The importance of marketing automation for inbound marketing campaigns

Although many industries are rapidly adopting content marketing strategies, B2C companies often see more value from social media. To attract new customers, businesses need to determine the right mix of different Internet marketing techniques.

Recent data from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs revealed that 90 percent of B2C marketers engaged in content creation and publication in 2013. While this trend is certainly on the rise, many organizations prefer to leverage social networks to highlight their marketing materials. B2C companies were using social sites other than blogs as a promotional tool. In fact, the average respondent maintained a presence on six different networks. LinkedIn – typically a B2B powerhouse – saw a rise in B2C use this year.

Whether an organization is considering boosting their content marketing efforts or switching up social media strategies, marketers need to clearly define their strategies and reach the right audience through these channels. Marketing automation can improve campaigns and content creation for B2C firms.

Marketing automation reduces guesswork

Since content marketing is rapidly taking off, B2C organizations need to ensure they are creating relevant material that delivers value to their target audience. In some cases, the marketing team doesn’t understand what their customers want or what constitutes high-quality content. Companies need an online marketing system to reduce some of these difficulties.

Inbound marketing is a concern for B2C companies, which means they are trying to create content that will magnetically pull their audience in. Marketing automation can significantly improve inbound marketing efforts because it gives better insights into consumers’ behaviors and interests, according to an article in Business 2 Community. Marketers can improve their awareness of customer preferences throughout the entire consumer cycle.

Despite the benefits of marketing automation platforms, only a small number of B2C firms are employing these tools to manage inbound marketing. Content marketing is becoming important for a number of other initiatives, including lead generation and search engine optimization. Companies need to leverage content, which means they need to produce high-quality materials. Marketing automation gives better visibility into customer behavior, which can aid in content creation.

Some marketers think inbound techniques are dying out in favor of content marketing, but marketing automation can support both of these tactics. These platforms can automate repetitive tasks and help B2C companies generate content that will help them gain new customers.