What is a Marketing Automation Consultant? (& why you need one!)

The marketing automation market was estimated to be worth over $3.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $11.46 billion by 2027. That is a compound growth rate of over 17% every year. With such phenomenal growth, chances are that you are already using some form of marketing automation, and if not, you are planning to do so.

Like every booming market, marketing automation offers fantastic opportunities for software firms, so there are now thousands of different software options designed to automate everything, from prospecting via buyer intent to getting sales contracts signed.

With so many options, how do you know what is the best marketing automation solution for your business? That is where a Marketing Automation Consultant can help.

What is a Marketing Automation Consultant?

The benefits of marketing automation are clear and well established - efficiency, improved conversion rates, increased lead generation, and lower costs, to name a few - but often just managing and keeping a content-hungry automation system running can be a challenge.

The primary objective of every marketing automation consultant is to help businesses meet these challenges and achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI) from their marketing spend and effort. Services vary, but to help achieve this, a marketing automation consultant will be able to:

• Understand your business, goals, and challenges to help make suitable recommendations for growth
• Review your existing marketing and sales processes and offer improvement recommendations
• Advise on the best marketing automation software to meet your needs, which could include making significant cost savings
• Implement and train users on any new marketing automation software
• Ensure that different types of software can integrate together for seamless operation
• Help to create suitable reporting to track goals and measure ROI
• Provide access to a curated network of digital experts to help support your team

To learn more about our automation consultancy services, head over to our services page.

Why You Need a Marketing Automation Consultant

Hiring a marketing automation consultant is not reserved for companies without a marketing team. You will get the most out of your consultant if you have an existing marketing team, as they will need to implement the recommendations. A marketing automation consultant is there to help, rather than replace, anyone in your team.

So, what are the tell-tale signs you need to consider hiring a marketing automation consultant?

1. Friction Between Your Marketing and Sales Teams

This is often the first sign that improvements are needed, and a consultant can help.

Somewhat shockingly, research has found that up to 70% of B2B content is not used, and up to 75% of marketing-generated leads are not being converted into sales. It is no surprise then that this colossal waste of time and resources can breed frustration to outright resentment between the teams. Aligning your marketing and sales team is a top priority.

Navigating this tricky marketing and sales alignment process is not easy. A marketing automation consultant can help by impartially reviewing your current marketing and sales processes and making recommendations that are not constrained by internal pressures.

2. Lack of Management Reporting and Data

Do you have your lead numbers to hand? Can you quickly find your ROI? Having the right management data is crucial to making the best management decisions. But this is difficult if your email is run through one system, your website hosted on another, your sales team have their own pipelines, and your accounts team run P&L.

An automation consultant can help streamline your reporting, ensuring all of your software communicates with each other and providing management with all the data they need.

"Automaly have really understood our needs as a business and delivered quality advice, support, and software training at every step to help support our ambitious growth goals."

• Thomas MacKenzie, CEO at RankedRight

3. You Need More Leads, Sales, or Revenue

It is normal that a company's trajectory does not always go in a straight upwards line. But if it is consistently going on a downwards trend then you need to take action.

The marketing world is fast-paced, and what worked six months ago may not work now. This is where a marketing automation consultant can help. Often when the pressure is on, teams can become defensive. The old saying "you cannot see the wood for the trees" becomes very relevant.

An experienced marketing automation consultant can bring a fresh perspective and a new approach, and help to instigate the quick changes needed to increase leads, sales, and revenue.

4. You Want to Reduce Your Costs

Saving costs in the long term often requires an additional upfront investment, and with up to 30% of IT spend wasted globally every year, tackling this waste can have long-term benefits.

Your automation consultant can review your existing software spend, with a view to replacing, merging, or re-negotiating your existing software contracts. With a focus on improving ROI, your consultant will make reducing your long-term costs a top priority.

Choosing Your Marketing Automation Consultant

Securing the services of a reliable marketing automation consultant is crucial and, like anything where there is a choice, there are some key features you can look for when deciding on who to hire.

Firstly, your marketing automation consultant should have a solid background and experience in marketing and sales. It can also be beneficial if your automation consultant has experience in starting or running businesses. This helps them understand your wider business challenges, rather than just being a marketing specialist.

Often a marketing automation consultant may have a preferred handful of software providers that they recommend. This can be a great asset, as the automation consultant has likely put months or years of hard work into developing close relationships and ensuring the best service - so that you do not have to.

Any software recommendations made should be backed by careful due diligence, and the consultant should be able to demonstrate why they recommend certain software companies. For example:

• Do they use the software themselves?
• Is it tested?
• Do they have testimonials?

If you are unsure, just ask. A reliable automation consultant will gladly answer your questions and be able to provide the data to support their claims.

Next Steps

Are you ready to start your marketing automation consultant search? Contact us to find out how we can improve your marketing and sales ROI.