Marketing Automation & CRM are indispensable for a customer-centric business

Marketing Automation (MA) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are crucial to the success of today’s businesses. Jonathan Suchet, Specialist at The House of Marketing explains how these two domains are increasingly converging and how organisations are optimally addressing the associated challenges. ‘Customer expectations must drive business needs to guarantee alignment and competitiveness.’

In recent years, several trends have emerged within Marketing Automation and CRM, including the rise of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). These technologies help companies predict customer behaviour and create personalised marketing campaigns that respond precisely to individual customer needs. This is necessary because customers increasingly expect companies to understand and react to their needs.
 

‘More and more companies understand that long-term customer relationships are based on trust and added value, not just sales transactions’, notes Jonathan Suchet, Senior Consultant and MA & CRM Specialist at The House of Marketing (THoM). ‘At the same time, the explosion of available digital solutions often leaves them unable to see the forest for the trees. Through The House of Marketing, companies find external experts who guide them to find the best solutions for their business goals.’

Specialised tailoring

Moreover, some organisations discover that they have chosen the wrong tools, that no longer meet current needs. These tools may lack essential features or be difficult, if not impossible, to integrate with other digital solutions. ‘Our specialists are at the forefront of the digital evolution’, Suchet stresses. ‘They play a key role for our clients, in connecting business strategies with customer needs, while bridging the gap between sales, marketing and technical experts.’ 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to detecting and implementing the most suitable tools for a company: that is tailor-made work. THoM brainstorms with clients and conducts a detailed analysis to find out the most suitable digital MA and CRM tools. ‘When choosing the right solution for our clients, we consider business objectives, business ambitions, customer expectations, integration possibilities and costs, among other things’, says Jonathan Suchet. ‘This way, we always find the best-suited tool for each organisation.’  

Data as common fuel

Marketing Automation and Customer Relationship Management used to be separate domains, each with its own tools and processes. Today, however, we see a clear trend where the two are increasingly merging. Jonathan Suchet: ‘This is because an effective marketing strategy increasingly depends on real-time customer data, and insights that only a well-integrated CRM system can provide. Data is the fuel that connects Marketing Automation and CRM.’ 

An example of this integration is using MA tools to run automated, personalised marketing campaigns based on CRM data. By extracting customer behaviour and preferences from the CRM system, marketers can create targeted campaigns that really appeal to the customer. ‘We do this to achieve 1-on-1 communication at scale’, says Suchet. ‘This can result, for example, in higher engagement rates, better conversion rates or higher repeat purchases.’
 

Successfully connecting MA and CRM requires bringing not only digital systems, but also teams closer together. Consultants at The House of Marketing play a key role in connecting sales, marketing and technical teams, among others. ‘By acting as an intermediary, we ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page and gain specialised knowledge’, Jonathan Suchet concludes. This way, companies achieve smooth collaborations around a shared vision and objectives. ‘We can also onboard, upskill or train client teams, to ensure they are ready to handle the next steps, including more complex campaigns and strategies.’