DRIVING REVENUE THROUGH CRM INTEGRATION

Every marketer knows integration is a marketing tool with unlimited potential. By integrating marketing automation with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, a smart marketer can engineer programs that drive qualified traffic, prioritize leads and measure end-to-end results. A fully homogenized process brings about an enhanced customer experience and accelerated sales.

So why don’t more people embrace it? The majority of executives frown from even the idea of integration, thinking it will involve more resources, a longer time frame and a higher probability for failure. Many are reluctant to complicate their existing marketing systems or initiate a new learning curve for their marketing, sales and customer support staff. The reality is that integration is quickly transitioning from an optional idea to a mandatory methodology; as more businesses find profitable ways to harness the power of integration, marketers who reject it are finding themselves at a disadvantage.

While the benefits of integration are many, there are four things that represent significant advantages for most businesses.

EXPANDING BEYOND LEAD GENERATION

There’s no denying that best practices have evolved rapidly in recent years, mostly due to technology. Yet some marketers cling to an outdated business paradigm, where lead generation is viewed as the only action that matters.

By opting out of integration efforts, they are giving out the advantage to their competitors and consigning themselves to the scrap heap of failed initiatives.

Why do these marketers ignore leads after qualifying them? Tradition really. In that now obsolete paradigm, they view any further activity as the sales team’s job or the service team’s responsibility. Their role, as they see it, is to identify marketing qualified leads (MQLs), transitioning those to the sales team, then moving on to pursue new leads – initiating the same cycle. By presenting relevant content such as emails or landing pages at the right time, you can escort your prospects and customers through the stages of their buying process. Tracking campaign results, offer acceptances and identifying lead sources can all net rewards of increased traffic, audience engagement, and higher revenue – none of which will be as impressive in a cycle that ends at lead generation.

SUPPLYING THE DATA YOUR BUSINESS LEADERS NEED

Most critical business decisions are only as good as the data they’re based upon.Integration provides this by syncing data two ways between your marketing automation and your CRM system. Consider the following objectives. Accurate forecasting models are needed to predict lead generation and close rates; velocity reports help forecast resource needs; closed-loop visibility into funnel abandonment and scoring methodology helps marketers spend marketing resources wisely. All of these are dependent on the depth, availability and accuracy of data – and decision-makers must have access to that data to understand factors such as cost per lead, opportunity, deal win, and deal loss.

HOLDING SALES ACCOUNTABLE FOR SLAs

The importance of timing can’t be overrated in an effective, high-functioning marketing automation effort. But to assess the success of your sales team’s efforts, oversight is critical – and that’s exactly what integration provides.

MOTIVATING CUSTOMER EVANGELISM & ENGAGEMENT

It’s one of the classic rules of marketing: it’s more cost-effective to retain an existing customer than to harvest a new one. And yet, failing to take care of existing customers is one of the most frequently relinquished opportunities in marketing automation.

This is where integration can offer an immediate lift. Tracking lead activity past the handoff and even past the win can continue the conversation, strengthen the relationship, and increase the lifetime revenue from that customer.

CONCLUSION

Integrating marketing automation with your CRM system isn’t just an advantage – in today’s competitive world of targeted marketing, it’s a necessity and it’s adamant to your company. Companies who continue to use smart integration strategies will reap multiple rewards: tighter alignment with their sales and customer support teams, customer engagement and loyalty, and rising sales.