Telemarketing Software Featured Article

In a recent article by Anna Maria Virzi about marketing automation, the author ponders the frequently asked question, “Is marketing automation actually email marketing on steroids?” According to her research, and Brian Karon, chief marketing officer at Eloqua (News - Alert), the answer is “No.”

Virzi writes that marketing automation began in the 1990’s when Corey Rudl and Derek Gehl launched MailLoop for bulk email delivery. They did not directly call it “marketing automation,” but it was closest to marketing automation anyone had gotten so far.

Today, Marketo (News - Alert), Eloqua, Silverpop, and others have made gigantic businesses out of marketing automation, and it’s not as robotic as everyone thinks. Kardon told Virzi that the notion that marketing automation is actually email marketing on steroids is a false one. Automation is simply a way for companies to manage their inbound and outbound communication with customers or potential clients.

Adam Blitzer, chief operating officer at Pardot told Virzi, “While automation gives a ‘set it and forget it’ vibe, those who are constantly monitoring their campaigns and making adjustments will typically see the greatest success. Is a 30-day lead nurturing program better than a 90-day program? Which form on my landing page is getting more responses? These are the kinds of questions that require human intervention.”

Humans are still necessary, luckily, we have not reached the total industrial revolution of marketing yet. And, as this reporter discovered recently through a Fonality (News - Alert) survey, customers are willing to pay 20 percent more for better customer service, especially when working with small- to medium-sized businesses. So, even though marketing automation is super helpful and useful for businesses, keep in mind you always need a real human around to make the real decisions.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It’s also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC (News - Alert) as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.

Edited by Jennifer Russell