Given the fact that most buyers now research online before actually approaching a company with an inquiry, marketing automation in cloud CRM becomes all the more important. Buyers are an informed lot, researching the vendor’s website, accessing independent reviews and looking for recommendations. By the time they approach a vendor, they have almost made up their minds. In this context, marketing automation integrated with one of the best cloud CRM takes on added significance.
For marketing personnel the challenges are to identify and engage anonymous visitors to their website, obtain contact details, assess the seriousness of their intent and maintain contact through mails, newsletters, phone calls and offers. Given this scenario, marketing and sales personnel need to work cohesively and select the best cloud CRM alongside integration into websites that will help them carry out digital tracking of anonymous visitors, identify companies through reverse IP, placement of cookies and know their browsing history. Look for a cloud supplier who will be happy to put such a mechanism in place. Once you have leads that are tracked by the cloud CRM, you can feed relevant content that will subtly help him make a decision in your favor. Does the cloud crm solution offered capture target’s behaviors and give you data that will help you know when a buyer is on the point of finalizing?
The other features you will appreciate are detailed storage of data such as company size, title and similar details to identify target market and customer profile that will help focus on better quality leads. The best cloud CRM invariably has an integrated lead nurturing facility to keep prospects engaged until they commit. In current web buying scenarios a majority of buyers make the final approach when they have made a buy decision and only about 40% will need persistent persuasion and engagements to have positive outcomes.
Even the best cloud crm can do only so much. At what point does a lead go from the marketing to the sales people? Some of the best cloud crm have in built analytic and reporting as well as tracking tools that help you define the moment when a closing is about to take place. You can then transfer the lead to the sales department. It helps burden on sales staff and achieve higher efficiencies, which is why cloud crm that delivers intelligence is worth the extra cost. Sticking to one such cloud crm also makes sense since a solution, out of the box, takes some time getting used to and marketing people can gain familiarity and expertise only over time. This helps them increase percentage of conversions and show increases.
As competition hots up and buyers become more selective, it is the marketing automation integrated best cloud CRM that will give your marketing department a fine edge and achieve more. This CRM not only focuses on new leads but keeps track of existing customers to create up-selling and cross-selling opportunities, repeat sales and referral sales. Marketing automation merged in cloud crm is not magic; you still have to use this tool intelligently if you want impressive results.
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