Every hour of every day, we bear witness to hundreds of marketing messages. In fact, it has been reported that we are exposed to any number between 4,000 and 10,000 ads each day. It is therefore unsurprising to know that 78% of UK consumers are frustrated by marketing messaging from brands who show them irrelevant content. This is big. This means that for businesses pushing out marketing messaging without any consideration of who is receiving it – this could actually be doing more harm than good.
Gathering and understanding customer data is fundamental in ensuring that businesses are able to personalize marketing messages. By leveraging all business data stored within a CRM system, marketing teams are able to initiate effective conversations. Empowered with tools that provide insight into customer needs and behavior, their approach can be tailored to create meaningful engagements with clients.
Content generated by marketing teams by nature, tend to produce the most impressions within a business. From social media posts to email marketing, their activities drive traffic, building rapport and relationships in the process. Every piece of content plays an important role. Implementing a CRM helps marketing teams stay current. Providing access to key customer insights, content and a tone of voice can be created that will resonate with an audience and promote brand advocates.
How can CRM software improve marketing campaign success?
Know what makes your audience ‘tick’
It is essential for your marketing team to know their audience in order to create content that they will engage with. With a CRM system in place, this becomes easier. Customer data is collected and presented from a companywide view including omnichannel touchpoints. Insights and customer behavior trends are generated, giving your teams greater awareness into what it is your customers want and need.
CRM systems arm marketing teams with the tools needed to effectively identify and segment a customer base. But what data determines a customer’s place in a ‘segment’? Customer data such as previous buying behavior and preferences is used. Both of these things tend to be fluid and change over time and the CRM system adjusts with it. Continuously sorting and updating customers into different segments within the system, automatically and in real-time.
With this valuable information to hand, patterns of consumer behavior emerge faster than ever before as the central repository of data is continuously updated. Making your marketing teams proactive instead of reactive, to changes in the market. New campaigns can now be built to target specific customers that are affected by that change.
Send the right message at the right time
Segmented audiences now held within your CRM system, can be leveraged by your teams to deliver personalized and targeted marketing messages. Tweaking messaging based on the customer data held within the system, keeping your content relevant.
Time will no longer be wasted sending the right message to the wrong customer. Marketing campaigns will now be created with a target customer segment in mind. Instead of constantly pushing business collateral for the sake of it to everyone in your database, content now has a purpose. To serve your customer’s need and help to progress them through your sales funnel. Whether it’s a message promoting a new product in a range that a customer has previously bought from or an email to say that you have an offer for them, they remain centric to the messaging that they receive.
Sending the right message to the right customer at the right time will reinforce a strong message of understanding and Marketing campaign engagement rates will increase. No more will customers experience mass marketing messaging- everything will be personalized to their needs, preferences and where they are in their buyers’ journey. Improving the overall customer experience in this way will inevitably result in a customer base that is ready to engage… and buy!
Manage marketing preferences
The health of your business data is more important than it has ever been before. CRM software will be your biggest ally in this respect. Helping you to avoid large fines (not to mention reputational damage!) for accidentally breaching data protection laws such as GDPR.
Key system automations and workflows will clean your data sets for you, reducing the probability of human error. Should a customer opt-out of marketing communication, the system will deal with this accordingly. Centrally storing and communicating this across the full business so that no accidental email makes its way into their inbox. Invalid email addresses are removed automatically from data segments using CRM. Further ensuring that the data your team is working from, is as clean and reliable as it possibly can be.
By implementing workflows and automation processes within your CRM, marketing teams are unburdened with the hefty chore of trying to stay on top of changing customer preferences. 100% data protection compliance is ensured at all times. Their days previously bound by mundane admin tasks, are now free to be used for more relevant activities – building brilliant marketing campaigns that will captivate and satisfy your customers.
Knowing what works
Marketing campaigns and their associated success will feed your company’s CRM system with valuable insights. Marketing messaging sent to customers will be tracked and analysed to determine future segmentation. The system is constantly collecting data, using it to make informed data-driven decisions.
Future marketing campaigns begin with a solid foundation. Extracting aspects of previous campaigns that resonated well with your audience and recycling the sentiment will enhance the success of future campaigns. With abundant information at your marketing team’s disposal, they will be empowered to create great content. Content that your customers will love and want to engage with.
With consumers today being much more tech savvy, they know what they want and know there is an abundance of choice out there for them. This has made marketing as a profession much harder. Harder to stand out and compete with rivals. A CRM can help your company stay ahead of the curve and certainly ahead of competitors who are yet to discover the power of a customer relationship management strategy. Customers are your business’ most important asset and the insights provided by your CRM will ensure they lead the way. Producing a happier and more engaged following, your marketing campaigns are sure to be a success.
By Dale Murray