When you pair a marketing automation system with a CRM, you’re doing more than creating a new system. You’re creating a supercharged marketing and sales tool, capable of improving lead quality, increasing the efficiency of the marketing-to-sales handoff, automating marketing communications, and more. But benefits extend far beyond increased close rates and deeper insight into sales funnel performance — marketers will see added benefits like improved marketing accountability, more effective segmentation, and better targeting capabilities.
Want a more in-depth look at the marketing benefits of integrating automation and your CRM? Take a look at the list below — and don’t forget to download our latest white paper, “Marketing Automation and Your CRM: The Dynamic Duo.”
Automated Lead Qualification and Assignment
A common problem between marketing and sales teams is poor lead quality. With the data gathered via a marketing automation system, marketers can score and grade leads so that only the most qualified get passed on to sales (note: a lead score measures interest in your product or service, while a lead grade reflects prospect fit). When leads reach a threshold score and grade, they can be assigned to sales reps automatically, cutting down on manual processes and ensuring that lead assignment is fair, efficient, and effective.
61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales; however, only 27% of those leads will be qualified. (MarketingSherpa)
Improved Revenue Tracking
If your CRM is tied to a marketing automation system, campaign ROI reporting is that much easier. Bi-directional syncing ensures that campaigns created in your marketing automation platform map back to your CRM, making it possible to tie closed deals back to the campaigns that created them. This closed-loop reporting capability allows you to attribute revenue to campaigns, track marketing spend, accurately measure ROI, project revenue, and make data-driven marketing decisions.
More Targeted Messages
According to Pardot’s 2013 State of Demand Generation study, 77% of buyers want different, targeted content at each stage of their research. Using the behavioral information collected by your marketing automation tool, you can send targeted messages and drip emails that are personalized to your prospects’ interests and stage in the buying cycle. Creating one-to-one email communications or segmenting based on criteria like industry or product interest will add a degree of relevancy to your emails, helping to increase engagement levels.
Personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14%, and conversion rates by 10%. (Aberdeen Group)
Want to learn more about creating the ultimate marketing and sales tool with marketing automation and your CRM? Check out our free white paper on the topic!
