Marketing Automation Consulting: What does a Marketing Automation Consultant do?

1. What is marketing automation?
2. Pitfalls in the implementation of marketing automation?
3. What is Marketing Automation Consulting?
4. 14 Tasks of a Marketing Automation Consultant
5. What tools do marketing automation consultants use?
6. What are the advantages of working with a marketing automation consultant?

As part of the digital transformation, more and more companies want to leverage the potential of digitalization for their marketing and their sales. Especially tools like ChatGPT open the application range for „ordinary“ users in marketing and sales. More and more sales are recognizing and also using the possibilities of Social Selling with LinkedIn. In order to optimally use the possibilities of AI and LinkedIn, training and consulting makes sense, but implementation can be done individually.

Another possibility of digitization of processes in marketing and sales are Marketing Automation Platforms (MAPs). However, the implementation and operation of these platforms goes far beyond supporting individual sales processes. They only unfold their effect if they are strategically planned and used professionally. As great as the possibilities may be, the implementation is also complex. It requires a goal-oriented strategy and cooperation of several company divisions. Since marketing automation is still a relatively new development, most companies lack the necessary knowledge and experience. The task of a marketing automation consultant is to accompany companies in strategy development, selection of systems, implementation and successful implementation.

What is marketing automation?

The term marketing automation is actually somewhat unfortunately chosen, as it implies that something in marketing would be automated. It is often wrongly postulated that marketing automation platforms automate standard processes in marketing. But that is not the focus of marketing automation platforms. The focus is on the development of prospects (leads) from lead generation to sales maturity (MQL – Marketing qualified Leads) with lead-nurturing processes. These MQLs can be transferred to personal sales service, a web shop or an order site. In the area of existing customer management, MAPS are used for reactivation and development of existing customers with existing customer-nurturing processes:

• Re-purchase / Repeat Selling
• Cross and Up-Selling
• Opportunity Nurturing
• Nurturing for the acquisition and penetration of target customers (ABM Account based Marketing / -Selling)
• After Sales
• B- and C-customer service
• Prevention of customer churn
• Trade fair and event management
• Shopping cart dropout nurturing

In general, it is important to clarify with sales which processes or sub-processes can be sensibly automated.

Read more about the most important requirements for marketing automation platforms in the article: These are the most important requirements for a marketing automation tool

Also for marketing related tasks and to prepare the above-mentioned processes MAPs find a useful application:

• Profile building
• Generation / updating of optins
• Data enrichment
• Lead and customer segmentation
• Community Building

In addition to the automated lead / existing customer-nurturing processes, MAPs offer further important functions:

• Scoring: Evaluation and qualification of leads / clientele with explicit (evaluation of the company and the contact persons) and implicit (evaluation of activities) scoring.
• Routing: Transfer of the leads and reactivated existing customers to the CRM-system and the sales department
• Profiling: Profile construction / enrichment
• Process designer for the design of nurturing processes
• Interfaces for connection to relevant systems like CRM system, ERP system, web shop, performance platforms
• Tools for creation and administration of landing pages, emails, forms
• Reporting and evaluation
• AI-modules for text support
  

Pitfalls in the implementation of marketing automation?

In the implementation of marketing automation platforms, there are some pitfalls that can prevent or hinder success at companies.

Strategy

The basis for a successful introduction and the targeted operation of a MAP is a good strategy. Unfortunately, many companies do not focus on strategy development, but on discussions around tool selection and IT aspects. 

Lack of knowledge about momentum and mechanism of action

The management and the C-level – especially in the area of marketing and sales – must understand the momentum in the use of marketing automation platforms and the mechanisms by which they work. Only then can they make the right decisions, set the right goals and prioritize accordingly.

Goal setting

What goals are to be achieved with marketing automation? The successful introduction of a MAP is a measure, not a goal. Companies should define which marketing and sales goals are to be achieved or supported with marketing automation.

Perspective

The introduction of a marketing automation platform is not a sprint. With a bit of luck, quick results can be achieved, but companies should bring some patience for the evaluation of the activities. The effect increases with each new process and supporting sales goal.

Empathy

Nurturing processes in marketing automation automate (sub-)processes in the buyer's journey of (potential) customers. In order to design these processes optimally and to offer the best possible customer experience, empathy is needed. You have to build up knowledge about the ideal prospects / desired customers in order to design approach, content and processes in a targeted way:

• Profile data
• Behavioral preferences / meta programs
• Pain points
• Target states
• Decision criteria
• Obstacles
• Customer Journey Analysis
• Benefit analysis
• etc.

Ideally, this data is collected in the form of deep, detailed Buyer Persona Profiles. If this knowledge is lacking, companies fall into ego posting.

Ego Posting 

In Ego-Posting Mode companies communicate only about themselves and their offers.

The easy way

The design of nurturing processes is associated with effort. In most cases, the content building blocks for the nurturing processes have to be created anew. Each content building block has a task and a goal. Due to the effort, it is tempting to use existing content building blocks. If this content can fulfil the defined task, this is okay too. If this is not the case, the desired effect will not be achieved and the whole nurturing process in the marketing automation platform will miss the desired effect.

Data Protection

Many elements of the marketing automation process have effects on data protection. Optins must be obtained correctly. The data holding and the profile building must comply with the law. All this must be considered. Too often, however, data protection slows things down by asking "Is this really necessary?" and not in a purposeful way "How can we comply with the law?".

More about data protection when using marketing automation platforms can be found in the article: Marketing Automation & Data Protection: How to bring both into harmony

Data Quality

On average, companies use 200 systems and platforms. If these systems are not integrated, the data is not consistent and affects the success of marketing automation activities. In addition, data changes daily due to moving, merging or position changes. Therefore, data quality should also be considered in the marketing automation strategy.

Scalability

Companies typically build many nurturing processes for different topics, areas and countries. If the font, logo or colors have to be changed in these processes at some point, this is a large manual effort if scalability is not considered.

Empowerment / Knowledge Acquisition

For the successful use of marketing automation platforms, knowledge from some subject areas is necessary:

• Strategy / Conception
• Content design and creation
• Performance measures
• Technical knowledge
• Data Management / Data Analysis
• Change Management

This knowledge and the corresponding resources must be built up in the company.

Error culture

Nurturing processes in marketing automation rarely work optimally right from the start. Ads, approaches and content building blocks are conceived and should be constantly scrutinized. A healthy approach to attempts and errors is helpful.

What is Marketing Automation Consulting?

As a marketing automation consultant, you support your customers in the implementation and use of marketing automation platforms. The marketing automation consultant also helps his clients to master the pitfalls described above. He should have many years of experience in marketing and sales and ideally have accompanied several implementations of marketing automation platforms in different industries. He should bring along knowledge and experience in these areas:

• Strategy development for marketing and sales
• Digital Transformation
• Behavior Analysis
• Content Marketing
• Touchpoint Management
• Conversion
• Measurement and optimization (KPIs / OKRs)
• Performance measures
• Data Management
• Sales scenarios (lead management, customer management, social selling, account based marketing / selling, etc.)
• Systems and Integration of Systems
• Change Management

14 Tasks of a Marketing Automation Consultant

The marketing automation consultant is a consultant, coach and moderator. He guides his clients through the process of strategy development and accompanies the implementation. Ideally, he provides his clients with a scalable framework or blueprint that gives them orientation and security and can be scaled and rolled out to all company divisions and national companies.

The strategy process is divided into these steps:

Picture: strike2 Marketing Automation Canvas

1. Kick-off, inventory, goal setting

At this stage, it is ensured that all stakeholders understand the potential and working principle of marketing automation. Goals and challenges are discussed and the relevant sales scenarios are discussed. In a stocktaking, information is collected about data, processes, content, touchpoints and the competitive situation.

2. Buyer Persona Profiling

Detailed buyer persona profiles describe the ideal prospects and desired clientele. Important elements include, for example: profile data, behavioral preferences, pain points, target states, decision criteria, benefit analysis, etc. A buyer persona profile is only as good as its application in the design of approach, content and processes.

Picture: Buyer Persona Profile according to the Schuster Model®

3. Be found / Visibility

In this phase, it is clarified how the company can be found by potential customers and which measures (SEO, onpage/offpage optimization, content, conversion) need to be set up or optimized.

4. Customer Journey Analysis

What does the buying journey of leads and existing customers look like? As with the persona profiles, the Customer Journey also needs to be implementable and Marketing Automation conform.

 Picture: Customer Journey Analysis according to the Schuster Model®

5. Content Marketing - Content and added value in the digital sales process

In the first step, the marketing automation consultant accompanies a content audit to get an overview of existing content and its suitability for marketing automation processes. In the next step, new content is designed and transferred to editorial plans.

6. Touchpoints - Customer contact points in the digital sales process

In a touchpoint analysis, information about the existing touchpoints is collected. Based on this data, the optimization of existing touchpoints and the implementation of new touchpoints is planned.

7. Nurturing Processes

Based on the buyer persona profiles and the customer journey analysis, the design of Nurturing Processes with performance measures, gated/ungated content and a "sales fast lane" is done.

Picture: Nurturing process according to the Schuster Model®

8. Progressive Profiling / Profile Building

What data should be collected in the nurturing processes for profile building?

9. Scoring in the digital sales process

How are leads and existing customers qualified with scoring models?

10. Routing of leads to sales / into the CRM system

How are developed leads and reactivated existing customers handed over to sales/the CRM system?

 Picture: Lead Routing

11. Leads and existing customers in sales

In this phase, it is defined how the developed leads (MQL) / existing customers (MQN) are addressed and looked after in the personal sales.

12. Metrics

How is the success of the marketing automation measures measured?

13. Systems / System integration / Platforms / Tools / Data

Which marketing automation platform is suitable for the implementation of the planned measures or how is the existing MAP used?

More about choosing marketing automation platforms can be found in the article: Choosing the best marketing automation tool (Guide)

With which other systems, such as CRM system, ERP system, web shop etc., should the MAP be integrated? How is the integration done on the technical level and process level?

Picture: System integration with iPaaS technology (Integration Platform as a Service)

More about the combination of marketing automation and CRM systems can be found in the article: CRM system without marketing automation platform is like currywurst without french fries – good, but not perfect

14. Implementation

Which aspects have to be considered for implementation?

• Technical aspects such as system implementation, integration, landing pages, forms, etc.
• Data Management (duplets, "Golden Record", segmentation, data enrichment, etc.)
• Legal aspects (optin, GDPR, tracking, data retention, etc.)
• Content creation
• Performance measures
• Touchpoint optimization
• Knowledge building and training marketing and sales
• Measurement of success, optimization, reporting

What goals does a Marketing Automation Consultant pursue?

The most important goal of a marketing automation consultant is to successfully design the introduction and operation of a marketing automation platform with his clients. This main goal is broken down into several partial goals:

• Understand the business and goals of the clients.
• Pick up all involved and anchor the momentum and the working principle of marketing automation in the company.
• Clarify goals, priorities and efforts.
• Unite marketing and sales into goal-oriented teams.
• Build up empathy for leads and customers in the company.
• Develop relevant approach, content and processes with the clients.
• Create the basis so that the consistency of the data base can be built up and maintained with the clients.
• Win over data protection and IT as allies.
• Implement the suitable system and technical infrastructure with the clients.
• Create a good basis for the expansion and scaling of marketing automation in the company group.
• Anchor awareness for the change management aspects of the topic.

What tools do marketing automation consultants use?

Brevo (ehemals Sendinblue)

HubSpot Marketing Hub

Klaviyo

EASY2

Mailchimp

What are the advantages of working with a marketing automation consultant?

Companies benefit from working with an experienced marketing automation consultant on several levels. They receive a tried and tested and scalable framework and use the findings from many successful marketing automation projects. This saves time and ensures a faster go-live. This way they do not waste valuable time with mistakes and trying things out, generate momentum and initial successes faster and build up know-how faster. This allows companies to use the potential of marketing automation platforms more successfully.