What is B2B marketing automation anyway?
Business process automation is when a company uses technology to complete everyday tasks. Automation of business processes is economical, efficient and can optimize the company’s processes. It also gives employees more time to complete higher-level tasks. When marketers use business process automation, they have more time for high-level creative tasks. By automating operations that repeat hundreds of times a day, you can even make your team more productive. In this article, we will discuss what business automation is, how it works, and the benefits it offers. Next, we’ll discuss the best business automation tools.
What are the main advantages of using business automation?
1. Saving time – at the end of the day, routine work takes more time than you think. Although these tasks are important and cannot be skipped, they do not necessarily have to be done by a person. Automating business processes will save your employees time by completing the small tasks, such as paperwork. Automation will instantly perform tasks that normally take time to complete. Also, your employees will have more time to do higher-level stuff, such as build relationships and research. This means they can create more value and make more money for your business.
2. Reduces human error – I don’t know about you, but I’ve been known to mix up my words and numbers from time to time. It’s just human. But, if an invoice number is mixed up, it can cause a big fiasco for your company. With automation, you won’t have to worry about such human errors. You can process paperwork, transfer documents and collect signatures instantly. Additionally, automated tools can send reminders in case your human workers forget to complete a task.
3. Happier employees – Recurring tasks are usually the most hated. People don’t like doing repetitive work, no matter how necessary it is. With automation, your employees won’t have to do this anymore. This will result in happier employees who will be empowered to do their jobs.
What are the main advantages of using business automation?
1. Information optimizer – automation of business processes will optimize all your data and tasks. For example, business process automation software will document an entire process. The information for all phases of the project is accessible to your entire team. This will make reporting and decision-making easier for your team. Automated processes lead to clear accountability, valuable insights, and possibly faster delivery times. In addition, information and notifications can be customized. This allows your team to receive personalized notifications about when to send a certain email or when a project task is due.
2. Improves customer satisfaction – when your processes are optimized, you usually run more successful marketing campaigns and respond to your customers quickly. All of this leads to more satisfied customers. Business process automation tools can help you consistently meet the high standards of your customers.
3. Synchronization of processes – many processes in a marketing campaign should be compatible. For example, with emails, you need to comply with GDPR and SPAM laws. With the help of business process automation tools, you can ensure that your campaigns are compliant. You can set up systems that check for this compatibility, so you only have to apply the information once.
Examples of implementing business automation processes
Business process automation can be used across multiple departments, including marketing, customer service, human resources, and sales. Here are some examples:
1. Project management – as a marketer, you often manage several campaigns and projects. With business process automation, you can digitize your workflows and automate the entire logistics part of an advertising campaign. For example, task management tools can tell you who’s doing what and when it’s due. When an employee completes a task, the system can automatically notify the next person within the workflow. In addition, managers can see a customized dashboard that shows them what employees are doing. If someone is late with a deadline, managers can be notified immediately.
2. Customer service – Customer service is one of the best departments to automate. With business process automation, your customer service team can automate responses if certain keywords appear in an email or chat. Additionally, if you have a list of frequently asked questions, you can create automated responses in social media chatbots, or chatbots on your website. Other business process automation tools can analyze, categorize and assign support tickets to the right department and team member.
3. Social Media – Posting on multiple social media platforms every day can be exhausting. And it takes longer than you think. With social media automation tools, you can schedule posts in advance so you don’t have to manually upload your posts every day. Additionally, other social media tools help curate content. These tools are a great place to streamline your ideation process.
To learn more about Marketing Automation for the B2B industries, contact us today!