Businesses use marketing automation and CRM software to manage and communicate with their sales contacts.
You can build landing pages and broadcast automatic emails/triggers to people based on some action they’ve taken in the more elaborate installs.
Assume a hair salon uses marketing automation software. The customer uses the tool to book an appointment online and pay for it. Then, the system automatically sends the customer a reminder, discount code, and a link to book again 30-45 days after their initial appointment. Once the customer signs up for a booking, they are in your system and can enjoy the special offers and information you send them. That is marketing automation at its best.
However, that doesn’t solve the main problem affecting the hair salon and every other hair salon. How do I get that new customer to my site to book? And that, my friends, is the problem with marketing automation software that you need to solve on your own.
Or, the problem affecting most SMBs—how do I get those sign-ups or new customers? Ask the next CRM sales rep that calls your office that, and you’ll know what uncomfortable rambling sounds like.
That is the one thing all marketing automation and CRM software companies don’t tell you.
You can use their software to manage potential business opportunities, but not generate business opportunities.
This is where web development plays a crucial role. A well-designed website optimized for user experience, SEO, and conversion can help attract new visitors and turn them into paying customers. Whether through organic search, paid ads, or social media campaigns, your website needs to be the first point of contact for potential customers. Without effective web development strategies, even the best marketing automation tools will struggle to deliver results.
Marketing automation and CRM systems are great tools if you have thousands of people signing up for events you run, reservations at your hotel, appointment bookings, etc. But if your business has no standard contact database to begin with, you’ll need to build that first—starting with a strong web presence.