We first covered marketing automation last week with a brief overview of how it can increase revenue and build a stronger brand for your company. In this week's segment, I'll walk you through the specific automation tools that marketing automation can give you and the benefits of each. By the end of this section, you should be able to determine what kind of automation your company should implement. Every organization has different goals and therefore different marketing automation needs. MarTech has expanded to such an extent that choosing a program or even starting to address the tools you need can seem overwhelming. The options shown in the infographic below may look a bit like how your brain feels when weighing all the marketing automation tools available. First, we'll look at what types of marketing automation exist, so you can get a complete picture of what's available. Remember, you don't have to (and shouldn't) start automating everything right away. When you implement any new software, there is always a learning curve - it takes time to get your team up to speed in order to maximize the potential of the program. process, process, process Fortunately, all automation tools fall into five main categories: CRM, email marketing, holistic marketing, social media, and analytics. Before we look at how to determine the best product for your company, here's an overview of five different ways software automates processes, compiled by Marketing Insider Group. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) means treating each customer as your only customer. CRM software means timely communication at the industry mailing list personalized content. Automating a CRM can mean anything from having programmed bots respond to social media queries to adding completed submission forms to your prospect list. CRM automation is for forward-thinking companies with a high volume of leads or a new market segment to explore. While you don't necessarily need to work with the big names out there, many companies choose to use Salesforce for CRM automation with great success. Email marketing automation may seem dated (or at least a platform that is losing its footing), but it remains one of the most fascinating aspects of digital marketing. Email marketing automation means reaching more people more easily, as well as an automated process that uses all the data you collect to reach a wider audience and connect with your existing audience on a more personal level. Among other things, you can set triggers to initiate messages (e.g. auto-response if a customer leaves an item in their virtual shopping cart or follow up after purchase to facilitate reviews), conduct A/B testing, and encourage them Take actions they haven't taken yet. Marketing automation software handles everything related to overall marketing operations, such as website traffic or implementing specific programs. Most marketing automation platforms you've probably heard of fall into this category of general marketing automation. Marketo, Hubspot, and Eloqua are the Big Three that people quickly recommend because of their versatility and wide range of services. Just be aware of your package price, it's easy to overpay for the program and not get all the benefits. Social media automation does exactly what it asks. Short social posts may seem like a waste of time, but connecting with your audience on social media is one of the best ways to define a story in a more casual conversational setting. By itself, social media is a free tool that can make or break you. Through automation, it becomes an increasingly valuable form of engagement. Social media automation is especially useful for larger businesses that don't have the time or resources to respond to all social interactions. In 2018, the best software for social media automation were Hootsuite, Crowdfire, Buffer, and Agora Pulse.