Gaining High ROI with Marketing Automation

In the competitive world of email marketing, achieving high ROI through marketing automation is both an art and a science. The latest episode of Email & More brought together industry experts to explore the strategies and tools that can help marketers maximize their returns. If you missed the live discussion, you can catch the full webinar here.

Why Marketing Automation Matters

Skip Fidura kicked off the discussion by emphasizing the importance of marketing automation in driving real ROI for businesses. “We’re not just creating marketing automation programs because we should, but to drive real ROI for your business,” he noted, setting the stage for a deep dive into the practical applications of automation.

Expert Panel Insights

The panel featured seasoned professionals including Kath Pay, Mark Ford, and Jen Russell, each bringing unique perspectives to the table.

Kath Pay shared her early experiences with email automation, highlighting the transformative potential of well-designed automated programs. “The first email automation I built was a welcome series. It’s crucial to think strategically about what customers need from you and what you want from them,” she explained.

Mark Ford, Head of CRM at AllSaints, provided insights into creating a comprehensive welcome program from scratch. He detailed, “The beauty of a welcome program is that it has multiple objectives. It’s about relaying a discount, developing brand awareness, and then capturing additional data from the customer.”

Jen Russell from PSECU discussed the complexities of building automation programs for financial institutions. She emphasized the importance of building trust early, stating, “Our welcome emails are very tailored to talk to why they joined and how they joined. It’s critical that we build that trust early.”

Editors note: They do discuss more than welcome programmes in the full panel, these are just catchy bites.

Key Strategies for High ROI

1. Prioritize Customer Experience: Understanding the customer journey and mapping out all touchpoints is crucial. Kath Pay highlighted the importance of thinking critically about what customers need and what the brand wants from them.
2. Leverage Data for Personalization: Jen Russell stressed the importance of data in personalizing communication. By understanding the customer’s financial journey, PSECU tailors its messages to build long-term relationships.
3. Effective Use of Segmentation: Mark Ford explained how segmenting customers based on their actions, such as abandoned baskets or browses, can significantly enhance the relevance and impact of automated emails. He shared that AllSaints sees higher performance from abandoned basket emails compared to abandoned browse emails.

Practical Tips for Implementation

• Start Small and Scale: Kath Pay advised against waiting to build the entire automation series before launching. “You could be leaving money on the table. Start with a few emails and learn iteratively,” she suggested.
• Focus on High-Impact Automations: Identify automations that directly contribute to revenue and prioritize these. Mark Ford shared that AllSaints’ price drop emails, which notify customers of discounts on browsed items, are highly effective.
• Continuous Optimization: Jen Russell highlighted the need for ongoing optimization. “You have to be monitoring constantly. If your goals aren’t being hit, take a step-wise approach to tweak and improve,” she said.

Emerging Technologies

While AI is a hot topic, the panelists also pointed out other emerging technologies:

Unified Customer Data: Jen Russell mentioned the growing importance of having unified data to create seamless customer experiences across different touchpoints.

Interactive and Dynamic Content: Mark Ford discussed the potential of interactive content and real-time product recommendations to enhance engagement and conversion rates.

Conclusion

Maximizing ROI with marketing automation involves a blend of strategic planning, data-driven personalization, and continuous optimization. By understanding and addressing customer needs at every touchpoint, marketers can create highly effective automated programs that drive significant business results.