.

· The Cheat Sheet for this book at

www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/marketingautomation

Here you’ll find additional articles about lead scoring as well as how to create the perfect nurturing email. Consult the cheat sheet when you are reviewing your lead scoring model, creating a lead score for the first time, or creating any drip nurturing programs.

Where to Go from Here

This book isn’t written for you to start at the beginning and work your way through. It’s written so that you can use it as a reference and get all the information you require in a chapter. The best way to use this book is to keep it with you and, of course, have it handy when you are either planning or executing your marketing automation programs.