Content marketing and automation make the perfect pair

B2B marketers may feel like they are struggling to manage various lead generation techniques. When companies are first starting with content marketing, it can be difficult to create customer segments and tailor content to each group or produce enough marketing materials to maintain an effective strategy. Marketing automation can efficiently supplement a content strategy.

Marketing automation is far more than just a tool to send out emails. These platforms can help you streamline all of your marketing efforts and constantly make improvements by looking at real-time campaign data. Automation makes it easier to view and understand the different stages of the customer journey, and in turn, you can create more effective content for each step and buyer persona, The Content Standard said.

Linking marketing automation and content

Content marketing helps B2B firms generate a higher number of qualified leads. Companies may start to tie content strategies to revenue outcomes, according to Forbes. Marketers may take a more strategic approach to content, which will mean chief marketing officers need to study their Internet marketing methods analytically.

When companies utilize marketing automation, they have more access to customer data, which means marketers can create more relevant materials based on where prospects are in the buying cycle. A recent study from the Lenksold Group and Pedowitz Ground revealed firms that use marketing automation are able to create more effective content than those that don’t. In fact, 68 percent of respondents to the survey who used marketing automation said lead scoring based on content and activity was the primary source of revenue contribution, according to The Content Standard.

Marketing automation doesn’t just help marketers score and nurture leads. These platforms can help companies make the best use of their existing resources. Because marketing automation has analytics tools to track customer behavior on the website and monitor email campaign results, many difficult manual tasks can be eliminated, which saves employees time. While some marketers may think these solutions are exclusive to larger organizations, smaller firms can really benefit because the reduced work allows them to hire fewer new employees while still growing.

The Lenksold Group found the best return on investment when content marketing was paired with automation was improved targeting. These tools can help marketers reach the right people at the correct time, which can boost sales effectiveness in the long run.

Increasing effectiveness with automation

Using marketing automation platforms to research prospect behavior and utilizing the insight in the content aren’t the only things highly efficient marketers do to outsmart their peers, Direct Marketing News stated. The smartest marketers take it one step further and integrate marketing automation with their customer relationship management platform to make the best use of customer information.

This group of marketers is more able to re-purpose content, collect data on content effectiveness, and customize materials for different audiences and targets, the source said. Content is an integral part of marketing for many of these organizations.

If you aren’t seeing the results you want from content, Direct Marketing News recommended the following tips to boost efficiency with automation:

• Identify missing pieces in the buying cycle and create content that speaks to these key issues.
• Improve segmentation of different personas to target more intelligently.
• Use analytics tools to measure performance and make adjustments when needed.
• Create a content strategy that supports Internet lead generation.
• Don’t stick with lackluster content – get rid of anything that isn’t working after six months.