The Inbound Growth Blog

The Inbound Growth Blog covers all topics relating to an integrated marketing strategy. We write about inbound marketing, social media, integrated marketing strategies and the sales process.

Boost Your Professional Services Sales With Marketing Automation

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Posted by John Beveridge on Mar 4, 2014 6:00:00 PM

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Marketing automation software is one of the hottest inbound marketing trends. Marketing automation software helps professional services businesses execute marketing campaigns with speed and precision, nurture relationships with prospective leads, measure and optimize marketing efforts, and – ultimately – convert more prospects faster. Businesses are adopting marketing automation software at a rapid pace.

  • Sixty-eight percent of B2B respondents are either already using a marketing automation tool or considering the purchase of one. (Televerde)

  • B2B marketers will spend $325m on marketing automation solutions this year, a 50% increase in marketing automation spending over last year. (Televerde)

  • Among B2B companies who already use a marketing automation tool, almost a quarter of them report that their tool has made fairly significant contributions to their demand creation and lead nurturing success and almost half are enjoying moderate successes. (BtoB Magazine)


Why are businesses adopting marketing automation?

Why this rapid conversion? Marketing automation software automates the repetitive, logistical aspects of inbound marketing – such as data entry and analytics – so you can focus on nurturing prospects while prioritizing and executing tasks in a more streamlined manner.

For example, what if you knew that the call-to-action in your latest email was not working based on real-time click thru rate analysis? Marketing automation software helps by not only providing real-time analytic feedback, but also makes it easier for you to tweak your messaging mid-campaign.


What is marketing automation?

Keep in mind that marketing automation software is not the same thing as your email marketing program or a CRM system. Marketing automation encompasses content distribution across multiple channels, not just email.

Marketing automation software is also very different from CRM (customer relationship management) systems. While your CRM system may store prospect information alongside customer information, this is not a platform for lead generation. CRM systems work off ad-hoc analysis; marketing automation software, in contrast, provide full, integrated analysis of all your business’s lead generation data.

Marketing automation software helps professional service businesses start small, move quickly and act big. Coupled with the right strategy and content, marketing automation software will super-charge your company’s lead generation efforts.

 


Inbound lead generation best practices

Ten years ago, anyone who threw together a website could sell their professional services online. That’s simply not the case today. Without an effective inbound lead generation strategy, your website is just one of billions floating in cyberspace. Businesses may be looking for your company’s services, but if they don’t know that you exist, they can’t hire you.

Unlike the leads generated through cold calling or list buying, inbound leads are primed for conversion because they have actively taken steps to learn more about your company.

Follow these best practices to maximize your inbound lead generation efforts.


Top Tip 1 - Be 100% committed

Inbound marketing is more than simply running one or two ancillary content marketing campaigns and calling it a day. For inbound marketing to truly work for your professional services business, you need company-wide commitment.

Start by educating your sales, marketing and IT teams on inbound marketing goals, framework and methodology. Provide these teams with the tools and resources they need to fully test, optimize and implement inbound marketing initiatives.


Top Tip 2 - Do The Research

Effective inbound lead generation starts with in-depth competitive analysis to identify best-performing keywords, an effective call-to-action, and marketplace demographics.

A strong research foundation drives long-term lead generation success and will shape your targeting approach. With inbound marketing software like HubSpot, you can measure all of your lead generation campaigns to optimize lead conversion.


Top Tip 3 - Get creative to target the right leads

When it comes to acquiring new leads, think outside the box. Innovative lead acquisition techniques such as video ads, social ads, re-targeting and search engine advertising will help you target the right leads across a wide variety of different networks.

Use geo-targeting, demographic targeting, social targeting and behavioral targeting to be sure that only the right users who meet your criteria will view your ad, improving conversion opportunities.


Top Tip 4 - Nurture Your Leads

Only 3 out of 10 leads immediately convert – what is your business doing with the other seven? Advanced lead profiling and lead nurturing is essential to improving conversion rates and closing the deal.

An integrated online marketing platform, like HubSpot’s software, makes it easier to monitor key lead touch points, including frequency of contact and response rate.


Simply put, marketing automation is essential to growing your professional services firm because it syncs with the way your buyers buy. Want to learn more? Schedule a free consultation. 

Topics: Inbound Marketing, Professional Services, Marketing Automation

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