The marketing automation craze has finally hit the association market! Whether you're getting calls from vendors that you've never heard of, or hearing about great metrics that other associations are getting, everyone seems to want to talk about marketing automation! Since we are the only digital agency in the association space that provides implementation, integration and strategic consulting services around marketing automation (and because we offer more than 1 platform, we aren't biased towards only pushing one software product), we thought we should step up to the plate and offer to everyone the basics of marketing automation in a free workshop.

Marketing Automation allows you to segment your audience by using the data you already have about them.  You can then personalize their experience with your organization.  The infographic below shows a basic outline of how marketing automation can personalize the sales cycle.  Marketing and sales teams can then target leads faster and more effectively.

Being able to target promising leads through the use of personas is a crucial part of any successful inbound marketing campaign.  Compiling strong data-backed profiles enable you to target prospective buyers in a more focused and relevant way.  With personas, marketing and sales teams are able to create targeted strategies which attract higher quality leads and allow for a faster transition through the conversion funnel.  Our partner BrightInfo, has an article written by Alex Embling, that explains how data-backed personas can shorten the sales cycle.

It seems everyone is talking about marketing automation these days.  More and more organizations are implementing and using it in their marketing strategies.  When it comes to choosing a marketing automation system, there are many options available.  It can be confusing trying to figure out which platform will best serve your organization's needs.  If you are thinking about making the move to marketing automation, sit down with us for an hour as we discuss what marketing automation can do for you and what you need to consider before choosing a platform.  Our webinar "What To Consider In A Marketing Automation Platform" is free and always available On-Demand at HighRoad U.

During my time here at HighRoad, I have attended a lot of association events here in the Washington, D.C. area. At those events, I have been fortunate to meet many smart people in the technology arena. These people are looking to change up the technology game and use terms that encourage a new way of thinking. Here are some buzzwords I hear floating around when I am out and think are worth a deeper look.

A large portion of our marketing strategies are digital today because that's where our consumers are.  There are many options available when choosing which digital channels to invest in.  It can be difficult knowing which channels will best serve your organization.  The infographic below identifies five key areas for investment that you should be focusing on this year.