According to research, 71% of customers now expect a degree of personalization in their shopping experience. To meet customer expectations and remain competitive, many digital marketers and business owners have begun to prioritize a more targeted customer experience to garner brand loyalty. Companies are relying on AI-driven software solutions that allow them to interpret customer data effectively and use their findings to market smarter. These software tools are called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, and as a digital marketing specialist of any kind, they will most likely play a large role in your career success as customer experience remains at the centre of modern marketing strategy. Keep reading for a brief introduction to CRM and discover how it will strengthen your digital marketing strategy on the job.
What is CRM?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the process of managing a company’s interactions and relationships with customers and potential buyers. It’s been established that customers react best to companies that care enough to learn about them and tailor the shopping experience to their needs and preferences. Therefore, the goal of CRM is to improve customer relationships to stay connected to them, guide them through the marketing funnel, and in the end, increase profitability. Some specific features of a good CRM system include:
- Contact management
- Workflow automation
- Segmentation
- Customization
- Third-party integration
- Real-time data analytics
- Sales forecasting
- Comprehensive reporting and dashboards
- Chat integration
- Campaign Management
- Customer service automation
During our digital marketing training program, you will be introduced to the latest CRM strategies in our marketing automation course, and you’ll have the opportunity to develop a marketing automation strategy for a business with CRM in mind.
What Are the Benefits of CRM for Businesses?
There are many benefits to using CRM after completing our digital marketing program. CRM enables marketers to better understand the customers they are trying to reach. By centralizing all of your customer data and using reporting features to generate comprehensive dashboards, you’ll begin to gain a clearer picture of your audience.
Of course, there will be a variety of needs, goals, and preferences within your audience. This is why segmentation is such a valuable CRM tool. Segmentation involves splitting your general audience into different groups based on their interests and what stage of the marketing funnel they’re in. With that information, you can send the right content to the right people. CRM not only helps companies maintain their customer relationships, but it facilitates new customer relationships as marketers are equipped with a profound understanding of what makes their products and services appealing to existing customers.
How to Optimize CRM Platforms Throughout Your Digital Marketing Career
Throughout your digital marketing career, your daily tasks will likely involve customer relationship management to a certain extent. Whether you’re interacting directly with them or you develop content designed to appeal to your clientele, your work must be informed by relevant customer data.
To optimize the use of CRM on the job, be sure to integrate CRM data across all company systems. This helps you avoid fragmented information and offers a complete, well-contextualized customer data set. Always take the opportunity to customize your CRM platform to the needs of your company. Remember that there are plenty of CRM types for companies in different industries. To maximize time, always use CRM to automate repetitive marketing tasks. In our digital marketing training, you will learn all about marketing automation and other tools that help professionals in the field to understand and reach the right people.
Ready to launch your digital marketing career?
Contact Cumberland College BC to learn more.
