The marketing software landscape generally includes channel management and the incorporation of marketing automation into an organization’s marketing channels. The marketing software landscape additionally includes a bi-product point of sale system. The last component of the marketing software landscape relates to marketing automation. This concept relates to creating and executing marketing campaigns that do not require the human involvement or attention of the marketing managers. Marketing automation is therefore a key aspect of software architecture.
Combining Components Of Marketing Software
As mentioned previously, the marketing software landscape includes at least three components. However, many organizations mistakenly assume that they already possess all three components. This is not true and, as such, should include one or more components. Ideally, a company should integrate all three components but should not necessarily be forced to do so. In addition, it is also not necessarily good business practice to use the generic marketing technology provided by the third-party vendor.
Most businesses understand the importance of maintaining a strong and consistent presence on all marketing channels. They may even create an elaborate content marketing strategy online, going as far as to buy YouTube subscribers.
For example, a restaurant would not display takeaway menus or deals on its own website. Similarly, a retail shop would not display products and services from its own website on e-commerce websites. Therefore, it is not realistic to assume that the marketing automation software will enable a business to enter all of these marketplaces and promote its own products and services. It makes far more sense for a business to develop a consistent and comprehensive landscape and then look to the various channels for the promotion of its products and services.
Chatbots
However, one area that has been overlooked in relation to the marketing software landscape is the use of chatbots by some software vendors. This is a relatively new phenomenon and it is likely to become even more popular in the future. Although chatbots were initially limited to short messaging services (SMS), today they have developed into much more complex programs that are capable of searching the internet, using social networks, sending and receiving emails, and posting and re-posting content. Indeed, developers who are creating these software vendors are seeking to leverage this bot platform as much as possible in order to increase their market share in a very competitive space.
In fact, many of these software vendors are already taking advantage of this bot platform by developing and releasing a variety of different utilities for marketers to take advantage of. These utilities can be used by both small and large businesses to generate leads, drive traffic to websites, and generate revenue from content marketing campaigns. There are many different examples of these bot platforms being used by different marketers and these examples include Facebook’s Fan Box, Twitter’s Twellow, and Foursquare. In fact, many of these platforms have a very solid user base, which means that content marketers can rely on a strong marketing software landscape to help them promote their brands. Of course, as with any other part of a robust online business, brands need to ensure that they have a dedicated team in place to manage and promote their applications.
Email, Data, And Content
Another piece of the marketing software landscape deals directly with the integration of email, data management, and content management. Today, it is common for data management systems to integrate directly into email programs. This means that a marketer can set up email addresses for their customers that automatically receive messages and updates. Similarly, a marketer can use the content management features of an application to manage the content on their websites. For example, if a marketer wanted to publish a blog on their website, they would simply create a blog piece and add a few lines of code to the blog platform. After that, they could then set up autoresponders in order to automatically send out messages on their behalf to their subscribers.
Automation
Finally, the last piece of this marketing software landscape involves all of the automation tools that are available on the various platforms. Marketers can use automation software to automate tasks such as lead capture, ad management, content management, and even the publishing process of their website. The automation tools that are available today are becoming more sophisticated as developers continue to optimize them for the different platforms that are available. This is why some marketers are still trying to figure out which platforms are truly viable for marketing content.
Summary
Overall, the marketing software landscape has come a long way since the days of freeware and shareware programs. Marketers now have many options in order to grow their businesses, and each option provides them with different benefits. If you are interested in getting involved in the marketing software landscape, make sure to do your research before you choose a particular product or company.