Quick Guide: Content Automation Platforms
Content Automation Platforms
Content automation is the process of developing and creating content to build a brand, after which it is then syndicated and distributed across the Internet to create links back to a brand's website and is also analyzed for its benefit. Various platforms exist to take control of every aspect of the content automation process in order to help handle those aspects of bringing leads to your business. The process takes a lot of work for the initial setup but runs automatically for you after that.
Companies use content automation for lead generation, lead nurturing, lead qualification and gated content. It is designed to help enhance the marketing automation process to ensure that sales teams are spending the right amount of time with the right leads to increase conversion rates.
The platforms allow for customization so business owners can reach out to their customers on a personalized level in order to give them the attention they want and need. Platforms track how well content is doing online, across multiple channels, so you can see what your audience is most interested in. This keeps you active in the social media space, allowing you to engage with your followers on a regular basis.
Who are the Major Players?
Marketo
With Marketo's platform, you can create, deploy and automate your:
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing
- Lead generation
- Lead scoring and grading
- Inbound marketing
- CRM
- Landing pages and forms
You'll get analytics data to help you see how successful your campaigns are, so you can nurture your B2B relationships and increase your profit margins. Marketo's standard package (10 users) ranges from $1,995 per month for fewer than 10,000 contacts to $7,195 per month for between 250,000 and 500,000 contacts.
Enterprise clients: Samsung, Boston Children's Hospital, Canon, Chrysler and Intel.
Medium-sized business clients: Curves, Cord Blood Registry, HootSuite, Eventbrite and OpenTable.
Smaller business clients: Qualifacts, SunRun, Waypoint Homes, Palico and MarketShare.
HubSpot
With a HubSpot subscription, you have access to all the tools and support for inbound marketing campaigns, including:
- Email marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Building websites
- Marketing automation
- Blogging
- Landing pages
- Social media
- Analytics
Features will vary based on the plan you choose.
HubSpot has more affordable pricing for small businesses, but greater limits on the number of contacts. The basic plan offers three users and 100 contacts for $100 a month, with $100 more for each additional 1,000 contacts. The pro plan for $800 a month offers additional features for up to 1,000 contacts, $50 more for each additional 1,000 contacts. The enterprise plan offers even more features, for $2,400 a month, for up to 10,000 contacts, with an additional $10 per 1,000 extra contacts. All plans bill annually. Training is available for an additional fee.
HubSpot's clients include IMPACT Branding and Design, Sigma Web Marketing, AmeriFirst Home Mortgage, ThingMagic and Sales Progress.
Eloqua
Eloqua's marketing automation includes features such as:
- Targeting and segmentation
- Marketing measurement
- Social media marketing
- Lead management
- Customer lifecycle marketing
- Campaign management
Eloqua offers a basic plan for under 10,000 contacts with 10 marketing users for $2,000 a month. The standard plan includes the same contacts, with 50 users and additional features for $4,000 a month. The enterprise plan is customized based on your company.
Clients: McAfee, Eaton, DocuSign, Thomson Reuters and more.
Pardot
Salesforce's Pardot marketing automation includes features such as:
- CRM integration
- Email marketing
- Lead generation
- Lead scoring and grading
- ROI tracking
- Social marketing
Pricing ranges from $1,000 to $3,000 per month, with additional fees based on the number of contacts. Features vary from plan to plan.
Clients: Jet Reports, 2Checkout, Retail Solutions, Epicom and Demand Metric.
Small and large businesses alike can benefit from content automation as part of their marketing automation strategy. Marketing is hard these days--fewer people are paying attention to direct mail, watching commercials and accepting telemarketing phone calls. Relying on a suite of tools to help you manage your marketing efforts streamlines the process, so you can focus your efforts on closing deals and keeping your clients happy.
