We’ve been writing recently about marketing automation: what it is; the tactics involved; landing page best practices; how to nurture leads; and how to measure results. But the real question is: why should you care? As with most things these days, we turn to Google for the answer.
The graph below shows the popularity, over time, of the search term ‘marketing automation,’ from Google Trends. The line illustrates the total searches for a term relative to the total number of searches done on Google. A line trending downward means that a search term’s relative popularity is decreasing. It doesn’t necessarily mean the total number of searches for that term is decreasing. It simply means that the term’s popularity is decreasing compared to other searches.
The second graph shows Google’s forecast for the term ‘marketing automation.’ You can see that, by July of 2016, the popularity of that term will be higher than it’s ever been.
Google also shows a number of additional search terms that people searching for the main term also searched for. You can see below, that people who were searching for marketing automation also searched for marketing software and marketing automation software, in addition to a number of other terms.
What does this mean for you?
Marketing automation refers to the strategy, software and tactics used to attract, engage, segment and nurture prospects, leads and even customers using your website and a host of digital marketing tactics. What you should interpret from the graphs and chart above is that this is a term, and a strategy, that is gaining traction in the business community. If you haven’t taken notice yet, it’s time to do so.
According to a study by the Annuitas Group, businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects experience a 451% increase in qualified leads. Add to that the Gartner study that said that, by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with a business without talking to a human being and you can see why marketing automation might be a worthwhile endeavor for your business.
The way we shop and make decisions has fundamentally changed because of the way we use the internet – it’s called the Digital Disruption. If you haven’t changed the way you market to and communicate with your prospects and customers, you’re getting left behind.
