Benefits of CRM for Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is changing very rapidly. To remain competitive, businesses turn customer relationship management (CRM) software, especially for the purpose of optimizing their online marketing. We've seen the difference a CRM platform can make in a brand’s digital outreach and we want to share that knowledge with you. We'll dive into the specific benefits, tools, and strategies tied to CRM platform use in digital marketing.
Benefits of CRM software in Digital Marketing
The main purpose of a CRM software is to collect, streamline, and study customer data. The in-depth user data helps businesses better understand their audience, create more personalized digital advertising campaigns, and track the results.
Think of your CRM software as the hub for all of the customer data you want to collect. It offers useful insights into customer behavior, their preferences, and needs. Armed with this knowledge, you can adjust your digital marketing strategies and improve your bottom line.
Most Popular CRM Software
Salesforce
Salesforce is a highly flexible CRM tool with a number of handy features, including sales management, marketing automation, partner relationship management, and of course, customer service. Its strong analytics provide key insights into customer behavior and campaign performance.
Salesforce
HubSpot
HubSpot is well-known for its inbound marketing features. It offers a CRM platform that syncs with a variety of marketing, sales, and service software. HubSpot makes it relatively easy to manage the full consumer journey.
HubSpot
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a multichannel CRM software that allows you to reach your customers through email, phone, social media and chat. The Zoho CRM software also has a helpful, AI-powered sales assistant called Zia. Zia offers smart predictions, alerts and recommendations dedicated to driving sales.
Zoho CRM
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a great tool for anyone looking for a more sales-focused CRM software. It helps businesses manage their leads, track communications, automate day-to-day administrative tasks, and create detailed analytics reports.
Pipedrive
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamic 365 is a CRM software that provides intelligent business applications to streamline a wide range of business services. It comes equipped with customer service, sales force automation, field service, project service automation, marketing-related features, etc.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Why use a CRM in Digital Marketing?
Better Customer Segmentation
A CRM allows businesses to group their customers based on various criteria like demographics, purchase history, and online behavior. This segmentation facilitates targeted marketing campaigns, which can lead to better conversion rates and a higher ROI.
Personalized Marketing Campaigns
The wealth of customer data available in a CRM can be a goldmine for creating personalized marketing campaigns. Such campaigns increase engagement and customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and a better marketing ROI.
Improved Lookalike Audiences
With a CRM, businesses can pinpoint their most valuable customers and create lookalike audiences based on their traits. These lookalike audiences can be used in online marketing campaigns to target potential customers with similar attributes, increasing the chances of successful conversions.
Accurate Lifetime Value (LTV) Calculation
CRM software can help calculate the lifetime value (LTV) of customers, a crucial metric for gauging the success of marketing campaigns. Understanding the LTV of customers allows businesses to allocate marketing resources more effectively and maximize ROI.
Better Conversion Metrics
Combining CRM data with digital advertising campaigns, marketers can take an even closer look at what’s working and what needs to be improved. As we all know, smarter data can allow us to make more informed decisions when putting together new digital marketing strategies or optimizing existing campaigns.
Popular CRM platforms
Implementing a CRM into Your Digital Marketing
Choosing the CRM software that’s right for you
Make sure you carefully research each CRM platform. Take the time to compare them based on the available features, the scalability of the platform, and how easy it is to use. Ensure that the CRM software you select can integrate smoothly with your existing online marketing tools and platforms.
Train Your Team
It is extremely important that your marketing team knows how to use the CRM software you choose. Provide in-depth, practical training on the software's features, limitations and best practices. This knowledge will empower your team to use the CRM effectively in digital marketing.
Set Up Proper Data Collection
Collecting accurate and relevant customer data is vital for the success of CRM-based digital marketing campaigns. Set up appropriate data collection methods, like tracking pixels, website contact forms, and email opt-ins, to gather valuable customer information.
Integrate CRM with Digital Marketing Platforms
Connect your CRM software with your digital advertising platforms (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads). This integration can allow you to use the data from your CRM to create highly targeted campaigns and track their performance in real-time.
Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns
Monitor your online marketing campaigns' performance regularly using CRM data. Analyze the results and make data-driven decisions to refine your campaigns for better results and a higher ROI.
CRM Uses in Digital Marketing
Data Segmentation
You can utilize the user data in your CRM to segment your audience based on demographics, purchase behavior, and engagement. This allows you to develop more personalized ad campaigns to increase your conversion rate and lower the cost-per-purchase.
Retargeting Campaigns
CRM data can be used to spot customers who have previously shown interest in your products or services, but haven't made a purchase. Running retargeting campaigns could encourage these users to come back to your website and complete the purchase.
A/B Testing
Use your CRM to perform A/B testing on your ads. Create two versions of the same ad with one key difference (like different copy or a different image), then use your CRM to track which version performs better. This helps you fine-tune your ads for better performance.
Predictive Analysis
Some CRM systems have predictive analysis features that can analyze past customer behavior to predict future behaviors and trends. This can be incredibly useful for anticipating customer needs and tailoring your ads accordingly.
Customer Journey Mapping
Use CRM data to create a map of your customer's path from awareness to purchase. This can help you identify key touchpoints and opportunities for engagement, helping you target your ads more effectively.
Lookalike Audience Targeting
Use CRM data to identify your most valuable customers. Use this data to create a "lookalike audience" on platforms like Facebook, targeting individuals who share similar characteristics with your best customers. This increases the likelihood of attracting high-quality leads.
Lookalike audience setup
CRM Features to Leverage in Digital Marketing
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation tools in a CRM can help businesses automate repetitive tasks like sending emails, posting on social media, and managing paid ads. This automation allows marketing teams to focus on more strategic tasks and improves overall marketing efficiency.
Advanced Analytics and Reporting
CRM software often includes advanced analytics and reporting features that provide valuable insights into customer behavior and campaign performance. These insights can guide businesses in making data-driven decisions and enhancing their digital marketing strategies.
A/B Testing
A number of CRM software include A/B testing features that give businesses the option to test different variations of their advertising campaigns or creatives to find out which one performs better. A/B testing can help marketers optimize their digital advertising campaigns for the better and increase their engagement metrics as well as the ROI.
Multichannel Marketing
Well-implemented CRM software can help businesses manage and carry out marketing campaigns across multiple channels (e.g. social media, email, paid ads). A multichannel approach to marketing allows businesses to scale and grow more rapidly.
Lead Scoring
Lead scoring features in a CRM can help businesses identify high-quality leads based on their behavior, preferences, and interactions with the brand. This information can be used to create targeted online marketing campaigns focusing on the most promising conversions.
Conclusion
It’s obvious that CRM systems play a major role in digital marketing. Especially in today’s environment. They help improve customer segmentation, personalize marketing campaigns, generate lookalike audiences, calculate accurate lifetime value, and provide a closer look at important performance metrics.
To make the most of CRM in digital marketing, it's necessary to understand the specific tools available, like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. In reality, all of the tools have the ability to help you improve your digital marketing approach.
As a digital marketing agency, we focus our efforts on helping our clients grow. Sometimes, the process of improving an existing strategy involves considering the undiscovered potential that their CRM system brings. It’s not uncommon for businesses to be unaware of the possibilities regarding CRM systems and their digital marketing strategy, so don’t worry if you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed. It’s a lot to take in.
