TheAGA needed an easier, smarter way to manage member email sends, one that allowed for message customization, the use of different templates, provided meaningful metrics and integrated fully with its AMS. These enhancements would allow the AGA to serve its members better while eliminating the need to constantly upload address files and manually run reports just to get basic metrics, like open rates. 

AGA chose HighRoad as the agency to put together a marketing stack that would allow them to connect their association management database to their email marketing platform. Following implementation of their integration, AGA's deliverability soared and their staff labor time fell. As AGA freed up time from pulling and uploading lists, the VP Communications got to thinking about how they could do more with email. He turned to his staff to collaborate on thinking about new ways to deliver highly relevant content to members so that anything extraneous fell by the wayside--an important consideration when serving a membership of physicians and scientists.

“One of my first projects for the AGA had to do with personalization,” said Aaron White, senior director of digital communications strategy for the AGA. “We were looking for ways to specialize better, narrowcast more. We’ve been sending the weekly enewsletter for 10 years, every Thursday, to every member, and every member got all the same content. So if you’re a member, for example, from Germany, you really don’t care about CMS rules for Medicare reimbursement – but you got that article because everyone has the same newsletter.”

Making the move to marketing automation may sound like a daunting task – not only do you have to prepare yourself and your team to commit to this framework and approach, but you probably also have to build a business case to explain how a Marketing Automation Platform is different from your current Email Marketing Platform to your executive team – a team that doesn’t quite live and breathe digital marketing practices as you do. So how do you 1) determine and assess your readiness to make that transition to marketing automation and 2) approach building the case for it?

Images are a powerful tool that you can incorporate into all forms of your content.  Images are powerful because they evoke emotion.  Those emotions can then motivate desired behaviors by your audience, such as registering, downloading, purchasing, or any other behavior you are trying to drive your audience towards.  This month's Inbound Lunch Bunch discussed how to use images in different formats and across multiple channels in the most effective ways.  So if you missed our July Inbound Lunch Bunch: Using Images To Attract Customers, and would like to learn more, it is now available On-Demand through HighRoadU.

The infographic below, created by our partner Salesforce, answers common questions about the returns companies are getting from their marketing automation investment.  Take a look at some marketing automation statistics from industry analysts and a quick overview of features and benefits of automation tools.

Marketing automation software is being utilized today by a growing number of organizations.  This is because they have come to realize that implementing marketing automation allows them to more effectively market on multiple online channels including email, website, and social media.  So if your organization is considering the move to automation we have a great article, written by Lynn F. Anderson at Act-On, that you should read.  The article suggests 6 steps to take first, to help ensure the smoothest implementation and the quickest success with your marketing automation transition.

Are you making the most use out of the contacts that are stored in your database?  If you don't yet have marketing automation software, you probably aren't.  By having automated email workflows set up, you can get more out of your current contacts. You can set up more personalized email workflows based on information you already have about your contacts.  Email automation can help convert leads into customers and continually engage existing customers, promoting growth for your company.  If you would like to increase engagement and activation with your current contacts this article, written by Pamela Vaughan at Hubspot, lists 13 email marketing automation workflows you should try.