Welcome to the latest episode of At the Forefront: Fintech Conversations!
To learn more and listen to our previous episodes, click here.
In this episode, Forefront Senior Account Executive Lindsey Patterson sits down with Amanda Perrucci, Forefront VP and Head of Digital, to discuss how B2B fintechs can get the most value out of their marketing automation tools to improve their inbound marketing and lead generation capabilities.
To begin, Amanda explains that marketing automation can be defined as the platforms and technologies that make marketing more efficient by automating repetitive tasks, reporting and more. She recaps how, in Forefront’s CMO Survey Report, our team discovered that while 85% of fintech CMOs utilize digital tools, 62% don’t believe they’re getting full value out of them. In many cases, these tools are being used solely for email marketing.
Amanda emphasizes that platforms like HubSpot and other CRMs are designed for so much more than just tracking email performance – they can help facilitate multi-phase email marketing campaigns, landing page creation, social media channel management, comprehensive reporting and more. These features align with larger industry trends toward centralization and granular insights. While using Excel to store your firm’s contacts may have worked in the past, B2B fintechs are increasingly understanding the value of having everything in one place, standing up more integrated marketing programs and implementing comprehensive marketing automation strategies.
Next, Amanda highlights five key questions B2B fintechs should ask when determining if they should use a marketing automation platform, encompassing areas from lead conversion to website analytics to your firm’s sales approach. When it comes to selecting a platform, Amanda stresses the importance of finding one that seamlessly integrates and aligns with your sales processes and priorities. Other factors to consider include the size of your contact database, your firm’s marketing budget and how much time you have to train those who will actually be using the platform.
Lastly, Amanda reminds listeners that marketing automation does not exist in a vacuum – that is, it is not the only way to build and nurture your sales pipeline. In her experience as a digital marketing professional, she’s found that clients are most successful when their marketing automation tactics are aligned with larger, integrated strategies. Ultimately, marketing automation tools should serve as accelerators for both inbound and outbound sales strategies.
Forefront Communications is a certified HubSpot Gold partner, and we work with B2B fintech clients to implement, use and get value from the marketing automation platforms essential to reaching their business goals. If you’d like to learn more about Forefront or our Digital offerings, you can explore our full services list or check out our library of case studies.
See below for a breakdown of what was discussed. Happy listening!
Timestamps:
0:30 – Defining marketing automation and its benefits
1:20 – Why marketing automation is important for B2B fintechs
1:55 – Advice for firms considering investing in marketing automation
2:55 – Choosing the marketing automation platform that’s right for your firm’s needs
3:45 – Forefront’s experience with marketing automation
