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Marketing automation for People, not Dummies

May 25, 2021 by seankooledev Leave a Comment

Surely you’ve heard of the “for Dummies” books, right? They cover a wide range of topics; everything from the stock market and artificial intelligence to chess and football. Sure, the word is derogatory, but readers of the “for Dummies” books don’t seem to mind as long as it helps them understand the nuts and bolts of a subject. Any subject. But here’s a subject that will never earn that “dummy” label—marketing automation.

So, what is marketing automation?

Basically, marketing automation is a tool to achieve more, with less. More revenue, more customers, and more possibilities using fewer resources, time, and money. Simply put, marketing automation is a smart solution to complex challenges. According to leading research and advisory company Gartner, marketing automation software helps marketing professionals segment customers, manage related data, and launch effective, highly targeted campaigns with far greater efficiency.

That efficiency also comes in the form of processes that can be built and used by marketing professionals to create relevant content. And that “right” content can be delivered when and where it’s needed and be scaled to meet precise marketing needs. 

With the definition of marketing automation behind us, let’s focus on the fun stuff—how marketing professionals use it to up their marketing game.

Why should you care about marketing automation?

Not to suggest that marketing automation is so efficient that it will clear your schedule of to-do’s and tactics, but it can enable you to free up time and resources to work on other pressing projects and initiatives.

Examples of doing more with marketing automation:

  1. More internal and external communications.
  2. More customer engagements.
  3. Faster response times when addressing new information or tackling unforeseen challenges.
  4. You can achieve higher relevance concerning a topic.
  5. Gain a deeper understanding of your customers, their business challenges, and goals.

Less is more:

  1. You will spend less time and money acting on, and completing tasks.
  2. You will spend less money for equal, often better, outcomes.
  3. You will reduce customer churn (remember, it costs far more to get a customer than to keep one).
  4. You can use fewer tools to achieve your marketing goals.

Do you care about … ?

In the end it’s about caring about something. Do you care about customers that are loyal to your brand? Do you care about improving customer satisfaction? Do you care about reaching higher lifetime values? Do you care about improving the conversion to sale ratio? And do you care about five-out-of-five stars, 100% rating or a thumbs up? In that case you care about marketing automation. Even if you don’t care about exactly HOW you can achieve more with less.

How you can achieve more with less

So you do care? Marketing automation is not a fixed set of tools you can deploy. Many automation products do one thing well, but are lacking in others. Your marketing strategy will evolve and change so your toolset should evolve with your strategy. If you make choices today you can run into issues later on if there’s no solid reasoning behind your decisions. This is a two-edged sword however. I’ve seen many promising projects fail because people are afraid to go live. It’s like the tale of the clock builder:

A clock builder was working on the greatest clock ever built. Every part of the clock was created out of the correct material, shaped just right with every part honed to perfection. If a new part was finished the clock builder decided the previous part did not live up to the same quality and he started over. He died before the clock was ever finished. He simply ran out of time because of his quest for perfection.

In most cases the journey is less ironic perhaps, I do want to stress the importance of forward momentum. In MarTech the abundance of options can be overwhelming. If the tools are actually making the process more difficult it’s time to change your methods. Contact me if you want to automate your marketing automation efficiently.

The four pillars of marketing automation

In order to build your automation workflow you will first have to lay a solid foundation. By using the four pillars listed below you can make decisions faster with a reliable outcome.

1. Save time

Many routine tasks can be automated. For instance mailings, auto-responders, and the collection of data points and structuring data. This will save time that marketing professionals can invest in optimizing current methods and develop new strategies or campaigns.

2. Save costs

A lot of time is spent on customer service which costs more than it creates in revenue. Although customer service is important, many interactions can easily be automated. Also, more efficient targeting can reduce the advertising budget and increase ROI.

3. Increase customer value

The traditional sales funnel has proven to be limited with little regard for returning AND retaining customers. Upselling, circular sales strategies, and nurturing of existing customers will increase revenue. A lot of these efforts can easily be automated.

4. Extend customer loyalty

Positive user experiences cause a spike in endorphins which leads to a sense of euphoria. This feeling is short lived however, negative user experiences linger much longer and will cause harm to your brand. By providing your customers with a series of positive interactions and limiting negative experiences you will extend the loyalty of your customers.

Importance of understanding the customer journey

In order to convert a lead to a customer the prospect will have to take a customer journey. This is regularly confused with a sales funnel however this is not correct. A funnel is a one-way path with a number of potential customers of which a lot will not reach the finish. A customer journey is a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end with various forks in the road and options to consider. Customer journeys are individualized experiences, few customers will travel the exact same path.

A nonlinear and forking journey is not a pleasant prospect for a marketing professional. They’re called leads for a reason, you’ll want to lead them to their destination, not let them wander. However, your (prospective) clients often don’t want to be instructed to the endpoint, they’d rather be guided along the way. By implementing various customer journeys the marketing department can switch tracks according to all available data of the lead or customer. This would be nearly impossible without marketing automation. Here are six customer journeys to get you started.

1. Acquisition

This is the journey that most resembles a standard sales funnel with the difference that the acquisition journey is aimed at the individual. You’re guiding a lead to a paying customer. The first step is often to trigger an action, for instance subscribing to a newsletter, download an ebook or enter a contact form. This will show you there’s an actual interest and the threshold for a monetary transaction is lowered.

By the way, if you want to know more about this subject feel free to contact me.

[calendly link]

Did it work? Wait a moment, I’ll check my inbox! Alright you’re a savvy person, let’s move on.

2. Welcome

Reducing customer churn is a very important part of building a stable and successful business. The first purchase is just the start of a new journey, with new opportunities. Let customers know they are appreciated, that they are not just a client but a brand ambassador and part of a community. Companies are built on the trust of customers, so show them you appreciate their patronage.

3. Cross-sell

Unless you sell one product with a life-time warranty you’ll probably want to implement a cross-selling journey. Did a customer open a bank account with a debit card? Maybe they’ll be interested in a credit card, mortgage or car insurance. Not only are you creating new sources of revenue from an existing customer, you are also making it easier for clients to purchase services and/or goods they need.

4. Upsell

There are two ways of upselling to existing customers. You can either sell more of the same product or sell better / improved versions of these products or services. This can be achieved by offering discounts for buying in bulk for example, or promoting the new iteration of a previously bought item. Buybacks while purchasing a new article is a common strategy in smartphone sales. Apart from creating new revenue you’re taking old products from the market so they won’t interfere with your sales strategy.

5. Retention

It’s common knowledge that retargeting or retaining existing customers costs less compared to acquiring new customers. This does vary depending on the business. Some companies focus so much on converting new customers they don’t notice the churn of customers abandoning the company. In business with a subscription model this is pretty easy to flag automatically, when it concerns goods this can be more difficult to notice but it’s definitely possible.

6. Winback

No matter what you do, some customers will cancel their subscription or stop purchasing your goods. After a cancellation, automate a response that you’re sorry to see them leave. Ask them why they’re leaving so you can improve retention in the future. You can also make them a new offer to sign up again. Be careful with this strategy though, some customers are not worth holding on to. You can also automate cost-to-gain ratio calculations.

How far can you push automated personalization?

If your emails start with “Dear customer” this customer is certainly not very dear to the company. If they are in the system you should address them with their name. This also invokes trust as many scam operations use exactly this general approach. “Dear A.” or “Mister B.” is also an automated response that can be easily fixed within the autoresponder system. Or perhaps not so easy because you know exactly the type of mail I’m referring to!

Another issue with a lot of automated responses is the amount of ‘broken’ elements. For instance an HTML mail that isn’t optimized for mobile, fixed width messages that are unreadable or images that are not available on the server. You don’t need to own a PC, laptop, netbook, tablet, and mobile phone for every operating system to check these issues if you use the right tools and manage your content correctly.

When managing the marketing of a webshop you should really consider connecting the CMS database of the webshop software with the marketing tools. This allows you to create campaigns based on the actual collection, not just the brand. Without insight the marketing team is riding blind which leads to campaigns with low CTR and ROI. A reliable CMS separates the interface from the data and database, connecting product information to the marketing tools should not be a large hurdle to overcome.

Go for incremental improvements

I could end this blog with a grand statement promising enormous gains quickly with a minimum of effort. But I’m pretty sure you’re not a dummy but a professional who understands that Rome wasn’t built in a day. By implementing incremental improvements to your current strategy and automating processes using advanced MarTech solutions you can improve business activities without running the risk of bringing the house down.

Let’s take the next (small) step together and contact me today.

Filed Under: Digital Acceleration

How to make your brand successful on Amazon Fashion in 3 steps

May 11, 2021 by seankooledev Leave a Comment

Any person working in fashion understands the importance of visibility. Clothing and accessories are visual items and displaying them in a controlled environment allows you to build brand awareness and shape the brand image. In high-end retail stores, it’s common for the store to rent out floor space to large, influential brands. This creates a store-in-store concept that both brands and customers appreciate and enjoy. Selling fashion online uses the same basic principles, while adding a number of unique opportunities.

Amazon Fashion allows you to nurture a brand image and control the narrative while presenting your collection to a large, worldwide audience. Let’s take a stroll through the shopping mall of the world and find out how to make your brand successful on Amazon Fashion.

We will guide you through the basics of Amazon Fashion in three steps: Setting up your brand, increasing sales, and building your brand online.

Why selling on Amazon is important

You have an established brand. Your clothing or accessories are sold in various retail stores. In addition, you also have a functional webshop. Your online store is not the same as a rack in a clothing store. It’s more that that; it’s probably more like this:

  • A webshop is the online equivalent of a brand store.
  • Amazon is the online equivalent of a shopping mall.
  • A product listing is the online equivalent of an item on the rack.
  • A subdomain on Amazon is the online equivalent of a store-in-store.

All strategies have merit, both offline and online. Although you have complete control over your own website and webshop, you are missing out on the huge customer base to whom Amazon caters. Building your own presence on Amazon Fashion allows you to increase exposure and sales by using various tools that fit within your business operations. That’s the theory, of course. Now we’re going to take a look at the practical side and workflow.

What about the competition?

The competition on Amazon can be overwhelming. Many sellers and resellers are offering the same products. Amazon is also a competitor with its own assortment of products. If you build a brand, this should not be a difficult problem to overcome. In fact, it offers a great opportunity to embrace. Here’s the good news—it presents a great opportunity that you should embrace. We’ll dive deeper into this subject in a moment.

1. Set up your brand

Are you a brand owner in the fashion industry? Congratulations, you are now eligible to register your trademark on Amazon. This provides you with an additional feature set that other sellers cannot access. 

Here are some options you have as a brand owner:

  • You can flag sellers using copyrighted company assets, such as a logo, photos, and product descriptions.
  • It’s possible to sell products without an EAN code.
  • There’s more insight concerning your results and data.
  • You can create your brand store on the Amazon platform.
  • You have the option to advertise your store and products on Amazon.

If you have any questions about registering your brand on Amazon Fashion contact me [INSERT LINK TO EMAIL ADDRESS]. I’d love to help get you started.

Creating product pages

An empty shelf emblazoned with your brand name can’t magically increase sales; you will still need to present your products. That means creating product pages with all relevant information that your customers are looking for. On the one hand, you will have to conform to the standard requirements for Amazon listings; on the other, you will have to create attractive A+ content to entice visitors to purchase your products. Also, keep in mind that every product page represents another way to promote your brand. 

Here are five tips to get you started:

  1. Create a descriptive title. Start with your brand, followed by the type of item; be sure to include additional details, such as style or size.
  2. Upload images in a resolution of 1000×1000 pixels and make sure they are photographed against a plain, white background.
  3. Publish at least 7 images, all of which feature different views and vantage points of your product, such as its top, side, front, back, bottom, and any special details, including lifestyle.
  4. Add at least five bullet points that include product features.
  5. List the available colors and sizes clearly on the description page.
  6. Write additional descriptive copy that is sprinkled with a healthy dose of subjective information to promote your brand.
  7. Be sure and include enhanced Brand Content (A+).

In a nutshell, you should strive for a great IDQ (Item Data Quality). Every aspect of the content is important. It is a great idea to evaluate concept listings with an objective focus group.

Fulfillment by Amazon

While it’s possible you already have the logistics of your order fulfillment set up, you may want to consider using FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). Besides its online platform, Amazon also offers a robust order fulfillment solution. This is an important part of their business model. Their warehouses and logistics acumen create revenue for Amazon. Also, they likely favor brands that use these facilities. 

This is also a good means of ensuring quality control. With stock stored in an Amazon  warehouse, they can guarantee reliable product management and prompt shipping. 

Here are some reasons your brand should consider using FBA:

  • As a seller you don’t have to concern yourself with order fulfillment.
  • Products are stored in Amazon warehouses the world over and under controlled conditions.
  • Shipping costs are clear and reliable, although comparing rates is no longer an option.
  • Your products will automatically be labeled as ‘Prime’ items.

What does ‘Prime’ mean for your business?

If you have spent any amount of time on Amazon, you’ll be aware of the ‘Prime’ logo. This is a subscription service for customers and allows them several benefits, such as free shipping, fast delivery, and access to Prime Video, to name but a few. These customers pay for the privilege of shopping on Amazon, which means they are more likely to order products on this particular platform. As a verified brand on Amazon Fashion and using FBA, you are automatically a Prime seller. The little icon invokes trust with customers; about 90 percent of sellers indicate increased sales as a Prime seller.

Selling in Europe

Europe is an interesting market with some specific challenges. Brand owners have access to the European marketplaces, which means more potential customers. However, that means some extra work. For instance, you need to translate and localize your listings and storefronts, check the tax laws for each individual territory, and manage shipping and returns. Keep in mind there are unified EU rules regarding products sold from EU countries to EU citizens.

So, we’re set up and ready to increase sales on Amazon Fashion. Are you still on board? If you have any questions, reach out to me [calendly link] for some tailor-made advice.

2. Increase sales

If you have some experience with internet marketing, you’re no doubt aware of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to increase visibility in search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, to name a few. SEA (Search Engine Advertising) also plays an important part if you want to enhance your brand visibility. Platforms like Facebook and Amazon provide an ecosystem with large user bases and offer similar options to increase visibility. Simply put, you need to bring your product listings to the forefront. Like SEO and SEA, there are several options to increase visibility and sales on Amazon using both free and paid methods. Let’s take a look at three options:

a. Product listing optimization

Many customers use the search box on Amazon, but the search algorithms are not perfect. In fact, they make a lot of assumptions. So, you need to ensure your listing features all the keywords your target audience may include in a Google search. These are some common features:

  • Brand name
  • General category
  • Specific item
  • Color
  • Size
  • Material

Don’t go crazy in the product title, though, and never use ALL CAPS. This just serves to make your listing look manipulative (buyers don’t like that). Create listings that provide the customer with helpful information.

About the search algorithms (specifically Google’s): Google, of course, is the King of Search Engines; their algorithm is often better for finding products on Amazon compared to the proprietary search feature. Many customers know this and will search in Google (Shopping) and navigate from there. This means SEO is also of importance for Amazon listings.

b. Sponsored products

Organic search is fine, but it can be fickle; you can’t fully rely on optimized product listings. With sponsored products, you can reach the top spot above your competitors, even if customers search for other brands! Similar to the way it functions on other advertising networks, you can create campaigns, set a budget, and define search terms that fit with your line of products. There’s a bidding system in place, so the number one position is not guaranteed. But for increased visibility, sponsored products can be a smart strategy to use.

c. Special deals

The Lightning Deals and Deal of the Day promotions are offers for a limited timeframe. Your product will be prominently featured for a couple of hours. There are some requirements for a product to be featured on the Amazon Deals page, such as:

  • A discount of at least 20 percent.
  • The product must be sufficiently stocked.
  • You are required to use FBA for handling and shipping.
  • Amazon determines eligibility.

After the homepage, The Deals page is the most visited page. This means that you can reach an enormous audience if you offer solid deals.

d. Special events

Promoting Special events is another means of increasing visibility. They can be compared to Lightning Deals and Deal of the Day, but there is one distinct difference—the timing of the campaign. Special events are ones linked to seasonal celebrations, like Christmas, or universally recognized events, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The requirements are also similar; they require a minimum discount of 20 percent, FBA shipping, and extra stock during the event.

e. Other promotions

There are other ways of offering discounts on Amazon that are certainly not unique to this platform. For instance, you could offer a 2 for1 sale, discounts based on total order amount, or a post-purchase benefit through external channels. For instance, you could offer a voucher  or free gift after ordering. Just make sure your promotions adhere to the Amazon seller rules; for instance, don’t redirect visitors to your own webshop for larger discounts.

Some brands believe discounts devalue their brand image. However, many customers respond very well to discounts and outlet offers. The largest fashion brands in the world also offer promotions, so you may acquire new customers who will become loyal to your brand. Speaking of which…

3. Build your brand

You’re not only selling products to consumers, you’re also building a brand image that will reach far beyond the confines of Amazon Fashion. There are several tools available to registered brands; let’s take a look at some exclusive features you can use in your marketing strategy.

Enhanced brand content (A+)

Regular product listings are used to showcase the merits of a product, not the brand as a whole. For instance, brand owners can add brand descriptions, branding images, video, and the brand’s history. This means every product page performs double duty, serving as a company’s Apage.

Store-in-store

Brand owners are allowed to use a subdomain in which the complete collection is showcased. Products from competitors are not listed on this page. You can compare this to the shop-in-shop or store-in-store concept that many high street department stores use. It may not be a complete replacement for your own webshop, but it does remove some of the clutter found within the regular Amazon interface.

Affiliate marketing with Amazon Associates

Extend the visibility of your products further by placing deep links to Amazon product pages on your social media channels. This way you can lead your followers to product pages from channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Not only can you increase visibility by doing so, you also receive the affiliate commission, which will reduce the cost of your advertising efforts.

Keep in mind that Amazon’s affiliate marketing benefits as much from your brand as you do. They’re not running a charity. Just remember to direct social media followers to the Amazon listings or your own webshop. There are no black and white answers here; just ensure you integrate the optimal approach within your overall marketing strategy.

Why use Amazon Fashion?

If you’ve reached this part of this blog, the answer should be pretty straightforward. But let’s recap the main points:

  • You can enhance brand awareness by registering as a certified brand on Amazon Fashion.
  • Good product listings can increase the sales of your products.
  • FBA takes a lot of work from your plate and enhances your competitive position on the platform.
  • By using SEO methods and sharing on social media, you can reach a wider audience beyond the confines of Amazon.
  • There are still reasons to maintain your own corporate website and webshop. This, of course, will depend on your overall marketing strategy.

Are you ready to launch your products on Amazon? Reach out to me [calendly link] and we’ll examine all options that fit within your brand.

Filed Under: E-commerce Scaling

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