Selecting a Marketing Automation Solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365

Marketing Automation allows companies to target leads and customers with automated messages across email, web, social, and text. Through marketing automation, organizations can attract and nurture leads and customers. Any good marketing automation software should have support for:

• Email marketing
• Event management
• Social marketing
• Campaign automation
• SMS messaging
• Reporting
• Form capture
• Surveys
• Landing Pages
• Training and Support
• Web Intelligence
• Lead Scoring

Marketing automation is a must for any modern company that wishes to compete in the market. Did you know that 80% of marketers use marketing automation software? Marketing automation enables companies to generate more leads, close more deals, and accurately measure marketing success.

In this article, we will discuss:

• Important stats to keep in mind
• What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?
• Why choose ClickDimensions?
• Eight important questions to ask when choosing a Marketing Automation Software for Microsoft Dynamics 365

Important stats to keep in mind

1. 89% of customers begin their buying process with a search engine. (Fleishman-Hillard)
2. It takes an average of 10 marketing-driven ‘’touches’’ to progress a lead from the top of the funnel to revenue generating. (Aberdeen Group)
3. 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales. Lack of lead nurturing is the most common cause of this poor performance. (MarketingSherpa)
4. 80% of marketers use automation software to generate more leads. (LinkedIn) 
5. Companies that have implemented a marketing automation platform report higher levels of collaboration between sales and marketing. (Forrester Research)
6. 63% of companies that are outgrowing their competitors use marketing automation. (The Lenskold Group)

All of this shows us that marketing automation is a must-have for any modern company.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Dynamics 365 is a marketing automation application that helps turn prospects into business relationships. The app is easy to use, works seamlessly with Dynamics 365 Sales and has built-in business intelligence. Dynamics 365 can be used to:

• Create graphical email messages and online content to support marketing initiatives
• Design interactive customer journeys to nurture leads with personalized experiences
• Tap into LinkedIn's business prospects
• Share information across teams
• Organize and publicize events
• Analyze and document your marketing return on investment (MROI)
• Make survey results more actionable

Why choose ClickDimensions?

ClickDimensions is a powerful marketing automation tool natively built inside Microsoft Dynamics 365. That means that there are no integration costs and no hassles synchronizing data between systems - just a complete picture of leads and customers for greater marketing, sales, and customer experience success. 

ClickDimensions is fully supported. The full range of support, training, and services will help you get started and get results quickly and over time, whether you want to do the work or let them do it for you!

Keep in mind that ClickDimensions is the only marketing technology company that is 100% committed to the Microsoft ecosystem. There are six times more Dynamics customers than their nearest competitor!

Eight important questions to ask when choosing a Marketing Automation Software for Microsoft Dynamics 365

When properly implemented and utilized, a marketing automation platform should pay for itself over time. Look at the overall value and be sure to ask if there are any fees for setup, training, CRM integration, additional users or contacts, and other miscellaneous items.

Don’t sacrifice simplicity for functionality - get the best of both worlds. Keep in mind that a system that’s not user-friendly won’t be used to the fullest extent and won’t help you realize the biggest benefits of marketing automation. If a solution is difficult to implement, your organization is unlikely to realize maximum ROI.

Different users have different preferred learning methods - look for a vendor that offers a variety of training options. Also, be aware of when support is available, particularly if you have global operations or are in a different time zone than your vendors.

A marketing automation platform is the marketing engine for a CRM system. The level of integration varies widely and can impact the cost and timeline for implementation as well as functionality and performance.

A marketing automation platform should evolve with the changing needs of marketers - vendors should regularly add new features and improve on existing ones. Ask if customer requests help drive product updates - this can help you determine whether they put customer needs first.

Marketing automation reporting should help marketers make smarter decisions. It should also allow for smarter business decisions and insights organization-wide. Be sure to look at how easily marketing automation data and intelligence can be accessed throughout an organization.

When properly implemented and utilized, a marketing automation platform should pay for itself over time - look at the overall value. Be sure to ask if there are any fees for set up, training, CRM integration, additional users or contacts, miscellaneous items.

When purchasing a marketing automation solution, you are investing in a relationship as much as the technology. The nature of the system requires an ongoing relationship with the vendure. Seek out customer testimonials, online reviews, and ratings - and a Microsoft Partner for Dynamics 365 can be one of the best sources of information and referrals.

The number of marketing automation software providers has increased rapidly in

recent years. Marketing automation platforms aren’t one-size-fits-all – selection requires

careful consideration, particularly when it comes to CRM integration!

Generally speaking, ClickDimensions is the best solution for most Microsoft Dynamics 365 marketing automation needs.