Why Is Automation So Valuable for B2C Marketers?

Marketing automation is proven to increase leads, conversions, and therefore revenue. It can also boost sales productivity by 14.5% and reduce marketing overheads by 12.2%. It’s no wonder B2C technology investment is going through the roof. However, it’s still not always used to its full potential and maximum revenue potential is often not reached.

What is B2C Marketing Automation?

B2C marketing automation focuses heavily on customer acquisition, customer spend, and customer retention. In order to see success in each of these departments, marketers must understand their customers and be able to make data-driven decisions to keep them engaged with products and/or services.

Many companies claim to provide marketing automation solutions tailored to B2C clients; however, the reality is that the requirements for B2C are very different. Without these unique elements in mind, your marketing automation will fall short.

When thinking about the difference between B2B and B2C, marketers often have similar goals, but very unique approaches due to key factors like:

  • The decision-making process
  • Purchase frequency
  • The customer lifecycle

The value of successful B2C marketing automation manifests in its ability to organize, optimize, and act on your customer data. Doing so will accelerate your company’s growth, and help optimize your overall strategy for maximum revenue.

11 Best Examples of B2C Marketing Automation

Here are 11 examples of how you can use marketing automation technology to best engage your customers.

1. Welcome Your Customers With Marketing Automation Programs

Automate your customer onboarding after registration. After a customer signs up for your newsletter or creates an account, send them a welcome email. Let them know what they can expect to receive from you, show them more about who you are, and of course, let them start shopping. Have your welcome programs consist of several campaigns sent every other day and be sure to optimize your frequency with A/B split tests.

2. Personalize Repurchase Programs Through Marketing Automation Repurchase Programs

With post-purchase programs, B2C companies can use marketing automation to gather customer feedback and cross-sell. Ask your customers how they would rate their purchase and give them an opportunity to leave a review, share a photo, or purchase personalized suggestions based on their previous order. A personalized follow-up campaign that targets customers who buy certain products offers invaluable up- and cross-selling options.

3. Use Marketing Automation to Deploy Reminder Programs

Send reminders to people who didn’t click your email. If someone opened your first email but didn’t click through, send a reminder and include an offer if you want to help sweeten the deal. If someone hasn’t taken advantage of your sale yet send them a reminder to take advantage of your free shipping or exclusive offer before it ends.

4. Create a Multichannel Experience with Marketing Automation

With marketing automation, B2C companies can create multichannel marketing programs that combine email, text messages, and social ads. Don’t blast the same message at the same time across all your channels. Plan and time your different campaigns together to maximize your reach without spamming your customers.

5. Win-Back Customers With Marketing Automation Programs

Target customers after a set period of inactivity to win them back. If someone hasn’t visited your site, logged in, or purchased recently, use marketing automation to send them an email saying you miss them and recommend some products they’d love or fill them in on what’s new since their last visit.

If they’ve left something in the cart, send a reminder. Include other product recommendations in case that wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. One strategy that far too few companies included? Rewarding your active clients regularly based on their monetary value, therefore binding them to you.

6. Tailor Your Customers’ Experience Using Marketing Automation Tools

With marketing automation, B2C companies can construct multiple branches within the same program to engage with individuals based on their buyer status. Share exclusive offers with your most frequent buyers first or give a bigger discount to someone who may be on the fence about buying.

7. Conduct A/B Split Testing with Marketing Automation Tools

Use control groups within your marketing automation program to experiment with new ideas and continuously improve the quality of your campaigns. Test different free shipping thresholds or other offers to find the best for your customers and your business. Just remember to only test one thing at a time.

8. Set Up One-Off, Multistep Campaigns Powered By Marketing Automation

For example, B2C companies can utilize marketing automation to set up a one-time mailing series during the build-up to a big event. Is your biggest sale of the year coming up? Is something exclusive coming soon and you want to build the excitement? Let your customers know it’s around the corner. You can even ask them to opt into your SMS program or follow you on Twitter for more announcements.

9. Trigger Personalized Transactional Prompts with Marketing Automation

B2C marketers can automatically send communications triggered by customer activities such as registrations, purchases, or any external API call. In your purchase confirmation emails, you can include links to personalized suggestions, share buttons, or other CTAs to get feedback, have them share, or have them purchase more. Use that email to keep them interacting.

10. Retarget Consumers Using Marketing Automation

B2C companies can leverage marketing automation to create retargeting programs triggered by abandoned carts and sessions. If someone leaves your site without purchasing, retarget them with social ads to bring them back to your site. As a B2C e-commerce marketer, you have the tools needed to create a one of a kind B2C marketing strategy.

11. Measure Campaign Success With Marketing Automation

Build in key success metrics to the marketing automation powered program, then analyze the performance by looking at conversion rates. Before you even start a new campaign or program, set the objective you want to achieve and make some measurable goals.

Final Thoughts

B2C marketers working without the assistance of automation are choosing to keep one hand tied behind their back. In today’s landscape, customers are looking for unique experiences that are tailored to their needs. Anything else simply will not satisfy. Automating the data collection process and utilizing personalized insights can make all the difference for your B2C marketing campaigns.

These are just a few examples of ways that marketers can leverage marketing automation technology to better engage their customers.

➤ Learn more about how Emarsys can help you take your marketing automation strategy to the next level.

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