In today's competitive digital landscape, reaching potential customers isn't just about delivering a single message. It's about creating a dynamic, multi-touchpoint experience that engages, educates, and keeps your brand top-of-mind without overwhelming your audience.

That sounds like hard work, and it should definitely be well thought through, but with the right tools, you make your life a lot easier while increasing the effect of your marketing!

Marketing automation tools like Brevo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud empower businesses to build these journeys and multi-channel strategies to drive meaningful customer interactions.

The Power of Multiple Touchpoints

Research indicates that it typically takes around eight touchpoints for a prospect to convert. This "mere exposure effect," or the idea that familiarity breeds favorability, plays a critical role in building trust. Rather than relying on a single platform or message, brands can build familiarity through channels like email, social media, website visits, and even direct messaging apps like WhatsApp.

When thoughtfully coordinated, these touchpoints create a cohesive and engaging customer journey that increases the likelihood of conversion.

Mapping the Customer Journey with Marketing Automation

Key Touchpoints in the Automated Marketing Journey

1. Marketing Messages Across Channels   
   Starting with initial awareness, brands reach audiences through social media, targeted ads, and emails, gradually guiding them along the journey. Brevo and Mailchimp are ideal tools for managing these introductory touchpoints, offering intuitive email and SMS capabilities that make it easy to reach users across devices and channels.
2. Sales Engagement    
   Personalized outreach via phone or email builds trust and offers direct interaction opportunities. ActiveCampaign and Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement are very suitable for this, blending marketing automation with sales outreach to personalize every engagement and tailor communications to specific customer needs.
3. Social Proof through Online Reviews   
   Reviews and testimonials add credibility and encourage prospects to take the next step. While many marketing automation tools don't directly manage reviews, integrating your campaigns with review reminders through email sequences is effective. For example, Salesforce Marketing Cloud provides powerful customer journey mapping and can even trigger automated review requests after key touchpoints.
4. In-Person and Virtual Interactions     
   Demos, webinars, and consultations offer high-impact interactions. Brevo and ActiveCampaign offer easy integration with platforms like Zoom, making it easy to coordinate virtual events, follow up automatically, and engage attendees with relevant post-event content.
   
5. Website and Content Marketing
   A website serves as a 24/7 resource, drawing in leads and nurturing interest. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Mailchimp allow businesses to serve personalized content based on previous interactions, ensuring that users receive relevant recommendations and updates tailored to their browsing history.
6. Follow-Up
   Follow-ups are critical for reinforcing the customer's decision-making process. Automation tools like Brevo and Salesforce Marketing Cloud (all 3 Salesforce Marketing Cloud products) allow for personalized follow-up campaigns, which can include discount offers, customer testimonials, and reminders based on browsing history or abandoned carts.
7. Retargeting
   Retargeting is vital when a user shows interest but hasn't converted. By leveraging cookies and engagement data, brands can retarget users who have interacted with their brand without overwhelming them. For example, Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign offer simple, effective retargeting options by integrating with social media platforms and syncing website interactions. Salesforce Marketing Cloud takes this a step further, incorporating AI-driven retargeting with tools like Einstein Engagement Scoring and Einstein Saturation, which predicts the best time and channel for each individual user to re-engage.Salesforce marketing Cloud Account Engagement makes it possible to automatically score and a grade contacts based on their activities to find the ideal customer. This allows you to create targeted retargeting campaigns that focus on contacts who are highly engaged and a good fit for the company. 

Optimizing the Journey: Testing and Refining

Marketing automation tools come with analytics to track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Testing is essential to ensure campaigns remain effective and relevant. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and ActiveCampaign offer advanced A/B testing features and AI-driven insights to identify what resonates best with your audience. Also tools like Mailchimp and Brevo offer A/B testing options that allow smaller businesses to fine-tune their campaigns effectively.

By strategically placing touchpoints and analyzing customer preferences, marketing automation enables brands to drive conversions without overwhelming or "spamming" their users.

A comprehensive overview of these tools. 

 References