When it comes to the marketing sector nowadays businesses hold a leverage as digital tools have not only simplified some processes but are also providing a further reach to the respective niches and a much-needed boost which ultimately impacts revenue in a positive way.
Indeed technology offers a plethora of options for marketing teams, so it can also be both easily challenging and confusing, thus what is surely being discussed in internal meetings is which path they need to adopt to attain the best results.
In this write-up we will explore and compare two of the most common categories namely Marketing Automation Platforms (MAPs) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Although these types of software serve different purposes, some features can overlap, so it is always recommended that marketing teams get up to scratch on the main variations before opting on which one to implement.
What is a CRM?
The main function of a CRM is to store sensitive info like communication skills, sales processes, and client contacts data.
Fostering long-term brand loyalty and preserving customers portfolio is critical, and studies show that this comes mainly from being capable of crafting emotional connections which is essential.
Your team will be better positioned to generate sales and satisfy clients if they hold more data. To the contrary, they will seem to be working with one hand tied if they are allowed or even instructed to work manually and in silos, or hold only dark data.
That is where CRM comes into play, boosting your staff with the digital tools they need to stay abreast of marketing tasks and sales, while also joining different departments within the business to meet their shared goals.
CRM makes use of data analysis providing insights about clients` behaviours and preferences. This translates into precious assistance for better-informed marketing decisions and sales, promote stronger relationships, and provide a more personalised service.
Amongst other features, CRM can:
- store client contact info
- manage & improve communications
- enhance client satisfaction
- streamline sales techniques
What is MAP?
If you wish to streamline your marketing methods across multiple stations then MAP is the tool you are looking for.
MAP can liberate your marketing team to focus on tasks which require a human touch such as designing and planning persuasive campaigns, while it caters for more mundane and routine jobs revolving around engagement.
MAP can cover tasks such as:
- posting on social platforms
- generating reports from data
- sending emails
- ad campaigns automated bidding
MAP vs CRM
In the process of generating sales from leads both MAP and CRM are leading digital tools.
Prospects are kept in touch with your business via MAP, while also being able to announce relevant content and new campaigns. Moreover, it can support data regarding prospect activity.
CRM then kicks in after prospect switches to a more qualified lead, enabling accounts and sales teams to better support businesses to engage more efficiently, and keep relationships tight when they become clients.
Let us check out their use cases.
CRM
It eliminates data silos, allowing your business to access all the data they need to drive conversions and augment client experience effectively, boost profitability, and enhance retention. All this is acquired since CRM acts like a central repository for clients` data like preferences, purchase history, and contact info. It`s like attaining complete visibility to your clients.
Intent data can also be stored, from which a deeper understanding can be attained regarding clients` pain points and needs which can serve as predictions of purchasing intentions based on past behaviours.
MAP
This is an ideal marketing tool to guide and capture the right audience via the sales funnel. MAP can handle tasks such as:
- landing pages
- posting on social media
- email campaigns
- generating leads, nurturing, scoring, and tracking
MAP is critical for keeping your sales and marketing teams on the same goal.
Expect a boost in operational efficacy and swifter revenue enhancement, while also attracting and engaging potential clients, all via MAP since you are actually automating personalised follow-ups and effecting a structured circulation of significant content.
CRM or MAP – Which is Best for My Business?
It always depends; if you are looking at post-lead phase and prospecting then you would need CRM as it automatically gathers, joins and classifies prospect data and it can also combine intent info which can be used to tweak adverts targeting and messaging. Some CRMs hold extra built-in tools such as lead and marketing automation. In the initial prospect sales cycle CRM is really a one-stop shop.
On the other hand, during the pre-lead/lead engaging phase for large groups of prospects you would need to turn to MAP, as it comes handy for lead routing while diverting incoming leads to the relevant teams within your business.
CRM & MAP – Benefits
Sales teams and customer support find CRM ideal to keep hold of regular client contacts, as with its imbedded tools it provides sales and support teams swift access to relevant client data and tailor their interactions accordingly based on insights.
MAP primarily caters for marketing teams as it allows for more efficient routine functions freeing staff to focus their energy on additional value-added jobs, thus overall converting the efficacy of the entire marketing strategy across the board.
Can MAP and CRM Work Together?
These two tools then are already beneficial on their own, but they can increase their advantages when combined as they bring marketing and sales teams together allowing business to achieve a 360-degree client view, gaining deep knowledge on needs, behaviours, and intentions.
To drive revenue try:
- integrating platforms ensuring seamless data flow between MAP and CRM, eliminating silos
- synchronising lead and client data attaining a unified view
- systematising lead campaigns based on structured criteria
- automating workflows minimising waste of time across teams
- using data obtained from both tools to tweak and personalise client journey in a holistic way and polish goals
In Conclusion
Most of the methods and tools which generated favourable results in the past are now superseded, and if you want to remain relevant in a regularly demanding marketing ecosystem, keeping up the drive on a daily while challenging against your competitors on a level playing field, then you surely need to explore which digital tools apply best for your business.
MAP and CRM are two of the most common and powerful digital tools on offing, and more businesses are adopting these for their marketing while finding ways to keep them in sync and up-to-date.
It is obvious by now that the more your marketing team is knowledgeable about the strengths of both MAP and CRM, the more wisely they can decide which one applies best for their approach, with the ultimate target being to attain boost in sales via marketing techniques enhancement.
