The most important advertising automations and their advantages

In this article, you will learn about the benefits of some tools that work with automation. Our guest author Marc Beutenmueller shows you how you can use them to take your marketing and sales processes to the next level.

What is advertising automation?

Advertising is an essential part of every sales and marketing team. Online advertising in particular is becoming increasingly important in order to place products and services with potential customers in a targeted manner. B2B companies also work with advertisements in the digital world to increase the visibility and reach of their services. A lot of money and time is invested in this, but both are in short supply in many places and the attention of the target group is highly competitive. This makes it all the more important to allocate resources wisely and stand out from the competition.

Advertising automation tools promise a profitable advantage here. By this we mean software solutions that automate processes and actions in predefined sequences. Algorithms and AI (artificial intelligence) are used for this. This saves manual effort and valuable time that can be invested in growth and revenue generation.

Why do we need automation in advertising?

At a time when the effectiveness of advertising is under increasing pressure and most sales and marketing teams are understaffed, efficient structures are needed.

One of the biggest advantages of advertising automation is its scalability, which means that by constantly doubling the budget, it can also drive up profits. This is only possible if all processes and workflows are structured and run with little manual work:

Welcome to the field of advertising automation.

By using online advertising automation software, employees in your company can be freed up to concentrate on more important and complex tasks and you can take the next steps towards growth.

What used to require an intern or mini-jobber as a manual interface for data transfer, documentation or action is now done automatically by a suitable tool.

In which areas is advertising automation already commonplace?

There is already some everyday automation in the area of social media advertising and search engine use.

As soon as Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft or Google are managed with the aim of reaching leads, the advertising algorithm learns automatically over time (and budget). Through dwell time and interaction monitoring, it independently defines and refines your target group and narrows it down further and further to achieve better results.

Keyword pixel ID/tracking ID: Using a code, advertising service providers can automatically collect data from website visitors and understand what the leads they reach actually do on your website.

Email marketing automation is common practice in many companies. By retargeting a lead, you exploit the full potential of contact and interaction. Once a lead has entered an email address and is now in the CRM, emails are sent to this person automatically on an ongoing basis. Until the initiative is taken and the mails are unsubscribed. This is effective and inexpensive and significantly increases the return on investment (ROI). This means that the budget invested in advertising to reach the lead is used more efficiently and the probability of making a profit is multiplied.

You can find detailed descriptions of the best tools for email marketing and marketing automation here: https://omr.com/de/reviews/contenthub/marketing-automation-beispiele

Where is there still potential?

The possibilities for online advertising and advertising automation are far from exhausted - the algorithms are becoming ever smarter and the software solutions ever more sophisticated.

The latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in particular are opening up a whole new range of possibilities. ChatGPT, which is currently on everyone's lips, can also be used in advertising to simplify time-consuming processes.

The next trend is automatic pop-up or push notifications, which attract the attention of the target group with their signal effect. The short messages are very likely to be read immediately as they do not have to be opened first, unlike emails, for example.

Many third-party integrations are constantly evolving to increase the profitability of your ads and help you in the follow-up process.

In this article, our guest author will share exciting tools from his practice and provide a perspective on how you can significantly improve the results of your ads through automation and thus save time.

Which tools get the most out of ad automation?

ReachOut App: Advertisement meets LinkedIn Retargeting

ReachOut App is a SaaS solution from a young Berlin start-up. It makes it possible to automatically identify the profiles of leads generated via advertisements on LinkedIn. At the same time, the data is extracted from the profile, enriched in the CRM and the lead is pulled into your network with a contact request.

One of the great advantages of social media advertising automations like this is that no more budget needs to be spent on the next interaction points, as the lead sees your content in their feed after the connection.

Identify your advertising leads on LinkedIn for effective retargeting, source: own illustration

LinkedIn is the largest B2B social media network. It allows you to proactively build your network and interact with contacts regularly in various ways.

The target group initially reached can be continuously involved in new touchpoints via regular LinkedIn posts, events or directly via chat.

Advantages of the ReachOut app

• The right data in the CRM: The more data is requested when registering for a leads magnet or webinar, for example, the lower the actual conversion will be, as most of it is lost along the way. This is where the LinkedIn database with over 900 million users comes into play. For all leads that have been automatically identified on LinkedIn, countless data records on the company, the lead and the existing chat history are then added to the CRM.
• A new channel for marketing activity: As soon as a lead lands as a contact in your team's network, they are regularly targeted by your marketing activities. They see your posts, current events and are invited to follow the company profile, where even more content awaits them. This creates continuous visibility and reaches the right leads for a very long time.
• An ideal handover process to sales: a lead enters their details on Instagram for your whitepaper/e-book and ten minutes later receives a LinkedIn contact request from a contact person at the company. B2B stands for companies, sold to companies. In the end, however, it is still an exchange between two people. Leads who are currently only in contact with the company or brand get to know the right contact person at an early stage, while the marketing team continues to qualify the lead on the platform via content and events.
• The virtual AI chat assistant: As soon as a conversation starts on LinkedIn, you are faced with the next manual effort. With the Chat GPT Assistant, two suggested responses can be generated at the touch of a button. You adapt these and reply with minimal effort, which significantly improves the interaction rate. Meanwhile, the AI assistant copies the conversation, as well as an enriched contact and company data record, into the CRM.

Disadvantage of the ReachOut app

• Name problem: If a common name such as "Thomas Müller" is generated as a lead via an ad on Facebook, it is currently difficult to identify the LinkedIn profiles if the correct company name is not available as a data record. If the first name, surname and company name are available, there is currently a fairly good chance of identifying the right LinkedIn profile. The software is also still young, which means a little more patience in some places until improvements are made.
• AI teething troubles: Although the AI chat assistant learns along with you, it will be a while before it actually generates messages that can be sent without adapting them - as a fallback, ReachOut, also offers chat templates that can be created manually once and sent when needed.

MassivLeads: AI-based B2B ads - customized target groups and lookalikes

MassivLeads is an A.I tool designed specifically for B2B companies and agencies. It complements their advertising automation funnel with cost-efficient lead generation, testing and scaling of products or services with low advertising costs.

The tool allows decision-makers in target groups to be addressed efficiently via Facebook and Instagram Ads. Different target groups can be easily tested in order to identify the specific niche for your offer. The aforementioned A.I technology GPT-4 from OpenAI is used, which enables more precise target group targeting.

Advantages of MassivLeads

• Precise target group analysis: MassivLeads enables B2B companies to identify their ideal target group thanks to precise filtering and the use of the GPT-4 algorithm. With filters such as job title, industry, niche, number of employees and countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA and their regions, MassivLeads provides a clear insight into the most relevant decision makers in your market. The A.I-supported extraction of these from the target group ensures that B2B ads are tested in a targeted manner and high-quality conversions and leads are generated. The tool also helps to identify unknown niches.

• Facebook Business Manager integration: Thanks to a direct connection to the Facebook Business Manager, target groups are automatically uploaded as user-defined and similar target groups and seamlessly integrated into advertising campaigns. Custom audiences are based on existing customers or prospects, while lookalike audiences reach new users who are similar to existing customers. This immediate integration makes campaign management much easier and faster and allows you to start targeting ads immediately.
• Intuitive operation: MassivLeads' user-friendly interface makes it easy to create target groups without prior experience of the platform. There are also suggestions for similar target groups and niches to expand the target group size and uncover potential niches.
• Masterclasses for beginners and experts: MassivLeads offers access to masterclasses that provide valuable resources for both beginners and experts in Facebook Advertising. These courses simplify the process of launching successful ad campaigns with MassivLeads Audiences and share tips and advanced strategies for advertisers of all experience levels.

Disadvantages of MassivLeads

Audiences take about half an hour to create and use. The creation and management of ad campaigns must still be carried out in Facebook Ad Manager. Furthermore, only Facebook audiences are currently possible, no TikTok or Google and unfortunately there is currently no insight into the individual data of the respective audience (but this is the same with Facebook). An active membership is required to use the MassivLeads audiences. Cancellation currently also leads to the deletion of the audiences in Facebook Business Manager.

AdCreative.Ai: Generate AI-based advertisements

Creating the right ads is time-consuming and requires either an artistic streak or a surplus of design resources, neither of which is often found in abundance.

This is where Ad Creative comes into play: the tool automatically generates the right ads for social media. In the right size, with the right design and with the inclusion of best practice experiences for each platform.

Source: AdCreative.Ai

You import your colors, logos and slogan into your account, connect your advertising channels and generate the right creative and personal text suggestions in just a few clicks.

AdCreative.Ai calculates the chances of success for you before launching a campaign and helps you to get started as quickly as possible with an effective first version.

Source: AdCreative.Ai

Advantages of AdCreative.Ai

• You only pay for creatives you like: Once you've determined your campaign, a channel and a target audience, AdCreative.Ai generates as many different versions until the decision is made on one of the created images. You only pay for this export or use credits for it.
• Inexpensive and very fast: AdCreative.Ai helps you to quickly generate suitable creatives that are created according to the current standard. This means that ten different images can be quickly created and launched in your campaign without a great deal of research, design skills or sufficient time.
• Personalized exactly for your target group: It is possible to describe your target group in particular detail, which means that niches are also addressed in a personalized way without having to go to extraordinary lengths because of this.

Disadvantages of AdCreative.Ai

No marketer replacement: The images are created quickly and in most cases are also converted with some integration. Nevertheless, you can still see the difference to a creative, well thought-out concept from a professional who knows the company inside out. The tool is not a replacement for a marketer, but it is still suitable for time-saving designs.

Hubspot: Marketing automation par excellence!

When we talk about tools and automation, HubSpot Marketing Hubshould not be missing, of course. Used correctly, it can intelligently connect your entire sales, marketing and service suite.

Hubspot is also a reliable solution that supports the entire advertising process. From creating the campaign to contacting the generated leads.

Manage your marketing activity in one place, source: HubSpot

Hubspot is an all-in-one marketing, sales and customer service tool that helps you get ads live quickly and without much knowledge. It then makes use of marketing automation and qualifies a lead through nurturing. It has automated sequences that are fed with your leads from advertising campaigns. Here, automated emails, manual calls and many other actions are strung together to clearly define the lead's process.

Directly from Hubspot, a marketing team can create an ad, e.g. for Facebook, go live and monitor performance. Immediately, all generated leads are made available to the sales team via automated email and call sequences.

Hubspot Sequence Editor, which can be used to create automated sequences, Source: HubSpot

Precise website tracking, chatbots and forms ensure more conversions on your website. They allow you to personalize your follow-up actions in Hubspot sequences using the tracked data.

Advantages of Hubspot

A cost-effective start (free of charge): Hubspot allows you to start for free with the essential features and get started with a CRM, including a marketing platform. As soon as you start using marketing automation, you will need the Professional Plan for Marketing or Sales. This is no longer as inexpensive, but is a good lever for scaling.

Automation across departments: If you start with Hubspot, you will find a system with functions for sales, marketing and support. Set up correctly, advertisements are supported across all departments with automation.

Flexible for your use case: Hubspot is the largest market for 3rd party solutions. Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram can be connected directly, but also many other SaaS solutions. Connect Hubspot directly to e.g. ReachOut.app and combine both systems to use email and LinkedIn.

Disadvantages

• Price: Hubspot quickly becomes expensive for small companies with a full range of functions. For growing companies, Hubspot offers the right, cost-effective solution to get started. As soon as the full potential is to be exploited, the price rises rapidly, especially for professional licenses.
• Complexity: For beginners, the many functions for different teams can quickly become confusing and not very intuitive to get started with. In most cases, you start with 10% of the range of functions and slowly work your way through the platform. I would entrust a Hubspot professional with setting up Hubspot with automations effectively, or use one of the many hard-working agencies for this job. Configuring a version with complex automations yourself is not easy and can become a major effort.

Brevo German Marketing Automation, for SMEs

When we talk about Hubspot, we must not forget Brevo as an alternative. In recent years, a pure email marketing solution has become a marketing platform that can be used for little money and is GDPR-compliant.

Brevo has become a fully comprehensive platform since the acquisition of several start-ups, which we must not forget when it comes to automation in advertising.

Brevo's free entry plan, source: Brevo

Brevo is currently establishing itself in Europe in particular. As a provider with a freemium model, it is easy and free to get started.

In addition to email campaigns, Brevo now provides a CRM, SMS & push notifications, automations, landing page builder, support chat and Facebook ads. Even the integration marketplace was recently added.

The focus today is on the helpful Marketing Automation function.

The editor allows you to create complex automated processes with just a few clicks, from automated emails and WhatsApp messages to the new push notifications.

Here you can determine in the smallest detail how leads generated from advertisements are imported into the CRM and created there. Automated messages can also be set up on various channels.

Advantages of Brevo

• A cheap start with automation: The biggest difference to Hubspot is that automation is not hidden in the Professional Plan for many start-ups and SMEs, but is already included in the free plan. With the Automation Editor, it is possible to automate everything with a little practice.
• GDPR compliance: With a server location in Germany, Brevo is often the provider for transactional emails (e.g. password resets or welcome emails) and, more recently, as a CRM and marketing automation tool.
• Push notification as a campaign: What is already classic for YouTube or Facebook is becoming increasingly important for B2B companies today: push notifications in the browser. Brevo allows you to send notifications as a campaign, guaranteeing you get the lead's attention.
• Individual CRM entry created automatically: Brevo allows you to use automated workflows to determine exactly how leads should be imported from which sources, which data fields should be enriched and how to approach leads. This includes A/B testing, logic jumps and branching based on interactions with your website or via messages. This saves you the follow-up time that would otherwise be required with a new lead.

Brevo disadvantages

• Very young marketplace: Compared to other big players like Hubspot, Brevo still has few marketplace partners and integrations to other systems in Q2 2023. However, with the help of the Zapier application, which is worth mentioning here as another useful recommendation, over 5,000 other apps can be integrated. With transactional emails, it sometimes comes down to a few workarounds, which are possible but complex and error-prone.

Conclusion on ad automation

I think that automation for advertisements should be divided into two areas: essential automation and optimization.

As soon as manual processes such as data migration from system to system, follow-up activities or other interventions are necessary, this is essential automation, which you lack. You can help here!

Ads are scalable and must remain so. If manual work blocks the process, the process cannot be scaled. In most cases, a good CRM in combination with Zapier or Make should already sufficiently cover the essential automation. If your ads are currently still failing in terms of profitability, it's time to optimize other processes.

Advertising automation can be the deciding factor between profitable and unprofitable advertising campaigns. Companies should consider investing a fraction of their budget in tools such as those mentioned above and link their advertising campaigns effectively and automatically with other marketing activities. We describe how we have achieved this in our marketing automation guide.

For any B2B company already investing time and effort in LinkedIn, or planning to do so, I can highly recommend ReachOut. If you have leads coming into your LinkedIn network every day that have already been warmed up, the motivation to invest time in posts, events and social selling increases - after all, your LinkedIn audience builds up automatically.

The interaction between MassivLeads and AdCreative.Ai also has a great benefit: small, targeted campaigns with very specific target groups identified by MassivLeads and convinced by suitable, extremely individual creatives have a great effect.

It can be seen that AI's & automation save us valuable time and open up the space for more creative ways of lead acquisition. Your company can only benefit significantly from the implementation of various software tools in all the respects outlined above.

We have summarized an overview of suitable tools for marketing automation as well as a summary of how to implement marketing automation for you on OMR Reviews.