3 marketing automation sequences to scale your startup

Over the last year, I’ve fallen in love with marketing automation. It appeals to my past as a writer and storyteller, an email marketer, and a sales enabler. And I love how effective it is!

I recently attended a three-day Infusionsoft University training event. Early on, the facilitator pointed out that 80 percent of deals require at least five touches to close. But only 10 percent of companies make five touches. I imagine the percentage is even lower for busy startups! marketing automation sequences

Tools like Infusionsoft make it easier to add touches by automating lifecycle marketing. At a minimum, Infusionsoft recommends three types of marketing automation sequences.

I’ve implemented each of these sequence types for my client Iris, a startup developing PR management software. I’ll use my work with Iris as the examples here.

1. Lead capture. Iris’ primary capture mechanism lets web visitors book a demo by selecting a time directly from our sales rep’s calendar. This is done with Infusionsoft plugin AppointmentCore. The meeting is added to the rep’s calendar, GoToMeeting info is distributed, and reminder emails are sent … automatically. No back and forth on availability required.

Someday soon, we’ll add webinar RSVP and whitepaper download options as additional incentives to prospects who aren’t quite ready to commit to a demo.

2. Lead nurture. After a demo, prospects receive a series of five emails reinforcing the Iris value proposition and encouraging them to buy. The first email covers Iris’s overall value proposition while subsequent emails touch on specific value prop pillars like PR measurement and relationship management.

When a prospect fails to purchase after receiving all five emails, the rep is alerted to reach out by phone. After that, the prospect is moved into a long-term nurture sequence that includes monthly product updates, value-added content, and occasional offers.

marketing automation sequence

3. New customer. Iris is a powerful platform for PR management. And with great power comes great responsibility … to train. Upon purchase, account ownership shifts from the sales rep to a customer advocate from whom a series of offers to schedule free training sessions is sent. Again, this is all zero-touch thanks to Infusionsoft and AppointmentCore.

After customers complete their training sessions, they receive a series of 12 emails with tips and best practices for getting the most out of Iris. Of course, these emails link back to the Iris resource center to really help customers get up to speed.

Marketing automation helps startups scale.

We worked on lifecycle marketing at Bulbstorm. However, due to the technology limitations of the past, the effort was laborious and expensive. It wasn’t automated. It couldn’t scale.

Now, as an independent marketing consultant, I get the chance to implement automated lifecycle marketing campaigns that really scale sales and marketing for startup clients like Iris.

Check out my recap of the Iris digital brand rollout, including positioning, website strategy, sales and investor decks, and more: Iris brand rollout overview 

3 dos and 2 don’ts for settling the digital marketing frontier

Seth Bullock doesn't have your back on the digital marketing frontier.

Seth Bullock doesn’t have your back on the digital marketing frontier.

I previously posted about the importance of a dedicated R&D budget for digital marketing innovation. Of course, a budget is useless if it’s squandered. And in digital marketing, there are plenty of opportunities to burn cash.

Digital marketing is an unsettled frontier, populated by self-proclaimed gurus, snake oil salesmen, and iffy startups. You can strike it rich in the Wild West, but you must remember that no one’s looking out for you but you.

Here are a few tips for thriving on the digital marketing frontier.

    • Do follow the top companies. There are innovative companies doing innovative things right now. Don’t wait for them to speak at the next digital marketing conference. Learn from the best today by benchmarking leaders like Intel, HBO, and American Express. (Be sure to follow your competitors too.)

 

    • Don’t just read Mashable. Mashable is the popcorn flick of tech journalism. Hey, even a chump like me can get covered. Dig deeper, and make sure your agency digs deeper too. I prefer Altimeter Group, the Inside Network, All Things D, and boring non-sponsored whitepapers.

 

    • Do go beyond the logos on a startup’s website. It’s easy for a startup to slap a Fortune 500 logo on a PowerPoint slide. Did the client actually use the tech, or was it simply a short consulting gig? Ask vendors how deeply engaged they were with clients. And ask for references.

 

    • Don’t just look at install base. Just because an app gets installed doesn’t mean it gets used. How many free apps do you have lingering away in dark corners of your iPhone? Demand to see monthly active user figures before investing in startup platforms.

 

  • Do ask how previous clients tracked ROI. Shady entrepreneurs pay their bills thanks to suckers who don’t ask about measurement. You may not be able to track all the way to a purchase. Just be sure to measure something. If a startup has no means of measurement, walk away.

How do you stay safe on the unsettled frontier of digital marketing? Let me know in the comments!

The benefits of a dedicated digital R&D budget

When it comes to digital marketing, there are huge benefits to being an early adopter.

First, there are cost efficiencies in new platforms due to lack of competition. Second, to borrow a real estate analogy from Tom Martin, those who move into a neighborhood before it’s popular benefit most from any future popularity.

Digital marketing is full of shiny objects. Of course, a preference toward early adoption can give way to shiny object syndrome. It can distract time and budget away from programs that are already proven.

That’s why a dedicated digital R&D budget is so useful. By sequestering a portion of the overall digital budget for experimentation, the brand and agency are empowered to balance new initiatives with proven programs.

And it’s as simple as documenting that, in the coming quarter or year, we will spend this amount on R&D. No more. No less.

Why does it matter? Here are three specific cases for a dedicated digital R&D budget.

1. Aggressive digital managers: Keep ‘em blocking and tackling too.

Here, the digital function is managed by an early adopter or tech enthusiast. She reads industry publications, attends conferences, and plays with all the new toys. With these folks, budgeting permits some playtime with shiny objects while protecting the rest of the budget for proven digital tactics.

2. Conservative digital managers: Keep ‘em out of their shells.

Here, we have a ‘traditional’ marketer managing the digital function (and perhaps several other functions). He relies on his agency to invest resources in research and pitch new ideas. A dedicated R&D budget lets him safely invest in innovation so opportunities aren’t missed out of fear.

3. All managers in a recession: Keep ‘em confident at the water cooler.

And finally, we have the resource-strapped manager with aversion to risk. The recession has left him and his peers under pressure to defend programs. Of course, ROI is hard to come by early in the R&D process. A budget protects him from sticking his neck out or going up the flagpole on every project.

By creating a dedicated budget for digital R&D, we can benefit equally from new technologies and proven programs regardless of our personality type. How do you create the freedom to experiment in your organization?

How I rented my condo in 5 days with FREE Facebook ads

It’s no secret that I love Facebook advertising. Last spring, I entrusted my dating life to Facebook ads. And, this summer, I used a basic Facebook ad campaign to rent out my condo.

My rental property is walking distance to Arizona State University, so it’s highly attractive to college students. In late June, my tenant informed me he was moving out. I had a small window to move in new tenants between him leaving in late July and school beginning in late August.

Here’s how I found perfect renters in just five days with Facebook ads without spending a dime …

Ad creative. The obvious imagery for housing is a property sign or a swimming pool or, say, the house. I tried that approach. Meh. Facebook ad with smiling face image

Studies have pointed to the effectiveness of smiling faces in ads. So, into my ad creative mix, I threw a face – my face.

I wanted to grab my renters’ eye. And I wanted to differentiate against the corporate apartment complexes that were also targeting my audience. The call-to-action to “Rent my condo!” added an informal tone to the campaign.Facebook ad with rental condo image

The results? Ads featuring my grinning mug drove 55.6% of the campaign’s reach, 74.3% of its impressions, and 77.8% of clicks.

Ad targeting. The best thing about Facebook ads is the granularity of targeting options. Demographics. Interests. Geography. It’s all there.

For this campaign, one ad group targeted those who lived within 10 miles of ASU. The other targeted all ASU students nationwide.

Why nationwide? I figured my targets might still identify as residents of their hometowns (for the same reason that college students don’t get local driver’s licenses and remain registered to vote back home). Plus, if they were home for summer break, they may need a rental when they returned.

The results? The nationwide ads drove 54.2% of reach, 73.5% of impressions, and 80.0% of clicks. And, most importantly, the combination of national targeting and my smiling face landed my renters.

Wait, didn’t you say something about free? Yup!

The landing experience was free enough. I started a Facebook page for the condo and used basic features for customization. An album housed shots of the property. The cover photo was a Google map screenshot highlighting the short walk to ASU. (Check out the screenshot below.)

And the ads? Well, the ads were free too. Facebook wants you to take its platform for a test drive. It knows that its granular targeting and cheap clicks are addictive. And it wants to get you hooked so bad that it regularly offers up $50 and $100 ad credits.

Right now, you can get a $50 credit for Facebook ads by filling out a form and chatting with a Facebook rep. It’s the perfect opportunity to play with Facebook ads for free. Have fun!

Facebook fan page for renting my condo

Video: Looking for love – or leads – with Facebook ads

It’s been almost a year since I used Facebook pay-per-click ads to meet women … and received some fun media attention in the process.

As you may recall, I used Facebook’s demographic- and interest-based targeting to drive eligible bachelorettes to my Facebook page. Clicks cost about $.75. That’s 10 clicks for the price of a cocktail!

Creepy? Yes. Effective? Yes!

The project made a fun case study for DIY marketers seeking to stretch limited Facebook budgets. Here’s a presentation I gave on the topic last summer:

Facebook Campaign Overview

Facebook Ad Targeting and Bidding

Facebook Pages and Free Apps

Facebook Campaign Results

Click the image to watch ’em all on YouTube.
Facebook ads presentation in YouTube player