What’s the point of marketing automation?
Basically, it’s all about making your hospital money.
Three years into its marketing automation program, Kindred Healthcare has seen an ROI of 90:1 with marketing automation. Lori Riggs, Senior Director of Experience Marketing at Kindred Healthcare, said the organization earned millions of dollars in revenue because of it.
During “Marketing Automation in Action: Letters From the Front,” she was joined by Boz Boschen, Digital Media Director for NDP to explain how it works.
Marketing automation is a buzzword topic for 2016. Here’s what it can do:
- Improves ROI
- Increase leads
- Help customer retention
- Connect with the sales funnel
“But it’s not some magic pill that’s going to solve all your problems,” Riggs says. “It’s a tool. And just like any other tool, you’ve got to have a solid strategy behind it to give you the results you want.”
Boschen said this is what it’s all about: Creativity is the story. Marketing is the delivery. And technology helps you tell the story differently.
There are five main components to marketing automation. These are:
- Capture and store prospect information
- Segment your prospects into audiences
- Discover what interests your prospects
- Engage with your prospects (usually over email)
- Report on your returns
“Marketing automation is about understanding your patients and communicating to them in a way that’s useful and compelling,” Boschen said.
Boschen said anybody who visits your website is a lead. But you need more information from them. What actions did they take on your site? What actions didn’t they take?
“You’ve really got to understand your audience and know what they are looking for,” Boschen says. “Then, you’ll be able to tailor a message to them.”
The two also shared a few tips on picking out a vendor for marketing automation platforms. Both urged marketers they don’t have to spend like they’re “buying a Porsche,” but to stick within a moderate budget to see what will work. Think about what your organization has and what it needs.
Most important, once you’ve got the technology in place to do the marketing automation — make sure you’re saying the right thing.
“Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes when you’re writing an email,” Riggs says. “If they aren’t hooked by the first sentence, it’s not worth sending. Don’t message for message’s sake. Be helpful to people.”
Ready to take the next step? Find out more about our CRM Workshop that will be held in March 2017.