Marketing automation and content make quite the pair. And, to put it simply, they’re better together.
When working in tandem, they’re like a marketing power couple. Content is eloquent, sociable, approachable, attractive, and fascinating. Good ol’ content makes breaks the ice and fosters connection. Marketing automation is the brainiac and organizer, using intelligence and strategy to get things done. Content is the reason you get invited to the best parties, but without marketing automation to keep track of the engagements, content wouldn’t show up at the right time.
Marketing Automation and Content: 3 Stats on a Happy Partnership by @amurphias
Together, they’re the life of the party. They show up in all the right places at the right time and delight the people they meet.
But enough with the metaphor. If you want to get serious about why marketing automation and content work so beautifully together—and why one without the other wouldn’t be nearly as effective—check out the stats below.
75% of those who’ve invested in marketing automation say that investing in processes and content leads to greater success.
Let’s break this down. More than three-quarters of marketers have cited lack of content processes as the reason they weren’t as successful with marketing automation investments. Marketing automation is hugely powerful. But without content to attract buyers to your website, to convince them to subscribe or share their contact information, to send to leads to nurture them down the funnel, or to keep them engaged in conversations with your brand…then you have a car without wheels. There’s nothing to move your marketing automation forward.
The best content marketing companies are 25% more likely to have a process in place for aligning marketing content with marketing and sales funnel stages.
This is a huge one. Marketers need to produce and then deliver information to relevant audiences. The companies that see success in this area have mapped out the demographic and firmographic information for the prospects and companies they want to reach, as well as the actions that buyers take that indicate purchase intent. The key is to focus on creating buyer-centric content that speaks to the needs of specific people at specific stages of the sales funnel, then use marketing automation to deliver relevant content to each of those segments.
Personalized emails increase both transaction and revenue rates by 6x. They also deliver 29% higher unique open rates and 41% higher unique click-through rates.
This stat complements the data above. Relevance, alignment, and personalization are all elements of a joint marketing automation and content marketing strategy. Together they ensure content resonates with your target buyers. And it works. Personalization, which is only possible if you’re tracking who your buyers are with marketing automation, is one of the best ways to increase response rates and engagement with your content. And when you focus the content to a specific buyer, you’re going to see results.
If you’re ready to marry this pair in your organization, check out our tactical guide to creating better content for marketing automation. It will ensure your teams, strategies, and processes are aligned, giving your marketing the best opportunity to be invited to all the parties your prospects are hanging out at.