Cutting-edge marketing automation for small businesses is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a smart investment that can significantly increase ROI. By handling tedious but essential tasks with pinpoint precision, these tools streamline operations, free up valuable time for strategic planning, and make every customer feel seen.
Here’s a deep dive into the five top marketing automation trends that businesses are using to unlock significant growth.
Marketing Automation Trends that Increase ROI
1. Conversational marketing
Conversational marketing — which engages customers directly through chatbots, messaging apps, and live chat — is one of the most exciting and transformative marketing automation trends — the global conversational commerce market is projected to reach $300 billion by the end of 2025.
By engaging potential customers in conversations, brands can foster more personalized and responsive interactions that increase ROI, engagement, and loyalty.
Some popular conversational marketing tools include:
- Live chat: Enabling real-time communication between customers and service representatives, live chat provides instant support that boosts customer satisfaction. While primarily staffed by humans, many live chat systems include automated features for initial greetings and common queries, blending human touch with automation for efficiency.
- Voice assistants: These devices use voice recognition to perform tasks and services, such as making product recommendations. By integrating with various applications, they can provide a seamless, hands-free experience for users. This technology enhances customer interaction and convenience, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.
- AI-powered chatbots: Chatbots can easily answer common questions, offer recommendations based on personalized user characteristics, and prompt customers to move deeper into the company’s sales funnel. Given their ability to engage customers around the clock and across various platforms, AI chatbots deliver an excellent ROI and are the focus of increasing investment by businesses — 49% of U.S. adults have used an AI chatbot for customer service in the last 12 months.
While conversational marketing technologies can reduce the costs associated with hiring human support agents, keep in mind that many shoppers still prefer the human touch. In fact, 52% of shoppers say that customer service representatives are less likely to frustrate them than chatbots, with 90% preferring the former to the latter.
2. Use of AI and ML for hyper-personalization
Personalization has emerged as the defining marketing trend of the big data age. In fact, personalized marketing has become so ubiquitous that many enterprises are seeking to elevate it to the next level: hyper-personalization.
Hyper-personalization involves using AI and machine learning (ML) to analyze data on consumer behavior, purchasing patterns, and even minute interactions with digital content in near-real time. Using these insights, brands can then automatically deliver marketing messages tailored to individual consumers — whether that’s specific product recommendations, special promotional offers, or adaptive website content.
Hyper-personalization goes so far beyond traditional approaches to market segmentation that it’s sometimes described as a “segmentation of one” in reference to the targeted individual consumer.
3. Value-driven retargeting
Most marketers are familiar with the adage that acquiring a new customer is significantly more expensive than retaining an existing one. Given this cost dynamic, retargeting has emerged as one of the top marketing automation trends.
Retargeting exemplifies the power of marketing automation by ensuring that marketing efforts are consistent and highly personalized, increasing the probability of converting one-time visitors into loyal customers.
For example, if a shopper visits an e-commerce website but abandons their cart before checking out, retargeting efforts might involve:
- Displaying targeted ads on other websites they visit, reminding them of the products they viewed.
- Sending personalized email reminders that include images of the products left in the cart, along with a special discount code to encourage a return and complete the purchase.
- Push notifications alerting them about a price drop on items they have shown interest in or added to their cart.
Ultimately, the goal is to convert interested visitors into loyal customers by keeping the brand at the forefront of their minds.
4. Automated retention marketing
Retention marketing works similarly to retargeting, except it specifically seeks to connect with existing customers.
Examples of retention strategies include:
- Exclusive offers available only to loyal customers.
- Tiered loyalty programs that unlock deeper discounts and more appealing benefits each time a customer returns.
- Engagement messaging like personalized emails, newsletters, and customer portals that give a consumer direct insider access.
Without automation, managing retention marketing can become a time-consuming and imprecise task. Automation streamlines these efforts, ensuring exclusive offers and loyalty programs are delivered at the right time, with personalized messaging tailored to individual customer profiles.
5. Omnichannel automation for seamless customer experiences
Today’s customers expect a cohesive experience across all platforms, from social media to in-store visits. Naturally, omnichannel automation is rapidly becoming a crucial trend as it seamlessly integrates various communication and sales channels to deliver a unified customer journey.
Key components of omnichannel automation include:
- Automated channel integration: Sophisticated software solutions can automatically synchronize data across all platforms. This ensures that customer interactions are consistent and relevant, whether shoppers are on a mobile app, website, or in a physical store.
- Targeted content delivery: Automation tools help tailor content to each channel — all while maintaining a coherent brand message that resonates across all touchpoints.
- Analytics and feedback loops: By collecting data from every channel, businesses get a complete picture of how customers interact with their brand. This information is crucial for refining marketing efforts and improving customer experiences over time.
Find a Partner Who Understands Marketing Automation for Small Business
Marketing automation can be a game-changer — streamlining tedious processes, enhancing customer engagement, and increasing ROI.
To take full advantage of these marketing automation trends, consider partnering with a financial partner who understands the importance of streamlining every faucet of your business. Illinois Bank & Trust, a division of HTLF Bank can help commercial clients find creative and affordable ways to finance their investments in next-generation business technologies.
Reach out to Illinois Bank & Trust, a division of HTLF Bank today to schedule a consultation.