At ThesisTech, one of the biggest marketing problems our business consultants have is simply getting it done. It takes a real focus to check off all the boxes of what should get done each week. The aspect of marketing that I am referring to is “marketing execution” on the digital side of things.
has been helping us bring more efficiency and automation to our marketing efforts. Microsoft launched Dynamics 365 for Marketing back in 2018 as a very feature-rich mid-market solution in this arena.
Dynamics 365 for Marketing has strong functionality in these areas:
- Email marketing (dynamic segmentation, customer journeys, high-end email templates, email designer, strong analytics)
- Social media management (schedule posts on several platforms, LinkedIn integration)
- Internet marketing (marketing pages, marketing forms, websites)
- Event management (registrations, websites, forms, process support)
- Lead management and sales integration (scoring models, workflows)
The functionality is strong, and Microsoft keeps building on it with each new release. However, the part of Dynamics 365 for Marketing that I have found has the biggest impact on our business is the “integration.”
by itself is good. There are many tools out there that can do many of these functions quite well. Hootsuite was the first social media tool I became aware of years ago. Mailchimp has been our email tool for several years after using Constant Contact previously.
Dynamics 365 for Marketing gives us a step up by bringing marketing automation together in a single location, integrated with the rest of our business.
Here are 4 reasons why this is so important.
1. Single Source of Data
One of the most important aspects of effective business systems is “single source of data.” By that I mean, each piece of data should exist only once. Dynamics 365 for Marketing allows us to have a single list of contacts that we can build processes around.
When our business contacts are in the CRM system and a second version of contacts are in Mailchimp and a third version can be found in Outlook…Well, you get the idea. Contacts (people) are the lifeblood of any business and we need to keep their data well-organized and accessible.
Dynamics 365 for Marketing provides a single database that can support all marketing functions. must continue to become more and more personalized to remain relevant. This requires solid data collection and a smart understanding of customer preferences based on their individual responses to our marketing. This requires a single source of data for all marketing functions.
2. Higher Level of Efficiency
Having a single source of data along with a single application where all marketing functions can be performed gives us excellent efficiency. This efficiency is so important that it can make the difference between doing marketing and not doing marketing.
This was the situation for me and my company. Trying to manage several lists of data and several marketing platforms is a difficult and time-consuming task. To be honest, I would avoid it because I could never set enough time aside to sync our lists and stay on top of this mess.
After we consolidate everything under a single umbrella with Dynamics 365, the time involved is manageable, the task is enjoyable, and we get it done much more consistently.
3. Integration of Marketing and Sales
Whether you have separate marketing and sales departments, or you wear these two hats yourself, these two functions must connect and work together. There is nothing worse than neglecting to follow-up with someone who shows great interest in your products or services.
Dynamics 365 for Marketing can bring responses to your marketing across several channels into a single location so you can take immediate action. Automated workflows can be triggered based on custom lead scoring models that you develop. This powerful process of having the hottest leads handed to you each day can only be accomplished with an integrated marketing system.
4. Dynamics 365 Platform
Dynamics 365 for Marketing is part of Microsoft’s most connected business management platform. In addition to the native integrations and ability to customize Dynamics 365, the Power Platform provides endless opportunities to take business processes to a new level.
Power Platform consists of Power BI, Power Automate, and . Imagine a world where all information related to your customers and potential customers exists in a single location. This information can range from responses to your emails or social posts to historical sales trends from your accounting system. This is what Dynamics 365 + Power Platform gives us the ability to achieve.
Summary
Dynamics 365 for Marketing delivers Integrated marketing automation for small and midsized companies. The biggest benefit we have realized is a more focused and consistent approach to digital marketing.
About the Author
Brian Busscher is CEO of Thesis Technologies, which pursues a mission to “help you get your systems right.” If you would like to learn more about how Dynamics 365 for Marketing can play a role in your business, please contact the Thesis team at (888) 705-7253.
Find other posts about Dynamics 365 here.
This blog has been updated.