A Complete Guide to Using a Marketing Platform for Your Business
Marketing can be a daunting task for any business. You have to figure out how to use many different techniques and tools to make sure your message is heard by the people you want it to reach.
It can be hard enough trying to manage all of this without having the headache of figuring out which marketing platform is right for you.
It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to marketing your business. There are so many avenues that you could take, and figuring out which one is best for your company can seem like a daunting task.
That’s why we’ve created this guide! We’ll walk through the basics of what a marketing platform is and how they help with SEO, social media promotion, blogging, and more.
After reading this post, you should have a better idea of what platform will work best for your business!
What is a marketing platform?
A marketing platform is a software that has the main purpose of marketing your business. It enables marketers, agencies, and businesses to automate marketing tasks and workflows.
This differs from marketing software that focuses on just one marketing channel, such as email marketing or social media marketing.
A marketing platform encompasses all marketing channels under one roof. It is a more advanced tool than individual marketing software because it allows you to manage multiple marketing channels at once within the same interface.
It also enables marketers to get more done in less time by automating repetitive tasks such as lead nurturing, campaign creation, and reporting metrics to focus on the bigger picture of content strategy and creative design.
What does marketing automation mean?
Marketing automation involves taking semi-automated or fully automated actions without the necessity of human intervention to achieve marketing goals.
For example, it is possible to set marketing automation in motion where a customer receives an email after leaving your website and an incentive encouraging them to return.
Also, if marketing is split into various departments, then marketing automation can allow these different departments to work together. The marketing platform uses marketing automation to complete marketing tasks, run marketing campaigns, and report on marketing progress.
How does it work?
At its core, a marketing platform provides businesses with many different tools that help them market their business online.
For example, marketing platforms can help with SEO by providing easy access to metadata and analytics. The platform makes it possible to edit content across multiple pages at once to make changes or updates quickly and effectively, without doing it one page at a time.
A marketing platform also has built-in email marketing tools that enable you to develop new email campaigns quickly and easily, then send them out automatically with just the click of a button.
Marketing platforms are designed specifically for marketing teams so they don’t have too many tools that might overwhelm their workflow. They’re also typically lower cost than other marketing software because you get an all-in-one marketing service rather than requiring separate subscriptions for each marketing task.
Why is this good for you or your company?
Using marketing software makes marketing easier, faster, and more efficient for marketing teams. It can help you accomplish much more when it comes to marketing your business or product.
While marketing software that focuses on just one aspect of marketing does have its place, using an all-encompassing tool like marketing platforms allows marketers to do much more with their time.
Some benefits of using a marketing platform are:
Lead Nurture Campaigns
You can automate follow-up emails to prospects after they’ve downloaded something from your site to encourage them to return for further content or make a sale. For example, if someone downloads an ebook from your website, marketing platforms might send another email providing a discount code for that product and including a link to the download.
Marketing Dashboard
Marketing platforms provide marketing managers and marketing team members with an easy-to-understand marketing dashboard that allows them to see the status of all marketing campaigns and how they’re performing.
This is helpful because it helps marketing teams stay on top of marketing tasks without logging into more than one marketing software platform at a time. It also takes out the guesswork of comparing data from different programs by showing you everything you need in one place.
Social Media Integration
Integrated social media makes it possible for marketers to update their social accounts quickly and easily without having to log in to each social media account separately.
SEO Management
Marketing platforms can help marketing teams improve their site’s search engine optimization and get better organic search results by providing access to metadata and analytics.
This ensures that marketing teams have all the information they need to optimize their marketing content effectively, making it more likely to appear in search engines like Google and Bing. Marketing platforms also make it easy for marketing teams to edit marketing content across lots of pages at once, rather than having to do them one page at a time.
Content Library
Marketing teams can upload marketing content to marketing platforms, so they always have access to marketing assets when needed. This might include templates, marketing collateral, social media posts, e-books, photos, videos, and more. It also allows marketing teams to work collaboratively on marketing projects together in real-time anywhere there’s an internet connection.
CRM Integration
Marketing platforms can integrate marketing campaigns with marketing software that focuses on customer relationship management (CRM).
For example, marketing teams using marketing platforms might be able to sync marketing tasks or completed marketing projects with their CRM program, so there’s always an up-to-date record of everything they’ve done. Or they might use marketing platform data to create targeted marketing lists for new email campaigns based on past purchases and other behaviors.
Data Analysis & Reporting
Marketing teams get access to useful data analytics and reporting features that help them see what’s working and what isn’t, so they can continually improve the performance of their marketing efforts over time. This ensures that companies are always moving in the right direction when it comes to improving lead generation and marketing ROI.
Multi-User Collaboration
Marketing teams can use marketing platforms to work collaboratively on marketing projects with others using the latest marketing software tools to help them succeed. This makes it possible for marketing departments of all sizes to stay on top of their marketing tasks without doing everything by themselves.
Marketing Automation
Marketing teams can use marketing automation to streamline marketing tasks and create marketing campaigns that adapt over time based on specific triggers. For example, marketing automation might automatically trigger an email campaign or direct marketing message based on someone’s previous behavior (like visiting a certain page on the website or interacting with a social media post), preferred time of day, location, buying patterns, etc.
Who should use a marketing platform?
A marketing platform is great for just about any company that wants to get more results from marketing online.
Suppose you have a business with marketing team members. In that case, marketing software can make it easier to communicate and collaborate on marketing tasks while giving them easy access to the information they need to do their jobs effectively.
Also, you need a marketing platform if:
- You have marketing team members.
- You need to create marketing campaigns quickly and easily.
- Your marketing teams need a one-stop shop for marketing content.
- You want to keep an up-to-date record of everything that’s been done in your marketing campaigns.
- Using the latest marketing software tools, you want to share marketing tasks across marketing team members, geographies, or departments. Some companies use their marketing platform as the go-to place where all marketing happens. This allows them to work on multiple projects at once by assigning different projects to different people, collaborating on each project.
- Your marketing team needs quick access to data to monitor progress and make changes based on their findings.
It will also save your marketing team precious time because you’ll be able to create new marketing campaigns in a matter of minutes rather than having to spend all day working on one project at a time.
When marketing platforms are used correctly, results include increased engagement from prospects and customers, improved branding, and stronger connections with current customers.
How to choose the right platform for your organization?
There are a lot of marketing platforms out there to choose from, so it can be difficult to know which marketing platform is the best fit for your organization and marketing goals.
You should consider a lot of factors; for example, if your marketing team has less than five people, look for a marketing platform that makes it easy to collaborate with everyone on marketing tasks at once. That way, you don’t have to worry about finding ways to communicate outside of your marketing software tool.
If your marketing team has more than ten people, make sure your marketing platform gives each member access to specific marketing campaigns and projects they need to work on because this will speed up collaboration and keep things organized. That way, no one gets overwhelmed by too many projects or distracted by having too little work to do.
The marketing platform you choose isn’t just a marketing software tool; it’s also a marketing strategy that should help your marketing team reach their goals faster, so make sure to take the time needed to find the marketing platform that will work best for your marketing department.
In order to be successful in marketing today, marketing teams need efficient marketing strategies and tools that allow them to succeed quickly and easily without having to spend too much time working on their marketing tasks.
Here are some other considerations you should keep in mind in choosing the right marketing platform:
- Scope
The marketing software you choose should fit your marketing goals and strategies. For example, if you’re a marketing team that doesn’t use social media marketing or email marketing, but you still want to include those channels in your marketing campaigns, make sure your marketing platform has those channels included.
- Budget
Your budget will also determine what kind of marketing platform you can afford. When considering a marketing platform, choose the one that fits your budget but also gives you access to marketing channels that can help your marketing team reach their goals.
- Integration
Your marketing platform should work nicely with other marketing platforms you’re already using, such as sales marketing automation tools, marketing analytics tools, marketing content management systems, etc. If you aren’t sure what other marketing technologies are out there, do some research on competitors in your industry or talk to a few vendors who supply these technologies to customers like yours. Your technology vendor should be able to help you find the best solution for your goals, budget, and time constraints.
- Technical requirements
Check if your current hardware can support the software application before committing yourself. Most modern-day marketing platforms are browser-based but also offer downloadable marketing software for offline marketing campaigns.
- Implementation
Most marketing platforms require an administrator of the marketing platform account who’s responsible for installing the marketing platform on computers across your marketing department, creating additional accounts with different levels of permissions within the software tool, managing user’s passwords, setting security features, etc.
Marketing software can take a while to implement, so if your marketing team is short on time or just getting started in marketing, look for platforms that are easy to get up and run.
Pro tip: Work with your marketing team and colleagues to come up with a long list of marketing platforms that fit your needs. Then, give them a score between 1-5, 1 being the lowest score, 5 being the highest based on their features and how well they meet your marketing goals and strategies. Once you’ve done this, choose the marketing platform that got the best scores from everyone in your marketing department and implement it right away!
How do you get started?
To get started with a marketing platform, make sure to check free trials or demo marketing platforms to see which one you prefer. This way, you can see the features, functionalities, and benefits of each marketing platform before signing up with a vendor.
You should also check if their pricing model is clear, with no hidden costs or start-up fees that you need to pay. Also, double-check if your chosen marketing platform will work on all devices across all operating systems.
Don’t forget to compare what’s included in each plan to make sure it meets your candidates’ needs. Some vendors include more advanced features for larger businesses, while smaller ones may only offer basic features.
Most importantly, reach out to potential customers who are using the same type of technology as you are at similar companies and ask them about their experiences with their vendors! They’re often willing to share useful information about how they use the technology, what works for them and what doesn’t, etc.
You’re almost ready!
After you’ve chosen your new favorite marketing platform, start by creating an account on the vendor’s website. Make sure everyone in your marketing department has a user account and that their individual permissions are set up to reflect their roles in your team.
Conclusion
Your marketing platform can be one of your most powerful marketing tools if used correctly. Make sure you’re taking advantage of all it offers by using it efficiently and effectively in all areas of your marketing strategy.
Some marketing platforms are more suited for marketing teams, so be sure to read marketing platform descriptions carefully before making a decision. Keep in mind marketing software is usually expensive, so think carefully about which marketing channels and features will benefit your marketing team the most by researching marketing platforms online. This will enable you to make an informed choice.
