When Simon first entered the business world, he realized the importance of digital marketing and started researching different marketing tools and platforms. He quickly realized while the market was saturated with various applications, they were either complex, difficult to use, or not encompassing enough making it difficult to find the appropriate tool for his business. Many tools even requiring dedicated marketing specialists to work, increasing overhead costs. So what makes a good marketing platform?

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In its core, every good Marketing tool has an advanced CRM. The goal is to seamlessly engage with current and potential customers using emails, SMS, social media posts, and keep them engaged or convert them to opportunities, with the minimal amount of labor. In order to do so there needs to be a space to organize all of the contacts and customers, an excellent tool grows with a business.

The goal for deciding on a solid marketing platform is its workflow automation module, which automates your external marketing communications. Don’t send out emails and follow-ups manually. Create a workflow where tasks are set up with if-then statements, such as if a person schedules an appointment, then send them a reminder text, should all be done automatically. Set a workflow to keep campaigns running without constant input.

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Analytics and data should be driving decision making. Ask, does this tool have reports on customer engagement in email and SMS, conversion reports, track email open rates, links clicked and site visits, or compare competitor data? A 360-degree view of analytics is required to understand if and how well campaigns are working. Many new tools even incorporate AI and have predictive analytics to assist with decision making.

An essential but underrated communication tool for Marketers is social media. It builds trust, allows customers and clients to engage with businesses more efficiently, and gives brands the exposure to a broad targeted audience that otherwise would cost significantly more time and money to capture. Having a platform that lets you keep track of posting alongside other campaigns is vital. Instead of trying to post on individual platforms randomly, pick a platform with social automation, with it, schedule posts on multiple platforms, gain followers, and stay consistent across branding, all while saving time.

No part of marketing exists as a separate entity within itself; it’s important to create consistency across the board, the best platforms have all of your marketing tools in one place.

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