What is Marketing Automation?

Have you heard the phrase 'marketing automation'? Wondering what it means?

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is the use of software programs and technologies to automate marketing processes, such as customer acquisition, nurturing and segmentation, sales monitoring, and overall campaign management. It refers to marketing processes that would have otherwise been performed manually but are now done more efficiently from one dashboard with automated, data-driven software.

As you might expect, marketing automation has quickly become an integral part of business management because it enhances marketing efforts and makes some new processes possible.

Rise of Marketing Automation

According to EmailMonday's “The Ultimate Marketing Automation Stats” (2016) on average 49 percent of all companies are currently using marketing automation, and more than half of B2B companies (55 percent) are adopting the technology to streamline, automate and measure marketing tasks and workflows.

Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) make up the largest growing segment in the space right now, and thousands of companies even smaller than that across all industries are using marketing automation as well to add more personal touches to their campaigns and enhance brand-to-customer relationship.

One of the reasons marketing automation is steadily growing in popularity is because strategic, data-driven lead nurturing through automated marketing is more effective than spamming people with impersonal email blasts or other communications and hoping to get some conversions.

Marketing automation software offer businesses and marketers a huge amount of data (often real-time data) that they can use to create accurate and relevant marketing communications for their leads, including a lead's location, what products a lead is interested in and email marketing statistics.

In addition to this, businesses and marketers that use marketing automation are able to manage their time and staff more effectively. By automating repetitive tasks such as social media, sending out nurture communications and monitoring prospects to find out those that are ready to buy and those that aren't, businesses can save time, resources and focus on other important tasks that can't be automated.

Check out the infographic below by Marketing Automation Insider for more industry insights:

How Marketing Automation Works

Classic marketing automation is focused on acquisition and retention of sales-ready customers using automation platforms like HubSpot, Act-On, MailChimp and Marketo that are designed for different types of businesses. These automation platforms allow businesses to score prospects based on profile and or behavior and communicate with them accordingly, say via event-triggered messages.

The top four areas marketing automation is traditionally used are email marketing (89 percent), lead nurturing (84 percent), integrations such as customer relationship management (CRM), mobile, social etc for accumulating customer intelligence across channels (80 percent), and cross-channel campaign management (82 percent), according to Regalix's “The State of Marketing Automation” report (2014).

While much of the information or data gathering that drives marketing automation platforms is done online, it doesn't have to be digital only. All sources of information and all marketing channels can be utilized to inform automation, including direct marketing via print and catalog.

The best marketing automation campaigns make use of all the available data and send out messages that engage leads in a more natural way, by appealing to their interests, industries and buying power. The best automation efforts also take into account the evolving needs of customers.

Business Uses and Benefits of Marketing Automation

Among the core goals of marketing automation is to nurture business prospects for the long-term, and increase revenue using fully automated, data-driven marketing. Marketo, best-in-class marketing automation software, says companies of all types can expect three core benefits of automation: more pipeline, more productive Sales reps and higher revenue.

In a benchmark study by eMarketer cited by Marketo on its website, research found that B2C marketers who are using marketing automation - including everything from birthday emails to cart abandonment programs - have seen conversion rates as high as 50 percent.

Furthermore, the marketing automation software company that has its headquarters in San Mateo, California writes that 95 percent of companies reported some benefit from marketing automation, according to Nuclear Research. The study found that companies can expect to achieve an increase in marketing staff productivity between 1.5 and 6.9 percent and increase sales productivity by an average of four percent.

“Marketing automation brings value and ROI to your numerous marketing efforts. The right marketing automation platform, combined with smart organizational and process alignment, makes it possible to connect the dots between that promotional email you sent last month, that webinar you hosted last year, and the revenue your CEO sees this week or can expect to see next quarter,” Marketo stresses.

Most marketing automation platforms have free-trial options you can try before you buy the full service.

Marketing Automation Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "What is Marketing Automation?" was first published on Small Business Trends

Entrepreneur Who Helped Build Wrestling Empire From Nothing Could Be Next SBA Chief

President-elect Donald Trump may be close to naming former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon as the next administrator of the Small Business Administration.

McMahon met with Trump at his Manhattan Trump Tower office on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Will Linda McMahon be the Head of the SBA Under Trump?

Following the meeting, McMahon met with assembled reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower and said (per the New York Times):

“The meeting went great. It was really nice to be up, and I was honored to be asked to come in. Anytime I think the president-elect of the United States asks you to come in for a conversation, you're happy to do that. We talked about business and entrepreneurs and creating jobs, and we talked about SBA.”

She was asked also if Trump had offered her a job, to which she replied, “Stay tuned.”

McMahon, 68, along with her husband Vince, created what's now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). When it formed, it was called the WWF or World Wrestling Federation.

She has twice unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate representing Connecticut as a Republican. She is believed to have donated $6 million to Trump's campaign via a SuperPAC.

Her political career mirrors Trump's in at least one way. In each of her bids for Senate, she mostly self-funded her campaigns.

Trump is no stranger to the McMahon family and may go down as the one and only President who's also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2013.

The President-elect has long been a fan of WWE/WWF. The Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey, served as host of WrestleManias IV and V.

Trump also entered the wrestling league's storyline in a big way - even participating in the most-watched match in the federation's history.

The President-elect and Vince McMahon then participated in a Battle of the Billionaires match in which each was represented by a wrestling star. This match was held at WrestleMania 23. During the bout, Trump famously “attacked” McMahon at ringside and won the match.

Wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin also once hilariously gave Trump his patented “Stone Cold Stunner” finishing move in the ring.

The McMahons are familiar with growing a business from nothing to essentially an empire. From collecting food stamps at the beginning of their marriage, the couple purchased a small wrestling organization and an arena and eventually raised enough capital to buy the then-WWF in the early 1980s.

If she's selected, McMahon would replace President Barack Obama appointee Maria Contreras-Sweet, who took the job in 2014.

Images: Linda McMahon via Twitter, WWE

This article, "Entrepreneur Who Helped Build Wrestling Empire From Nothing Could Be Next SBA Chief" was first published on Small Business Trends

Small Businesses, FedEx Runs Tests to Ensure Your Packages are Safe (Watch)

The last thing an online shopper wants to see when they finally receive their purchase is a fragile item that's been crushed, cracked or otherwise damaged during the shipping process. It can really hurt the customer experience while also costing companies money to replace the broken items.

So just as companies need to test their products to make sure they work properly before sending them out, shipping companies need to test their processes. FedEx, which ships 25 million boxes daily during the holidays, recently offered a behind the scenes look at its testing process.

In short, the company tries to mimic real-world situations with its packages. FedEx intentionally drops packages from various heights to make sure they make it through the sorting process. It puts pressure on boxes to make sure they can handle being packed in under other items. And it even performs a vibration test to mimic what the package might go through on a plane or in the back of a truck.

If you're lucky, none of items you ship to customers will have to go through all of these things. But the hope is that if they do, your items will still remain intact due to FedEx's attempts to anticipate prolems before they occur. Its an important part of the shipping service that FedEx offers.

Real-World Testing Procedures are Best

And knowing that the packages you send customers are safe, here's another thought. No matter what type of products or services your small business offers, you may want to do your own testing to make sure customers get what they expect too. Make sure your testing process mimics real-world situations so you can anticipate problems.

FedEx Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "Small Businesses, FedEx Runs Tests to Ensure Your Packages are Safe (Watch)" was first published on Small Business Trends

A Watch Sold Every 3 Seconds on eBay on Black Friday

Black Friday has come and gone.

In fact, the first wave of traditionally major holiday shopping days are history already.

Early reports indicate that Black Friday wasn't like it's been in the past.

It's still a big shopping day but a lot more shoppers are spending more time and money on Black Friday online.

One of the first ecommerce sites to report data from Black Friday is eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY). The online retail giant is reporting brisk Black Friday 2016 results.

eBay Black Friday 2016 Results

Here's a look at what sold and how often they sold on eBay on Black Friday:

• A watch - the regular analog or digital kind - sold once every 3 seconds on eBay on Black Friday.


• Nearly as often as someone bought a watch, someone was buying a Pokemon-related item. Something from the Pokemon realm sold every four seconds on eBay


• LEGO toys were sold once every six seconds. And shoppers bought a laptop every nine seconds on eBay for the first big shopping day of the holiday season.

Those are all the relatively traditional gift items that were flying from seller accounts all day on Black Friday.

Newer items took a little longer to sell but still moved with some urgency that day:

• An Apple Watch transaction went down every 13 seconds on Black Friday on eBay. A Fitbit sold every 15 seconds. Drones sold every 18 seconds.


• A very generous gift giver or savvy shopper bought an iPhone 7 ever 30 seconds. That was as often as this year's biggest fad gift, the Hatchimal, was sold.

This initial data from Black Friday suggests that even as holiday shopping moves to the internet, small businesses can still play an out-sized role.

In fact, based on these early numbers, they could play a bigger part in Black Friday sales than ever before.

After all, small businesses could easily sell any or all of the items listed on eBay's early popular sales report - whether on eBay or on any one of a number of other popular sites where small merchants now list their wares.

It's important for small businesses and eBay entrepreneurs to stay on top of trends and information like this to determine what to sell to attract that next holiday buyer.

Watches Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "A Watch Sold Every 3 Seconds on eBay on Black Friday" was first published on Small Business Trends

Join Our Twitter Chat About Modernizing Your Technology in the New Year #MSBizTips

With 2017 rapidly approaching, it's time for many small businesses to consider setting New Year's resolutions. For some, this might mean getting more organized or increasing revenue. But there's one potential resolution that could benefit small businesses in a variety of different areas.

New technology can help your small business get more efficient, keep up with changing trends and ultimately make more money. So modernizing your business's tech tools could prove to be a very worthy resolution for 2017.

If you want to bring some new technology into your business this year, there's an upcoming Twitter chat that can help you make the right decisions. The Microsoft-sponsored Twitter chat “New Year's Resolution: Modernize Your Technology” is scheduled for December 13 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST.

Small Business Trends founder and CEO Anita Campbell (@smallbiztrends) will serve as moderator. And she'll be joined by Cindy Bates, Vice President, US Small and Midsized Business and Distribution for Microsoft Corp (@Cindy_Bates).

The small business experts and chat participants will discuss the following questions:

How will you modernize your technology in 2017? If you want to update your business's tech tools, you first need to prioritize. You can't necessarily buy all of the latest and greatest gadgets out there. But if you have a plan for some of the things you want to upgrade, you can go into 2017 poised to make a big difference with your new technology.

What new tech is a must-have for SMBs? There is a constantly changing stream of new tech tools. But some are more suited to help small businesses than others. So before you come up with a new tech strategy for 2017, it can help to understand what the best SMB tech tools are.

How can SBs keep up with changing technology? Even if you've recently updated some of your business's tech tools, there are likely still some ways you can modernize even more for 2017. Since technology is evolving so rapidly, keeping up with all of the changing tools and trends can be a major undertaking for small businesses. But chat participants will share some of their favorite methods for keeping up with changing technology.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn about upcoming tech trends for businesses and how to best help your small business by keeping up with new technology in 2017.

More Details

What: Twitter Chat “New Year's Resolution: Modernize Your Technology”

Who:

• Anita Campbell, Small Business Trends (@smallbiztrends)


• Cindy Bates, Vice President, US Small and Midsized Business & Distribution, Microsoft Corp (@Cindy_Bates)

Where: Twitter

Hashtag: #MSBizTips

When: December 13, 2016, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST

This article, "Join Our Twitter Chat About Modernizing Your Technology in the New Year #MSBizTips" was first published on Small Business Trends

Big Mac Creator and Early McDonald's Franchise Owner Dies at 98

The creator of the Big Mac has died.

Jim Delligatti lived to 98 and is best known as a McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) restaurant franchisee in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

His story and success show that one franchise owner can have a big league impact on the overall company.

Indeed, Delligatti's experimentation and “special sauce” propelled McDonald's ahead of all its fast-food competition.

Check out this super early commercial for the Big Mac:

To this day, the Big Mac is responsible for 20 percent of the corporation's overall sales. But it was created to win a local business market.

Big Mac Creator Focused Locally

In 1968, Delligatti sold the first Big Mac in western Pennsylvania. It was designed to compete with a burger sold at a regional sit-down restaurant chain, Eat n Park.

For the record, it's two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions - on a sesame seed bun.

The rave reviews led to a total of 47 McDonald's locations selling the burger. By the end of that year, it was in every McDonald's in the U.S.

Since then it's been emulated and imitated. There are even McDonald's restaurants that sell their own unique version of the Big Mac. It's got its own museum. It's used to measure currencies.

McDonald's rode the Big Mac's popularity through the end of the 20th Century. And even now, as its iconic status is in jeopardy (somewhat), the franchise is using another of Delligatii's creations to stay on top today.

Yes, it was Delligatti who created the Egg McMuffin. And he also created the hot cakes and sausage breakfast item - originally to cater to steel workers near Pittsburgh, another locally focused effort that caught on nationally.

It's clear that McDonald's is probably on the hunt for the next Delligati and what franchise company isn't?

Image: McDonald's

This article, "Big Mac Creator and Early McDonald's Franchise Owner Dies at 98" was first published on Small Business Trends

13 Tasks Your HR Person Should Be Completing - Beyond Recruiting

As small businesses and startups grow and add more employees, the need for someone to manage human resource (HR) functions becomes prevalent.

Whether that task becomes the purview of the CEO, an outsourced HR provider or in-house staff member (either part-time or full-time), the person will need to perform a range of duties, recruiting being one of them but not the only one by far.

Sabrina Baker, a human resources consultant and owner of Acacia HR Solutions in Los Angeles, spoke with Small Business Trends by phone and shared these four functions that HR should assume aside from recruiting.

Human Resources Duties

Legal Compliance

According to Baker, the biggest single function an HR person must perform is to ensure the company stays compliant with state and federal regulations.

“There are always updates and new regulations proposed, and HR needs to think about the impact they will have on business,” she said. “Take the new overtime law, for example. A company can get in big trouble if it does not comply.”

Policies and Procedures

Another important HR responsibility, said Baker, is to work with the business owner and executive staff to develop a series of policies and procedures, and then publish those in an employee handbook.

“Every small business needs a handbook from the minute they have even one employee,” she said. “It should include policies that cover topics like vacation and sick time, leave of absence, performance management, behavioral issues and more. The policies and procedures provide consistency, so the employer does not have to make it up as he goes.”

Employee Training

After developing the handbook, the HR person should train employees on what it includes, Baker said. This should also be part of new employee orientation.

Vision and Core Values

“Typically, the CEO or founder establishes the vision for the company,” Baker said, “but HR can help figure out what those should be, and then hold the staff accountable to adhere to them.”

She used the ethic of collaboration as an example.

“HR has a significant role in making sure we encourage a collaborative climate within the company, and then reward such behavior when we see it being lived out,” she said.

Employer Branding

“The CEO or business owner will build the company brand from the consumer standpoint but it's HR's job to build the employer's brand in the minds of the workers,” Baker said. “That includes activities such as checking in with employees, to ensure morale is high, and developing a productive employee culture.”

Another aspect of branding that befalls the HR department is promoting the company as an employer of choice.

“That does go to recruiting, however, regarding why candidates want to work for you over a competitor,” Baker said.

Employee Advocacy

A final area that she indicated was vital to the role of HR regards employee advocacy.

“The HR person should be a neutral party where employees can come, raise concerns, complain and ask questions,” she said. “HR is the go-between that can take employee concerns to management and act on their behalf.”

Even More Human Resources Duties

Here are seven more tasks an HR professional should perform, in addition to those outlined by Baker.

Employee Retention

Encouraging employees to stay with the company is another area where HR plays a role. (That's one reason to brand the company as an employer of choice.)

Activities would include keeping employees engaged at work, providing advancement opportunities, cross-training to do jobs outside the routine and using employee recognition and reward programs.

Compensation and Benefits

Developing a plan for employee compensation and benefits programs is native to HR's realm of responsibilities and should be one of the first projects the department tackles when getting set up.

Benefits Administration

Administering the benefits plan once it's developed is also HR's job. In smaller companies that often includes open enrollment for health care coverage.

Performance Reviews

G&A Partners, a human resources solutions provider, says on its blog that employee performance has a direct impact on a business's success. Therefore, implementing a strategic employee performance strategy is vital, and represents another task HR must shoulder along with the employee's supervisor.

Workplace Conflict

It's unfortunate that, sometimes, employees come into conflict with each other or with management. In either case, it's the HR department's job to try and resolve workplace issues when they occur. That includes coaching employees on conflict resolution methods and developing policies and procedures for conflict management and resolution.

Employee Files

According to a blog post from When I Work, an HR technology provider, human resources must keep three particular files for each employee: I-9, general and medical.

Required by law, the I-9 is a form used by the U.S. Government to identify and verify employee work eligibility. General files include documents such as resumes, reviews, disciplinary actions, W-4 forms and more. And the medical file contains doctors' notes, disability information and other medical data.

Human Resources Industry Trends

With the rapid changes taking place in the workplace, it's important for HR professionals to stay current on industry trends.

One way is to join the Society for Human Resources Management, the leading association for human resources professionals. Another is to read blogs, white papers and articles from HR product and service providers, practitioners and consultants. Lastly, participate in social network groups and forums for HR pros.

Human Resources Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "13 Tasks Your HR Person Should Be Completing - Beyond Recruiting" was first published on Small Business Trends