Should the Web Grader Tool Include Marketing Automation Software?

The inbound marketing process is complex. An effective marketing strategy requires coordination and consistency between many different areas of your business. To make things a little simpler, many marketers have utilized automated tools to streamline the lead management and conversion process for them. These tools can be useful, but can also end up doing more harm than good when improperly?used.

To prevent this, web grader tools can be implemented to monitor the status of your (and your competitor?s) website marketing goals. Let?s review each aspect of the Marketing Matters web grader tool and examine how automated marketing plays a role in each step of the process.

The Law of Attraction

Attracting new prospects is the first step of any marketing initiative, and is easily monitored with the Marketing Matters web grader tool. Monthly visitors, blogging efforts, and allocation of an?overall budget are all factors that contribute to a positive attraction score.

Many marketers fall into the trap of thinking that automation will generate leads for them?this simply isn?t the case. Your optimized, value-driving content forms the framework of your lead generation, something that automated systems can?t provide. On the other hand, they can factor into website performance when considering how well your website’s navigation and lead capture strategies allow you to serve smart, targeted content to your visitors with automation software. Furthermore, there is value in mentioning how automation increases visibility and transparency of visitor behaviors, giving you insight into potential improvement areas that will help contribute to a stronger overall score.

Prospect Nurturing

But as we all know, just bringing new customers into the fold isn?t enough?they must be carefully managed to ensure a personalized experience that primes them to continue down your sales funnel. The web grader assesses the presence and effectiveness of your specific content strategies, as well as how you?ve segmented your markets into buyer personas. It also reviews your sales funnel and the variety of value-driving materials that you have on offer.

Data by Regalix on marketing automation revealed that 86 percent of marketers surveyed believed that better lead management and nurturing was the biggest benefit of marketing automation. Naturally, many marketers will be utilizing some automation for their prospect nurturing. Web grader tools must take this into account when assessing the health of each website?s lead nurturing campaigns.

Creating Conversions

Once your prospects have been nurtured with content, helping them take the conversion plunge is the next step in the process. An audit of your conversion initiatives will identify your conversion paths, the leads your site generates, and the effectiveness of your CTAs.

Marketing automation can shine in this area. Automated systems can streamline communication and deliver customized content to increase consumer engagement during this critical part of the sales funnel. A report by Aberdeen Group found that businesses who use automated marketing enjoy 53 percent more conversions than those who don?t?making its inclusion in the web grader tool an essential part of accurately gauging the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Analytic Assessment

After the dust has settled, effective inbound marketers will utilize analytics to track the success of their marketing efforts. For our web grader tool, measuring this involves an audit of what type of automation software you have in use (if any), how you handle your existing customer outreach, and whether you track and apply web-based analytics.

Given that automated systems are?well, automated, properly managing them is necessary for their success. Analytics must be thoughtfully implemented and monitored when adjusting your automated strategy. Web grader tools can provide feedback on how well your website is managing this essential step of your marketing automation.

Marketing Matters Inbound?is an inbound marketing firm specializing in online conversions, content?strategy, call-to-action mapping and traditional media placement. Our experience in?B2B digital?marketing?and traditional media allows us to deliver results through a strategic media mix. We believe in?aligning and merging marketing and sales/operations for optimal return on your marketing investment.