Supporting the development of sales and marketing strategy, using customer data to personalize their interactions, as well as identifying potential clients, and generating leads are reasons why the CRM system is the backbone of a modern digital marketing campaign. CRM systems are game-changers in marketing communication since they enable marketers to leverage customer data to tailor interactions to the specific requirements of individuals (Kasemsap, 2019, p. 48). Marketers and salespersons may anticipate a client’s wants and customize the subsequent set of interactions to assist them in proceeding through the decision-making process whenever they know much more regarding consumers (Hendriyani and Auliana, 2018, p.119). CRM initiatives may help develop a strategic marketing plan by increasing the corporation’s knowledge in core areas, including ascertaining customer segments, enhancing client retention, enhancing product portfolio, and increasing customer satisfaction.
For instance, Mercedes Finance chose to purchase 130 CRM licenses in order to invest in CRM for customer support and the contracts division. Mercedes’ major project areas were integration and customization. Car-centric contact records that use essential fields to identify financing contracts and Mercedes dealer connections – CRM-UK updated CRM to allow Mercedes Finance to contact the car’s supplier dealer and record the activity against the vehicle rather than the client (Asava-Anan, 2017, p.412). Customized fields are used to hold information from SAP, such as the current state of the contract, as well as information regarding reimbursements.
Moreover, CRM systems for marketing support companies in identifying new customers as well as generating leads. Tracking and analyzing the performance of multichannel initiatives is an important marketing capability (Alavi, 2016, p.62). The CRM system can track who clicks, responds, and participates in any call to action. Overall campaign data such as responses, clicks, leads produced, transactions concluded, and income is also reported (Rad et al., 2015, p.611). Numerous CRM systems can track client interactions and nurture relationships from the initial point of contact through the final transaction and beyond, giving a 360-degree overview of the client relationship. Marketing automation makes use of data from a CRM system to assist marketers in coordinating and managing marketing interactions across different digital marketing channels (Anshari et al., 2019, p.97). Marketers utilize marketing automation tools to create and execute marketing programs that are tailored to particular segments grounded on a variety of factors (Arman, 2014, p.118). Campaigns could, for instance, target people in the CRM system depending on the job position, industry, or region, or any combination of personal traits (Skoumpopoulou and Franklin, 2019, p.62). Campaigns could also be structured around the stage of the sales procedure, so everybody at a given level receives email updates or other contact points with more information to assist drive the contact toward a purchasing decision.
For instance, Amazon has one of the most robust CRM infrastructures, leveraging consumer data gathered during transactions to instantly personalize consumers’ online experiences. People who want to buy anything from Amazon must first register an account. Amazon could then utilize the purchases and browser history to tailor marketing strategies and digital advertising to what clients are probably interested in. Furthermore, customers may set up their accounts to make transactions with a single click (Choudhury and Harrigan, 2014, p.152). That is among Amazon’s most popular features, and clients love it since it significantly shortens the shopping experience when completing a purchase.
Elimination of the human element is the reason why the CRM system is not the backbone of a modern digital marketing campaign. Whereas CRM systems allow for the automation of internal activities inside a corporation, there is a lost human element in the organization, which is critical for building strong business connections with customers. Customers will likely leave if a company loses its human touch, leading to a reduction in revenue for the corporation.
References
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Anshari, M., Almunawar, M.N., Lim, S.A. and Al-Mudimigh, A. (2019) Customer relationship management and big data enabled: Personalization & customization of services. Applied Computing and Informatics, 15(2), pp.94-101.
Arman, S.M. (2014) Integrated model of social media and customer relationship management: A literature review. International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 6(3), p.118.
Asava-Anan, P. (2017) The true culprits of excessive intrabrand price competition among authorised Mercedes-Benz dealers in Thailand. International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 17(4), pp.409-429.
Choudhury, M.M. and Harrigan, P. (2014) CRM to social CRM: the integration of new technologies into customer relationship management. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 22(2), pp.149-176.
Hendriyani, C. and Auliana, L. (2018) Transformation from relationship marketing to electronic customer relationship management: A literature study. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 7, pp.116-124.
Kasemsap, K. (2019) Facilitating customer relationship management in modern business. In Advanced methodologies and technologies in digital marketing and entrepreneurship (pp. 44-56). IGI Global.
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Skoumpopoulou, D. and Franklin, B. (2019) Implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System. In Advanced Methodologies and Technologies in Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship (pp. 57-69). IGI Global.