Trevor Henson, Chief Marketing Officer at Beach Front Property Management, specializes in property investment and startup growth strategies.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a lifelong entrepreneur, it’s that running a business is no easy feat. Whether you’re starting a business or trying to expand your team, many challenges come into play, from managing customer demands to wearing multiple hats when you don’t have the budget to take on a team.
All of this to say: Is there any way that, as a business owner, you can maintain growth and compete with other major market players, all without spreading yourself too thin?
One thing that immediately springs to mind is marketing automation.
Defining A Marketing Automation Strategy
A marketing automation strategy is a process in which a business uses software to automate time-consuming or repetitive tasks, such as email marketing, customer segmentation, social media marketing or lead generation.
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Choosing The Right Automation Platform
When you’re just getting started with marketing automation, the first and most important step is finding the right automation platform. Personally, HubSpot has been my go-to for many years. It has some of the most powerful automation tools wrapped up in a user-friendly interface. If you’re currently running marketing automation tools, it’s easy to integrate, in my experience.
If HubSpot doesn’t gel with you or fit the needs of your business, there are several other platforms I’d recommend, including:
• Marketo: Great for larger enterprises, as it’s very customizable.
• Pardot: Top-tier Salesforce and B2B marketing integration.
• Mailchimp: One of the best email marketing automation platforms for individuals or small-business owners.
Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, so do your research to evaluate how your chosen platform will operate alongside your business.
Automated Customer Satisfaction Email Campaigns
I’ve found that email automation campaigns are one of the most effective types of marketing automation for my business.
For that reason, one of the key automation strategies I’ve implemented over the years is an automated customer satisfaction email campaign. Each month, our clients receive a friendly email packed with tips, updates and a link to fill out a short survey.
By being proactive, I've found I can collect valuable feedback, make sure my clients are happy and show them that I’m working to make their experience better.
The content you include in these emails will depend entirely on your industry and target audience. As someone who works in property management, I might include practical tips on property maintenance, updates on market trends or information regarding any changes in the services I’m offering.
Providing these insights shows your clients that you’re an authoritative figure in your industry.
The survey link is a crucial component for me, as it helps me gather feedback and address concerns before they become issues that are out of my reach.
All in all, since implementing my campaign, I’ve seen a noticeable increase in client satisfaction. My clients appreciate consistent communication and feel valued knowing that I’m consistently looking to improve. It’s a win-win.
Sales Sequences For Different Customer Personas
Sales sequences have become an equally crucial aspect of my automated workflow, as they help ensure no leads fall through the cracks. Plus, they keep our sales team on top of the most critical leads.
To make the most of your sales leads, it’s a good idea to tailor them to fit your different customer personas. Start by looking at your client base as a whole and segmenting any separate key personas into groups. That way, any content you send to those groups will be personalized to them.
For example, you might have a unique sales sequence for a first-time homebuyer compared to a real estate or commercial property investor.
The “sequence” aspect comes from the fact that there are several steps you must include, such as automated emails, follow-ups and any additional touchpoints that might be relevant. If the sales sequence is targeting an investor first, those additional touchpoints might include market trend updates or burgeoning investment opportunities.
How A Monthly Newsletter Can Be Helpful
In 2022, over 83% of marketers sent out newsletter email campaigns.
Why? Because they’re more effective than they’ve ever been.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, one of the last main pieces of my automation strategy is my monthly newsletter. I’ve designed it in such a way to keep my clients and prospects engaged with what we’re doing and informed about the latest happenings in the real estate market.
Each newsletter contains a mixture of elements, including:
• A rundown of our monthly activities.
• Insightful market updates.
• Featured properties.
• Inspiring success stories from clients.
The idea of including all of this information is to ensure there’s something valuable for every reader.
Though writing and designing the newsletter is a manual, collaborative effort, we’re able to automate its distribution using our chosen platform, saving time and making for better consistency in our messaging.
Implementing Marketing Automation
Implementing marketing automation in your current strategy starts with setting clear goals.
What do you hope to achieve with automation, and how will you measure whether it’s successful once implemented?
It’s equally crucial to make sure any content you deliver using automation is relevant and valuable. Just because you’re saving bandwidth by cutting back on your manual work doesn’t mean you should let the quality of your content suffer.
Once you feel comfortable with more user-friendly email automation tools, try integrating automation into the other facets of your marketing strategy, including content and social media. By doing so, you’ll be able to maximize your impact and create a more cohesive approach. This can be especially beneficial if you don’t have the budget to hire separate marketing experts to take on these roles.
As a fellow entrepreneur, I encourage you to start exploring and implementing automation in your marketing strategies today.
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