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<Img
img="/uploads/Customer_Data_Privacy_Issues_in_Digital_Marketing_d468361b4f.jpg"
alt="Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing"
/>

In the era of digital marketing, the issue of personal data protection is particularly acute. For example, the CLOUD Act, adopted in the United States in 2018, jeopardized the confidentiality of information stored by American companies, regardless of their geolocation. This Act shows that the government of the country has become a regulator of digital data exchange, and this cannot fail to affect business.

Let's talk about which laws on protection of confidential data have come into force, and how companies are reacting to this.

## The Struggle for Data at the State Level

### GDPR in the EU

**On 25 May, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force.**

GDPR provides EU citizens and residents with full control over their personal data. Even if a person's data is located in another country, they can easily control it. In case of violation of the regulation, the EU may impose a fine of up to €20 million or to recover 4% of total revenue for the preceding financial year.

The largest [**fines**](https://www.tessian.com/blog/biggest-gdpr-fines-2020/) over the past three years have been received by the following companies:

**1. Google — €50 million in 2019.**

Users complained that the company had no legal right to process their personal data to show ads based on it. Later it turned out that people hadn't given full agreement on the data processing.

**2. Clothing retailer H&M — €35 million in 2020.**

In 2020, H&M was fined for violating its employees' privacy. Supervisors of the company collected information about vacations and medical diagnoses of employees on sick leave. Even data from workers' personal conversations was recorded and stored. The collected information was stored on H&M servers, and at least 50 managers had access to it.

In October 2019, a server error made the information publicly available, which caught the attention of regulators.

**3. Amazon — €746 million in 2021.**

In 2021, Amazon received a huge fine for collecting and transmitting personal data using cookies. This was not the first company's fine for violating GDPR data protection rules.

### The CLOUD Act in the USA

The CLOUD Act came into force on March 23, 2018 and immediately caught public attention. The fact is that the CLOUD Act violates the balance in data protection. How? Let us tell you.

In 2020, The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) recognized that US service providers did not adequately protect the personal data of people from other countries. The CLOUD Act allows law enforcement agencies of the United States to require access to information about US citizens or residents from US providers located outside the country. They need a warrant, a subpoena or court order to require it. **However, there's no guarantee that these requests will concern US citizens only, and providers will side with their customers in such a situation.**

This Act particularly affected the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), an independent European body, concluded that service providers from the USA, also subject to the EU GDPR, cannot legally justify the disclosure and transfer of personal data to the United States on the basis of a warrant or other court order. Personal data can be transferred outside the EU only on the basis of a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

<Note>
Therefore, the EU regulation and the CLOUD Act contradict each other in terms of the strict GDPR rule to have solid legal grounds for data transfer.
</Note>

### Data protection law in China

On August 20, 2021, the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) came into force in China.

Network resources are now required to provide users with automated processing options that ensure customer privacy.

On August 22, the People's Bank of China (Central Bank) [**fined**](https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232148.shtml) four financial institutions of the country 11.53 million yuan ($1.77 million) for illegal collection of personal data. Four banks were found to be in violation: Postal Savings Bank of China, Huaxia Bank, Bank of Communications and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

## The Struggle for Data in the Digital Sphere

### In 2020, Google restricted Third-Party Cookies in Chrome via the SiteName directive.

In early February 2020, Google released Chrome 80 that supports blocking third-party cookies (called SameSite cookies). This feature is fully available to all Chrome users until 2022.

A year later, on March 3, 2021, David Temkin made the announcement that even after removing third-party cookies from Chrome Google would not build [**alternative identifiers**](https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/a-more-privacy-first-web/) to track people who browse the web. The company operates within Privacy Sandbox, which means it creates a product that both protects people's privacy on the Internet and provides developers with the tools to create a thriving business in the digital environment.

### Starting from March 24, 2020, Apple blocks the installation of Third-Party Cookies.

On March 24, 2020, Apple released an Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) update for Safari 13.1. The browser now blocks all [**third-party cookies**](https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-blocks-third-party-cookies-in-safari/) by default. This means that advertisers and analytics companies cannot use third-party cookies to track users' online activity.

On the one hand, this is a big step towards user privacy. On the other hand, without analyzing user online activity, it will be difficult for companies to offer relevant products and services to customers.

### Since April 26, 2021, Apple has been requesting tracking permission from customers using iOS 15.

On April 26, 2021, Apple introduced a new version of iOS (14.5) in which it banned iOS apps from direct access to IDFA (The Identifier for Advertisers). Apps are now required to request confirmation, and people will decide for themselves whether to use IDFA or not.

Thus, Apple has broken the current advertising traffic system. If iOS user refuses to use the identifier, it leads to a decrease in the quality of mobile traffic attribution and an increase in the cost of customer acquisition.

Apple has offered the market an alternative — its [**privacy-safe traffic attribution system**](https://gopractice.ru/ios_14_idfa_changes/). It allows you to add information about installations to advertising networks, but it does not explicitly disclose information about the visitor. Therefore, the capabilities of the system are very limited and do not cover the basic needs of marketers.

The main problem of the system is that developers and advertising systems will not have data at the user level. The data will be only in aggregate form in ads account.

## The Global Trend: Privacy First

Big data is popular with organizations because it promises improved operations and new business opportunities.

<Note>
More customer data means more sales.
</Note>

Customer data gives us:

- new insights;
- improved products;
- understanding of the audience;
- [**trustworthy communication**](customer-trust) with customers;
- improved marketing strategies;
- more personalized offers;
- increased conversion and sales.

At the same time, big data is easier to leak, which in turn compromises people's privacy and violates data protection laws.

Today, users are concerned about the safety of their personal information. They are increasingly asking companies questions about data privacy. Companies are responding by blocking access to customer data on their platforms.

With the Privacy First approach, the user's privacy comes first. This means that companies are no longer collecting unnecessary personal data about their customers.

*For example, when buying a jacket in an online store, you do not need to enter passport data or place of birth, but debit or credit card data is required. When you register for a webinar, you should not be required to enter your workplace, unless it is a webinar in your speciality and the organizers need to know the position of the visitors.*

## Conclusion

So, as you may have noticed, today the struggle for data has reached the national level: GDPR in the EU, the CLOUD Act in the United States, the Personal Information Protection Law in China, and ecosystems shutdown can completely monopolize the customer data market.

This suggests that in the current situation, there is one right solution: to build an independent system for collecting and managing customer data for direct and secure communication with customers in the digital environment. We'll talk more about it in next week's article.


Read about how government laws are forcing companies to look for new solutions to protect customer data.

large_Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing.jpg

medium_Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing.jpg

small_Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing.jpg

thumbnail_Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing.jpg

Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing.jpg

Let's talk about which laws on protection of confidential data have come into force, and how companies are reacting to this.

How to Win the Struggle for Personal Data in Today’s World

Customer Data Privacy Issues in Digital Marketing

<Img
img="/uploads/kak_raskrutit_instagram_2022_478a3704b1.jpg"
alt="How to Promote on Instagram in 2022"
/>

There are [**1,3 billion users**](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-social-networks-worldwide-by-users/) of Instagram now. The service of photo and video content is among the top social networks in the world. Instagram brings money to brands and bloggers. It was  [**the most effective platform**](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/influencer-marketing/research/influencer-marketing-costs/) for influencer marketing in 2020 and 2021. Bloggers earn [**up to $ 10,000**](https://www.businessofapps.com/marketplace/influencer-marketing/research/influencer-marketing-costs/) per ad post. Brands increase their audience, loyalty and sales — [**90% of Instagram users**](https://business.instagram.com) subscribe to commercial accounts.

Instagram is a rapidly changing social network with unpredictable algorithms. There is huge competition here, but the question of how to promote Instagram for brands and bloggers remains relevant.

In this piece, we are going to tell you what will work and what will not work in 2022: how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods.

## Before starting promotion

There is no point in starting development without a strategy and account preparation. So first:

1) Create [**an Instagram account**](https://www.instagram.com/altcraftllc/) so that the user immediately understands what your account is about and what you offer.

What is important!

- Account name that matches the theme of the account.
- Description in the page header: USP, benefits, name (if the account is a personal account).
- Location if you run an offline business or work in a specific area.
- Link to the website or your other materials.
- Page navigating in Instagram stories highlighting prices, location, FAQs and other information.

2) Clean your account of inactive subscribers if you have been using the account for a long time. Subscribers who do not react to your content are harmful to promotion.

*Example. Instagram sees: only 10 out of 1000 subscribers watch your content. The social network realizes that the content is not interesting and stops showing it. It is not the number of subscribers that matters, but the engagement of the audience.*

3) Switch to a business account to get statistics and analyze audience reaction to content.

4) Prepare a promotion strategy. Any progress is a plan and regularity. One-time actions will not bring results. Define goals. Why do you need promotion on Instagram? What do you want to get: followers, sales, advertisers or something else? Prepare a content plan with regular posts, stories and reels. 

## Free promotion methods

### Reels

Reels are short, entertaining videos (15-30 seconds) that Instagram launched around the world in the summer of 2021. The social network also promised to promote this video format. No wonder Reels are now the most effective way to promote your account for free. Instagram gives Reels external reach. Stories and posts work for an existing audience (although posts also sometimes get into recommendations). At the same time Reels have more options. Now getting a million views for an account with a couple of thousand subscribers is real.

Another advantage of Reels for promotion is their lifespan. Unlike other Instagram stories that disappear after 24 hours, the post is shown for a couple of days. Reels "spin" even after a while. And what’s more, one video in Reels can "pull" others along. How? Instagram sees that a particular video is interesting to the audience and shows the ones created earlier.

<Gallery>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/reels_subway_2_3efb1a9352.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/reels_subway_2_3efb1a9352.jpg"
description="Subway Reels"
/>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/reels_h_and_m_3ffcd88bed.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/reels_h_and_m_3ffcd88bed.jpg"
description="H&M Reels"
/>
</Gallery>

### Comments 

Do not confuse this method with the same spam comments for everyone. Automatic commenting remains popular but useless. This method can lead to off-topic comments or even to situations when the text “what a beautiful photo” appears under the mourning post with a candle. Don't do that.

**How to get followers on Instagram through comments:**

- Comment deliberately and stick to the point. Chat in a friendly and honest way. Try to make friends, not advertise yourself.
- Communicate in the comments under the posts of personal accounts of ordinary users, bloggers and brands. A user with a small number of followers is more likely to notice you and visit your page. Big bloggers and brands are unlikely to subscribe, but other subscribers will see an interesting comment.

### Hashtags

Hashtags are a promotion method that is unlikely to give a huge reach but will still attract some part of the audience. Instagram has a separate hashtag search and subscription to them.

**Hashtags to use for promotion:**

- Thematic hashtags that relate to your area, and localized if you are tied to some territory.
- The hashtag topic should coincide with the topic of the post and photo. This way, Instagram better understands what your post is about and shows it to the right audience.
- Don't choose high-frequency hashtags (500 thousand or more). The more often a hashtag is used, the less likely your post will be seen.
- Check the relevance of hashtags. If they were last used two years ago, they don't work.

<Img
img="/uploads/hashtags_8b7606f8c5.png"
alt="Examples of hashtags onInstagram"
src="Hashtags on Instagram"
/>

How many hashtags should you add? There is no definite answer. Instagram allows you to add up to 30. But this "list" does not always work. [**Irrelevant hashtags**](8-social-media-etiquette-rules-for-business-save) will reduce reach and minimize the impact of relevant ones. We recommend that you experiment. Do not copy the same hashtags from post to post – this is ineffective. And one more thing, Instagram can take you for a robot and block your account.

### Cross-promotion

This method will not match the query "How to promote Instagram from scratch?" The account for cross-promotion or mutual PR must already have an audience.

What to do next:

- Look for an account with a similar or related topic. This account should have approximately the same number of subscribers.
- Exchange content: contribute guest posts, do live streams or take part in joint marathons.

*A cross-promotion example: an account of a sportswear brand launches a workout marathon with a fitness trainer.*

### Promotion on other platforms

If you are actively running another channel (YouTube, Medium and others), invite your audience to subscribe to your Instagram.

<Note>
Important! Users should understand why they need another account of yours. It is unlikely that subscribers are interested in watching the same content. Work with different formats and themes.
</Note>

### User-generated content

It works for brands and individual users who want to promote their accounts.

- An option **for brand accounts** is to invite users to post a photo with their product and a special hashtag. Then the brand reposts these publications to its page.
- An option **for personal accounts** is to mention brands. This way there is a chance that your Instagram page will end up in reposts in the brand's account. It is a win-win situation. The user gets more reach, and the brand gets content.

### Location

Another way is to add locations in account descriptions and posts. It is especially relevant for local businesses and events. But remember, it will not work just to set the location and wait for thousands of subscribers.

## Paid promotion methods

### Targeted advertising

Official Instagram ads are an opportunity to reach an audience with specific interests. The algorithms decide whom to show your Reels or post to. When it comes to advertisement, you choose the audience on your own. Instagram offers to advertise in the feed, Stories and Reels.

You can configure advertising directly on Instagram or use Facebook Ads Manager (if your account is linked to the page). For Instagram Ads, such goals are available as profile visits, website visits and increasing engagement – more messages. The audience can be selected automatically or customized, but the criteria are limited.

<Gallery>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/boost_post_on_instagram_ad_select_a_goal_579eefe709.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/boost_post_on_instagram_ad_select_a_goal_579eefe709.jpg"
description="Setting up an advertising campaign on Instagram"
/>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/boost_post_on_instagram_ad_select_target_audience_030a086b64.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/boost_post_on_instagram_ad_select_target_audience_030a086b64.jpg"
description="Setting up an advertising campaign on Instagram"
/>
</Gallery>

On Facebook Ads Manager, there are more opportunities to designate an audience.

<Img
img="/uploads/campaign_objectives_on_facebook_ads_manager_15c5874ece.png"
alt="Рекламный кабинет Facebook"
src="Campaign objectives on Facebook Ads Manager"
/>

The disadvantage of advertising on social media is an impressive list of restrictions that are constantly changing. For violation of the rules, advertising is stopped, and sometimes the account is blocked without explanation.

### Influencer marketing

The blogging market is growing, so no wonder [**influencer marketing**](what-is-influencer-marketing-how-to-build-strategy) entered the list of marketing trends in 2022 again. Instagram promotion through influencers is still relevant. When bloggers, famous figures and experts advertise something, people perceive it as a recommendation from a familiar person. They trust this opinion. There are two options for influencers ads: native (doesn't look like advertising) or direct.

<Gallery>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/caspar_lee_154a752331.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/caspar_lee_154a752331.jpg"
description="Influencer on Instagram"
/>
<GalleryItem
original="/uploads/laura_meacheam_185edb8373.jpg"
thumbnail="/uploads/laura_meacheam_185edb8373.jpg"
description="Influencer on Instagram"
/>
</Gallery>

## How NOT to promote on Instagram

You ask: "How to promote an account on Instagram?”. They say: “Cheating and giveaways”. There are two steps after this answer. Read about these options. Forget about them. These promotion methods are not only useless, but they can even destroy your account. 

### Giveaways

Giveaways are contests from influencers. The sponsor supplies a blogger with his product or service. The blogger promises to give the gift to the followers who subscribe to his account and the accounts of the sponsor. Subscription is a prerequisite for participation. This is how sponsors recruit a new audience. However when the giveaway is over: 

- Users unsubscribe because their interest is a prize, not a sponsor's account;
- Instagram algorithms notice a large number of unsubscriptions and reduce your page reach;
- It is difficult to save such an account.
- Even during the giveaway, the received audience is ballast. Prize-catchers are not drawn into the content. This is a sign of irrelevant content for Instagram algorithms.

### Cheat bots and comments

Instead of real subscribers, you get fake accounts — bots that create visibility, but in fact "drown" the account. For algorithms, the more subscribers, the more engagement should be. If the subscribers are bots, there is no activity from them.

Instagram makes a conclusion that this account is not interesting and stops showing it not only in recommendations but also to subscribers. In addition, the social network fights bots and suspicious activity by banning accounts engaged in cheating.

### Activity chats

They create the illusion of involvement, show social networks and other subscribers' interest in the account. These are groups where users gather to like, comment on posts and watch each other's stories. The main disadvantage of the method is an irrelevant audience. 

The method is possible in an account from scratch. However, after growth, it will rather harm, because you won’t be able to see real engagement and interest in the content. As a result, you won’t be able to understand how to improve it.

### Mass follow and mass like

You subscribe to many accounts that can be the target audience. You like the posts of different people. This is the point. The goal is to draw attention to your page. The user will notice your activity and subscribe in response. 

But the methods are no longer relevant. Users do not react, but Instagram punishes for such a promotion. The social network has a limit for subscriptions, unsubscriptions, likes, comments, mentions, and even for the number of publications. The user can be banned for suspicious activity.  If you decide to seek help from automated third-party services, the risk of losing your account forever will grow.

## Summary

The most promising free way to promote Instagram is shooting Reels. Combine it with other methods: commenting, cross-promotion with accounts of similar topics, user-generated content and advertising your Instagram page on other platforms. Add thematic hashtags to publications and geolocation, if the account is tied to territory. 

To reach a larger audience, launch targeted ads or find influencers who will remain a popular paid channel in 2022.

Do not use cheat promotion methods: giveaways, activity chats, cheat boost, mass-follow and mass-like. Promoting by legal methods is a reliable and proven way.

Learn how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods. Be aware of what will and won't work in 2022.

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kak-raskrutit-instagram-2022-push.png

Read about what will and won't work in 2022. Learn how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods.

Instagram in 2022: Free and Paid Promotion Methods

How to Promote on Instagram in 2022

<Img
img="/uploads/8_Big_Social_Media_Etiquette_Rules_for_Business_Save_8da5263786.jpg"
alt="8 Social Media Rules for Business"
/> 

Social media etiquette for business is more important than it might seem at first. Just like other social etiquettes, social media etiquette for businesses can help you connect with the people you are talking to by demonstrating that you follow rules of behavior almost everyone can agree with.

## What Is Social Media Etiquette?

Social media business etiquette has been evolving for many years. Just as ordinary people should follow posting etiquette to show respect to others in the online community, business social media etiquette is a sign that businesses value the time and attention of their audience.

This is an indispensable part of portraying a company as its [**branded social media account**](self-marketing-how-to-promote-yourself-on-social-media).

“Social media manners” might not seem important to some people, but they can make or break a brand. Social networking etiquette helps you avoid embarrassing mistakes that generate negative attention. This is especially crucial since mistakes may be captured by screenshot and used against you – forever.

## The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Etiquette

The rules of social media are always evolving, but there are some basic rules you should never ignore. The ideas that follow are just a start. If your business will be using social media regularly, you should document social media best practices for your brand management team to follow.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the top social media etiquette tips:

### 1. Always Know What a Hashtag Means Before You Post

Hashtags help surface content by making it easier to search for on social media networks. [**Many brands**](https://hi.photoslurp.com/blog/how-to-create-hashtag-for-your-brand/#:~:text=cursory%20hashtag%20research.-,DiGiorno%3A%20%23WhyIStayed,-DiGiorno%20is%20known) have been thoroughly humiliated when they used a hashtag pertaining to domestic violence or other serious subjects to sell their products. Even if a hashtag is trending and bringing in lots of traffic, be sure you fully understand what it is about and know it is relevant to you.

### 2. Disengage with a Social Media User if “SILENCED”

No matter how friendly your brand behaves, not everyone wants to talk to it. The “[**Silence, Brand**](https://totempool.com/blog/silence-brand/)” meme has become a visual shorthand for this sentiment. 

<Img
img="/uploads/silence_brand_f5f7e0b812.jpg"
alt="Silence, Brand"
/> 

If you contact someone and they respond with this meme, or a line that carries the same meaning, disengage and move on. They have made their feelings clear, and it is only polite to respect that. Plus, you never know if they will be act belligerently toward you.

### 3. If You @ a User, Make Sure It Is a Positive Experience

@ (“at”) is a symbol used on most social media networks to tag an individual user, who will then get a notification. You should only use @ to create positive brand experiences. Remember, all your followers may be watching any given interaction. It is almost always okay to @ a user to express thanks or to draw your audience’s attention to something positive that person did.

### 4. Do Not Enter a User’s Direct Messages Unless Invited

Even if a user is following your brand, it does not mean they want to receive direct messages. Your promotions should never rely on getting people to respond to direct messages – if you need to get attention from a specific user, tag them with @ instead. Direct messaging should only be used if the individual initiates or consents – for example, when providing customer service.

### 5. Do Not Argue in Public

Conversely, do not get into fights or arguments with social media users in public. Always try to steer customer service topics to DM quickly so that no personal information will be publicized by accident. Sometimes, a user may have a complaint that they want to draw lots of attention to. They may not be interested in constructive discussion or resolving the problem. In cases like these, pass the matter off to your company’s outreach team. They will have additional options for giving the user an incentive to change their behavior.

### 6. Be Mindful of Highly Charged Subjects

When handling any type of controversy, be sure your social media is aligned with your [**Corporate Social Responsibility**](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp) plan and brand values. Outside the clear bounds of your brand strategy, it is usually best to err on the side of caution and not get involved with disputes that could damage your brand. Always remember that you do not need to respond to every message, even when your account gets an @.

### 7. Monitor Your Brand Mentions So You Can Respond Proactively

There are many different ways to search for brand mentions. They may come in the form of a hashtag, an @, or an in-text mention of your brand name. Any such mention should be considered consent for you to respond, even if the person is making a complaint or a general observation. Be sure that your social media technology stack includes tools to monitor mentions for you and alert you to new ones. Some examples include [**Nexalogy**](https://apps.hootsuite.com/apps/nexalogy), [**Mentionlytics**](https://www.mentionlytics.com/), and more.

### 8. Be Polite and Respectful at All Times

Just as Ronald McDonald wouldn’t yell at a child in Playland and Mickey Mouse wouldn’t push someone out of line at the Magic Kingdom, your brand should always remain polite and respectful no matter what. Remember, a brand is not a human being – it is a character. Followers believe they have a relationship with that character, and your behavior is key to maintaining their immersion.

## Social Media Etiquette Makes Life Easier for You and Your Followers

What does social etiquette mean? In the long run, it is a lot simpler than it looks. By being thoughtful in your social media communications, you will attract followers who care about what you have to say. That helps you get real business value from social media instead of just shouting into the void.

Be sure the social media etiquette tips above are available to everyone on your staff who will touch your social media. Make them available in your Slack, Dropbox, or right on the office wall – whatever is most convenient. Even the best etiquette rules are not worth anything unless you follow them!

If your business will be using social media regularly, you should document social media best practices for your brand management team to follow.

large_8 Big Social Media Etiquette Rules for Business Save.jpg

medium_8 Big Social Media Etiquette Rules for Business Save.jpg

small_8 Big Social Media Etiquette Rules for Business Save.jpg

thumbnail_8 Big Social Media Etiquette Rules for Business Save.jpg

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Be sure these social media etiquette tips are available to everyone on your staff who will touch your social media.

8 Social Media Rules for Business | Do’s and Don’ts

8 Big Social Media Etiquette Rules for Business Save

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img="/uploads/how_to_choose_marketing_automation_software_2_561e73f48f.jpg"
alt="Top 9 Factors to Choose a Marketing Automation Platform"
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Surviving in today's marketplace requires organizations to be at the very cutting edge of new technologies and solutions; otherwise, the competition will leave them in the dust. The advent of market automation software solutions presented a way for marketers to engage with customers, set up their workflows, and analyze the results of their initiatives. 

There are innumerable marketing automation platforms available to marketers today, but they are not all created equal. Choosing the right software can make the difference between success and failure, and that's what we're going to be looking into in this piece. Let's get right into it.

## Benefits of Marketing Automation Software

The digital age has come with vast opportunities for marketers to reach their target audience, but it also has its challenges. Different businesses will use marketing automation tools for different purposes.

Still, whether you're in the banking, hospitality, insurance, education, or medical industry, you will benefit from the sales, service, and marketing advantages that a good platform will offer you.

By some estimates, businesses and organizations that utilize marketing automation software will experience significant increases in their lead volumes, increased lead conversion rates, as well as a general increase in their ROI (Return On Investment). By all metrics, the benefits of marketing automation make these tools a must-have for any organization that's determined to succeed. 

## How to Choose the Best Marketing Automation Software

Like any software, there are several elements to look into when trying to pick out one for your business, including:

### Product Features

The simplest way to determine whether a software package has the features you need is to ask yourself a couple of questions. What do you need the software to do for you? Does it compare well with the software your competitors are using? Will it work well with the tools you are currently using? 

Should you need your software to carry out functions such as automatically sending out newsletters to your customers, it will need to have features such as [**MVT**](/features/mvt) (Multivariate Testing) and [**HTML drag-and-drop builder**](/features/email-template-editor).

Form creation and posting features will be needed in cases where [**customer feedback**](how-to-use-customer-feedback-to-increase-sales) is required. Keep in mind that any new software is supposed to maintain your business centralization and help your decision-makers do their jobs better. 

### Technical Support

You should get quick assistance from your marketing automation platform developer if you have any technical trouble or queries with the software.  Live chats, email, and calls are some of the most common avenues to get help. They should be reliable, quick to respond, and available during business hours, if not 24/7 so that you do not lose any business due to technical trouble.

### User Interface

This is one of the most critical features of this type of software as it plays such a crucial role in your day-to-day operations. You will want to ensure that the software you pick is intuitive, responsive, and user-friendly. This means that it shouldn't be too complicated while allowing you to switch among the tools, functions, tabs, marketing communications, and so on with minimal fuss.

### Learning Resources

Any software you don't know how to operate will not be helpful to your organization. You will need to ensure that the developer provides manuals, how-to-videos, eBooks, webinars, training programs, and other learning resources to help you understand how to make the software work best for you. 

### Prices

The [**cost of marketing automation software**](/prices) will depend on a number of factors, such as its premium features, the server type (on-site or cloud), and capacity.  Reasonable prices may be discovered by checking what competing developers are charging for the same services. Find out whether there are any discounts or offers you might qualify for.  

### Reviews and Forums

As with any software product out there, checking the reviews, other clients have posted online is a good way of finding out how well the software performs. Users with experience will be able to point out the pros and cons of the product, allowing you to make a more informed decision.

Check and see whether they have an online community or forum, as every good software provider does, as this can be a very dependable source of help, tips, and information.

### Integration

Careful attention will be required when choosing a suitable platform for your organization to ensure that it will work seamlessly with the systems you already have in place. For instance, in the case of marketing automation for banks, you might need to make sure it works with your global operating system, Customer Relationship Management Software (or other [**customer data platforms**](/features/cdp)), and any software you use for personalized messages.

### Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or On-Premise

Depending on your organization's capacity and preferences, you will need to decide whether to [**choose between on-premises or SaaS**](on-premise-vs-cloud). The difference between these two lies in the server location (data storage) and installation methods used.

In the case of many highly-regulated industries such as banking, government, and so on, where sensitive information is processed, on-site solutions are typically preferred. 

On-premise solutions will usually be more expensive as the up-front hardware, installation, and maintenance costs will fall on the client. SaaS generally costs less, is easier to use, and requires minimal maintenance, which makes them attractive to small and medium-sized businesses.

These benefits, however, are offset by reduced data security levels and potential service interruption. You will need to consider the pros and cons of both systems before determining what will suit your purposes best.

### Scalability

The scalability of the software you choose will determine how much you can accomplish before you outgrow it and need another solution. A scalable platform will grow with your organization, reducing your overhead costs and eliminating the need for a new onboarding and training process with new software down the line. 

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img="/uploads/10_Questions_to_ask_when_choosing_a_marketing_automation_platform_7e5f6ced89.jpg"
alt="10 questions to ask when choosing a marketing automation platform"
/>

## Final Thoughts

Whatever the focus of your business or organization, the best marketing automation services can only be identified through a careful selection process. Picking an unsuitable option might lead to lost time, money, and efforts down the road. However, you can gain a powerful marketing tool that will propel your company to new heights with the proper knowledge. 

Learn how to choose the marketing automation platform that will be perfect for your business. Here are 9 factors to consider.

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how to choose marketing automation software.jpg

Choosing the right software can make the difference between success and failure, and that's what we're going to be looking into in this piece.

Top 9 Factors to Choose a Marketing Automation Platform

9 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Marketing Automation Software

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img="/uploads/Top_8_Email_Marketing_Metrics_Improve_Your_Email_Strategy_49f8968cd0.png"
alt="Top 8 Email Marketing Metrics: Improve Your Email Strategy"
/> 

Despite the fact that email marketing is one of the oldest forms of [**inbound marketing**](inbound-marketing), it continues to be one of the most effective. There are many reasons for this, including that with over four billion daily email users, it's one of the most practical ways to reach someone. Not to mention that email marketing is incredibly cost-effective — email generates an estimated $42 for every $1 spent, giving it one of the highest returns on investment you could ask for.

However, simply running an email marketing campaign isn't going to automatically translate to success. The key is to monitor your email marketing efforts so that you can continuously adjust and improve your strategy over the long term. The best way to do this is by analyzing your email marketing metrics. With that in mind, the following are eight of the most important email marketing metrics that you should monitor.

## 1. Open Rate

According to research, the average email open rate should be [**between 12-15%**](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowledge-base/what-are-the-average-click-and-read-rates-for-email-campaigns/). If your open rate is low, it means your subscribers have no interest in the emails you're sending them and they're not even bothering to open them. If your subscribers aren't opening your emails, then there's no hope in converting them. A low open rate can be indicative of a number of issues, whether it's bad timing, poorly crafted email subject lines, or email subject matter that's simply not relevant to your subscribers.

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img="/uploads/email_open_rate_e65629beb5.jpg"
alt="Open Rate"
/> 

**What is email bounces?**

- A hard bounce occurs when the email you sent is returned as a result of a permanent error. This indicates that the email address was either invalid or your email was marked as spam. If you get too many hard bounces, check spam mail databases to make sure you weren't added. If you were, then you have a problem with your strategy (whether it's the number of emails being sent or the relevance of the content). To prevent invalid email addresses, use a double opt-in form to confirm the right address. Either way, remove hard bounce addresses from your email list so they don't reoccur.

- A soft bounce isn't as severe as a hard bounce. It means that either the email size was too big, the server was down, or the recipient's inbox was full. Simply resending the email at a later date should hopefully solve the issue.

## 2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Once subscribers open your emails, you want to make sure that they're engaged with your content to the point where they'll follow any calls-to-action (CTAs) you may have. Your CTR indicates whether or not subscribers are clicking on any of your links or not. If they read your emails but don't click-through to another page (like your website), it likely means that they weren't interested in the content, your CTAs weren't convincing, or the content wasn't relevant to them. 

The average CTR should be [**between 2-5%**](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowledge-base/what-are-the-average-click-and-read-rates-for-email-campaigns/). But do not confuse CTR and CTOR (click-to-open rate). How to calculate CTR? Divide the number of users who actually clicked on at least one link by the number of emails delivered. At the same time, CTOR compares the number of people that opened your email to the number that clicked. That's why the average CTOR should be higher — you'd better keep this metric at 10-22%.

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img="/uploads/email_CTR_b206854b0d.jpg"
alt="Email CTR"
/> 

## 3. Subscribe Rate

Your email list is going to naturally decline over time if you don't sign up new subscribers at a regular pace. As such, you need to monitor your email subscription rate. If it's low, it means you need to put more effort into [**building your list**](how-to-build-an-email-database), whether it's via your content marketing efforts, your social efforts, or your paid advertising campaigns. The higher your subscription rate is, the bigger your pool of potential leads becomes.

## 4. Unsubscribe Rate

The last thing you want to see is people unsubscribing to your email list. However, monitoring this metric is critical to identifying serious problems with your email strategy. A high unsubscribe rate may mean that you're attracting poor quality leads — or that your email content just isn't relevant to your audience.

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img="/uploads/unsubscribe_rate_50b468768b.jpg"
alt="Unsubscribe Rate"
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## 5. Email Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate tells you how effective your emails are at converting leads. You can compare the conversion rates of different email campaigns, landing pages, CTAs, types of content, and more to determine what types of emails convert highly and what emails don't to help you plan future email campaigns. How to calculate email conversion rate? Divide the number of people who completed the desired action by the number of total emails delivered. And then multiply the result by 100.

## 6. Opening Time

The opening time shows you when your subscribers are opening your emails. If you notice that the majority of subscribers open your emails in the evenings — and you've been sending out your emails in the afternoons, then you can adjust your strategy to send out your emails closer to when your audience is opening them. Doing so can help boost your open rate and allow you to reach more of your subscribers at the right time.

## 7. Time Spent Viewing Email

This email marketing metric is only useful if you're attempting to engage your readers via your emails. It's not a useful metric if your emails are only a couple of sentences long since your subscribers won't spend much time on them. However, if you send longer articles, knowing how long subscribers spend viewing your emails will be helpful. If they are spending a lot of time on your email, it means the content is relevant and engaging. If they don't, it means it's not.

## 8. Active Audience

The active audience metric shows you how many subscribers on your list are actually active. A subscriber that hasn't opened an email from you in months can be considered inactive. You'll want to remove subscribers who are inactive for long periods of time from your email list every three months or so. If you leave them on, they'll negatively affect all of your other metrics, making it difficult to analyze them effectively.

## Conclusion

Email analytics are crucial to any successful email marketing campaign. You're going to find that there are hundreds of different email metrics out there that you can monitor. Some may be more useful to you than others, but these are a few of the absolute essential email marketing metrics that you should track. Be sure to contact us at [**Altcraft Platform**](/en) for information about our powerful real-time analytics tools.

Here's a list of the most important email marketing metrics that you should analyze. This way, you can continuously adjust and improve your strategy.

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The best way to monitor your email marketing efforts is by analyzing your email marketing metrics. Here's a list of the most important metrics that you should care about.

8 Key Email Marketing Metrics Every Marketer Should Track

Top 8 Email Marketing Metrics: Improve Your Email Strategy

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img="/uploads/Top_6_Push_Notification_Mistakes_and_How_to_Fix_Them_d2774b1b1c.jpg"
alt="Top 6 Web and Mobile Push Notification Mistakes and How to Fix Them"
/> 

In today’s competitive digital landscape, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to get consumers to click through marketing messages and engage with them. Push notifications represent a versatile marketing tool that can help you drive user traffic, stimulate engagement and boost user conversion and retention.

However, push notifications can only work for the benefit of your business when done right. Herein are common mistakes that marketing teams make when managing push notification campaigns and how to correct them.

## 1. Not Implementing User Segmentation

Appropriate audience segmentation is an essential component of any marketing activities, including push notification campaigns. Failing to assess, group, and segment your target audience means that you're unable to formulate tailored messages to appeal to consumers in unique stages of your sales funnel. Failing to segment your audience for tailored messages, especially for [**mobile push notifications**](mobile-marketing-101-push-notifications), leads to frequent subscriber opt-outs.

It’s imperative that you know your [**target audiences**](creating-a-customer-profile). Analyze and segment your audience into groups based on on-site actions (behavioral segmentation). These actions may include reading a blog, viewing a certain product, watching a video, or subscribing to a newsletter. Other types of segmentation include geographic, demographic, and social.

With push marketing technology, you can track custom data points far beyond automatic tracking. Utilize custom tracking and other tools, including metadata filters, aliases, and tags to engage segmented audiences with relevant push messages. Overall, analyze brand interactions and activity and align them with your push strategies.

## 2. Sending Generic Non-Personalized Messages

Sending generic push notifications indicative of a lack of customer research and consideration will result in low click-through rates and engagement. Consumers today want relevant, [**personalized marketing messages**](/features/personalization). It indicates that you understand their needs. It also saves users' time by catching their attention with actionable updates, information, or offers that are of interest.

Serve personalized recommendations based on specific user behavior (purchasing or browsing history), user purchasing stage, known preferences, and personal information. A good practice is to utilize placeholder tags. These tags enable you to replace placeholders with users' first names and relevant data for every push notification. With message tags, you can extract data from your data system and incorporate user-relevant information into the messages.

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## 3. Not Scheduling and Automating Push Notifications

Failing to schedule and automate your push notifications is a big mistake for marketing campaigns. With push notifications and any marketing communication channel, timing is a critical aspect. Even the best-designed push messages won't receive attention if you time them wrongly.

Ensure that you collect your subscriber/consumer profile. Utilize [**analytics data**](/features/analytics) to learn your users’ time zones, day-to-day activities, and when they are most active. Using this information to segment your audience. Doing so enables you to plan, schedule, and create automated push sequences using marketing automation software to send your messages at appropriate dates and times.

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img="/uploads/right_timing_of_push_notifications_af7544bdbf.png"
alt="right timing of mobile push notifications"
src="Setting up push notification sending in Altcraft Platform"
/> 

## 4. Failing to Formulate a Clear Call-to-Action

The attention span of the average user is just a few seconds for any notifications they receive on their computers or mobile devices. Your push messages are likely to be discarded if your push notification does not include a clear CTA. Notification messages allow you to include a limited text, and you need to make the most of it. A clear CTA influences your audience to take a well-defined valuable action.

Utilize proven CTA phrases and words in your push messages and avoid jargon and filler words. You need to create a sense of urgency. Aim to avoid vague messages that your audience won’t know what to make of. Since you have limited text, it's good practice to include images that denote a clear CTA. Visuals catch the user’s eye and elicit better response rates.

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img="/uploads/web_push_CTA_6825b58c69.png"
alt="CTA in push messages"
/> 

## 5. Choosing the Wrong Landing Pages

Where you are sending your customers is a crucial component of a push notification campaign. The landing page you direct your audience to must contain what you want them to see. Suppose you want to communicate to your customers about an attractive discount on a certain product category. You prepare the push message and activate your campaign. When your customers click on your CTA, they are directed to your homepage.

The above scenario clearly represents a subpar user experience since they can't locate your amazing offer that caught their attention. Consequently, you lose traffic, sales, or even subscribers. Ensure that you link the appropriate landing pages to your push messages. Your landing pages must have relevant information for a rich experience that boosts user retention.

## 6. Failing to Track Key Metrics

Much of web and mobile push notifications campaign success originates from hard-learned lessons. Not tracking [**key metrics**](top-digital-marketing-metrics) and optimizing appropriately equates to doing your campaign a great disservice. It’s crucial to closely monitor KPIs to determine deficiencies/gaps in your campaigns and inform future campaigns.

Clearly define the parameters necessary to benchmark campaign success to determine the effectiveness of your push notification strategies. Some of the top metrics you should use to measure campaign ROI include view rate, CTR, opt-in rate, retention rate, unsubscription rate, conversion rate, and website performance.

Utilize statistics regarding visits, clicks, interactions, and overall user engagement to formulate data-driven push notification strategies. Ensure that you conduct [**A/B testing**](/features/mvt) for different variables, including wording, personalization, visuals, and timing.

## Conclusion

Overall, web and mobile push notifications have become an effective marketing channel to engage your target audience. Providing the ability to reach your audience at a personal level, push notifications, especially when automated, serve as a direct communication path throughout their purchasing journey.

Getting relevant information, updates, offerings, and deals across to your customers at the right time via automated push messages is becoming ever-critical. Leveraging marketing automation software to bolster your push notification strategy enables you to save time/effort, gain new users, re-engage inactive users, boost conversions, facilitate continuous user engagement, get valuable feedback and retain clients.



Here is a list of common mistakes that marketing teams make when managing push notification campaigns and how to correct them.

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Push notifications are a marketing tool that can help you drive user traffic, stimulate engagement and boost user conversion. But they can only work for the benefit of your business when done right. 

Top 6 Push Notification Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Top 6 Web and Mobile Push Notification Mistakes and How to Fix Them

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alt="Mobile App as a Marketing Channel"
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Today, mobile is everything! Because everyone is hooked to their phones, mobile marketing is an easier, better way to communicate with customers and promote your products. Businesses must adapt their marketing strategies to keep up with technological advances. And that means using mobile apps as marketing channels.

As technology becomes more fragmented, so does marketing. Mobile apps have become an indispensable tool for companies big and small. The ultimate advantage of marketing on a mobile app is that you get to target audiences not so much by demographics but by their behaviors. For this reason, you can create more personalized messages that allow you to appeal to your customer and nurture them through the sales funnel.

What’s the difference between mobile app marketing and [**mobile marketing**](mobile-marketing)? Mobile marketing is any marketing that occurs on a mobile device, including app marketing and SMS marketing. Mobile app marketing is a less general term that involves creating marketing campaigns to communicate with your customers from the moment they first download your app.

Using mobile apps as a marketing channel offers the convenience of in-app purchases, which increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.

## Benefits Of A Mobile App For Business

Should your business have an app? There’s no other answer to this question other than a resounding yes!

Mobile Apps offer valuable marketing opportunities that help you reach and engage your target audience. The benefits of mobile apps for business include:

### 1. Improved customer engagement

Mobile Apps are a direct communication channel. If there’s one thing customers appreciate about a business, it’s great customer service. Sometimes the only difference between a lead and a conversion is how quickly customers can access valuable information and get a response.

Beyond support, mobile apps are great for collecting [**customer feedback**](how-to-use-customer-feedback-to-increase-sales). Customers are more likely to leave a review or ask questions if the process is easy, fast, and convenient.

### 2. More targeted marketing

Having a mobile app means you can leverage data-driven marketing by tracking shopping behavior to enhance your marketing strategies and recommend products you know your customers will love.

What this means is that your marketing campaigns are very specific to individual customers. Mobile apps mean you can reach customers in real-time with extremely targeted marketing that's bound to work.

### 3. Capitalize on the ubiquity of mobile devices

Yet another advantage of app marketing is that users carry their devices wherever they go. As a result, you can use location-based services to offer customers discounts, deals, or promotions based on their proximity to a store.

## The Mobile App Marketing Funnel

Just because you have an app doesn’t mean your conversion rates will automatically rise. It’s crucial to understand the mobile app marketing funnels so you can draw customers to your business and gain their loyalty.

The mobile app marketing funnel has 4 major stages:

- **Awareness** – The goal here is to attract targeted users to your app, and your strategy is to focus your marketing on channels where your users are known to congregate. You can raise awareness through social media, paid advertising, and app review websites.

- **Conversion** – A conversion is any action a customer takes that adds monetary value to your business and typically occurs when a user: downloads your app and creates an account to make an in-app purchase.

- **Customer relationship** – Now, this is how you nurture customers to keep them coming back for more. Otherwise, your app will be just another application on their phone. Utilize [**push notifications**](mobile-marketing-101-push-notifications) and in-app messaging to gain their attention and keep them opening your app.

- **Retention** – Keep your customers happy through [**loyalty programs**](/features/loyalty-programs) and offer rewards for completing [**surveys**](/features/forms-and-surveys). Remember, it’s more expensive to attract a new customer than to retain a loyal customer.

The key to successful marketing is to create a [**seamless purchase journey**](omnichannel-vs-multichannel) for customers. That’s why all your communication channels, from social media to SMS and app marketing, must work together to deliver a consistent message aimed at empowering the consumer.

## Creating the Ultimate Business App

It’s all about branding and the customer experience. The best business apps are those that are easily identifiable and easy to use. Without proper branding, customers won’t find your app appealing enough to download. Your brand instantly communicates what customers should expect of you and determines the demographic of people you attract.

The two biggest mistakes you can make while creating a mobile app are failing to define the real goal of the app and designing a poor user interface. Perform [**market research**](how-to-do-market-research) to determine if your customers really need an app and what they would use it for? Perhaps, a more responsive website design would be a better investment. If not, it's crucial to ensure your app fills a gap in your marketing.

A poor user interface will break your mobile app marketing. Consumers have neither the time nor patience to push through a slow, tedious interface to make a purchase or engage with your team. A good UX can actually guarantee the success of your venture, allowing you to nurture your leads better.

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img="/uploads/when_an_app_experience_is_positive_302378c8cb.jpg"
alt="When an app experience is positive"
/> 

## Conclusion

Attracting target audience, retaining customers, increasing sales and brand loyalty — these are the tasks that any business have to face. And in the right hands, a mobile app can help with the solution.

The ultimate advantage of marketing on a mobile app is that you get to target audiences not so much by demographics but by their behaviors.

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Businesses must adapt their marketing strategies to keep up with technological advances. And that means using mobile apps as marketing channels.

Mobile App as a Marketing Channel | 3 Benefits for Business

Mobile App as a Marketing Channel

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img="/uploads/Lead_Scoring_c068e89b5d.jpg"
alt="Lead Scoring"
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There are no companies that have unlimited funds. When there are more customers' requests than managers can process, a collapse happens. What is the usual way to solve this problem? Managers call customers according to a list. Customers can be sorted by the date of their request or, for instance, alphabetically. But what if that very customer who is ready to make a purchase has a surname starting with the last letter of the alphabet. In that event, such a customer will get a phone call when another company is already rendering services to them. What should be done to avoid such scenarios? It is suggested that lead scoring should be employed in your marketing. It will allow you to prioritize your customers by their importance. In this piece we are getting into the notion of scoring, why and how this method is used in business.

## What is lead scoring

The scoring system originally appeared in banks to assess a client who applies for a loan. Banks examine their customers' paying capacity, credit record and other aspects. According to the collected data every customer gets their own credibility rating. This practice was later borrowed by marketers.

In marketing, lead scoring is ranking leads by certain features that determine their value.

In this term,

- **lead** stands for a prospective customer
- **scoring** stands for ranking a customer and giving them special points.

In layman's terms, lead scoring allows you to determine whether a client is ready to close the deal or not.

Each client receives a scoring point for some action: visiting a website, subscription and so on. These special criteria are chosen by the company before scoring. Then the points are summed up and a scoring rate is obtained. According to it, a company determines which customer is more important. The higher the score, the more likely this customer will make a purchase. After that, managers contact other customers, whose score is lower.

To make the process clear, all leads are divided into several categories.  The easiest way to do it is to classify all leads by their degree of «warmth»:

- **«Cold» leads** do not know much about the brand. They have just started to interact with it: clicked on the ad, visited a website, signed up for the newsletter. It is unlikely that such a person will buy something right after the manager's call.
- **«Warm» leads** are a bit closer to making a purchase, they have the need to do it. However, they may have some doubts. Or, such a person chooses between several options.
- **«Hot» leads** are those who are ready to make a purchase here and now. All you have to do is to remind them about it and make a favourable offer.

<Img
img="/uploads/classification_of_leads_b8f7877b25.jpg"
alt="Classification of Leads"
/> 

Another way of ranking your customers is to picture them in terms of a funnel:

- **At the top of the funnel** are the users who have just become acquainted with the brand: signed up, subscribed to social networks or newsletters.
- **The users who have shown their interest in the product**: got a lead magnet, and are actively interacting with the brand.
- **The proven leads that have been forwarded to the sales department.** Marketing has already worked with them and «warmed them up» enough. They are almost ready to make a purchase, but their objections need to be worked out.
- **Leads at the bottom of the funnel are those who are ready to buy something here and now.** These users have already explored the ways to order a product and/or added some items to favorites or to cart, but have not completed the order yet.

In both of these categories, the most important ones are those leads who are ready to make a purchase: «hot» leads/leads at the bottom of the funnel. Lead scoring will help to identify who is who on the basis of data, and not on such abstract thoughts as «these leads are more important because I think so».

## Why do you need lead scoring

Lead scoring saves businesses from wasting resources:

- human ones — it saves the time of a manager who calls irrelevant customers in vain;
- financial ones — the salary of this manager and the cost of the channels to communicate with customers.

You need to employ a scoring system when:

**Your business has a long purchase cycle and a complex system of working with clients.** When it is not quite clear which client is more important, and a lot of criteria should be taken into account.

**When your company has a large influx of incoming requisitions, and managers cannot cope with them.** Even if there are no urgent matters yet, there may come a moment X, when there are not enough resources. Lead scoring will help to prevent such a situation.

**When a specialist who processes the requests is a high-skilled one.** If such a specialist wastes their time, the company invests more in the employee than it gains.

## Lead scoring also helps to:

### To evaluate the effectiveness of customer acquisition channels

If a channel brings you thousands of leads, it is not effectiveness yet. Out of a thousand requests only ten people can actually make a purchase, and CAC will not pay off. Quality assessment of your leads will show which channel actually brings you profitable ones.

### To decline irrelevant requests

Not everyone who has responded to your marketing efforts will be your customer. Some will say that your products are too expensive, others will not understand the offer. Besides, some people can click the links accidentally. Scoring identifies unsuitable leads before you start actively working with them and assigns them the lowest priority.

### To optimize your work

Without lead quality assessment you can be trapped in one opinion, that is of your supervisor who thinks that these customers are more important than those customers, and it cannot be the other way round. Even employees themselves do not always know which customer will be more valuable. Scoring will help you to evaluate leads objectively basing on analytics. This approach will establish order in the joint effort of marketing and sales department. It will always be clear with what kind of client your manager works, whether their interest needs to be heightened or you can offer them to purchase something immediately. With proper evaluation of leads, one department will not do the work for another.

### To evaluate your managers' work fairly

It may be that some managers are doing their job better than others. And it is not always about efficiency and skills. If one manager always gets «cold» customers and the other one always gets «hot» ones, it will be easier for the latter to close sales. Scoring is an opportunity to redistribute leads more fairly.

The main benefit of scoring is a rise in profits of the company, which will no longer lose «hot» leads and learn how to optimize the work of employees.

## How to conduct lead scoring

For scoring, you need to describe what kind of lead is of good quality for your business. Besides, you need to determine the evaluation criteria, establish a certain value for each, and then conduct the evaluation.

<Img
img="/uploads/how_to_conduct_lead_scoring_beb05c00ed.jpg"
alt="How to conduct scoring"
/> 

### Step 1. Determine the criteria

Two types of data are usually distinguished. Explicit — external information about customers: their characteristics or data of companies where they work. Implicit — a customer's actions that a company can track on its platforms. All data is grouped into a customer profile. It is a kind of benchmark with which you will compare your leads during evaluation.

What criteria can be used:

**Demographics** — gender, age, interests, habits and other features of your audience. If your audience are men over 35 who have cars, a person who does not own a car will be a lower priority in your evaluation.

**Information about company** is relevant for B2B, when your customer is a business representative. You can include place of employment, position, size of the company and its industry in your criteria. For in-depth evaluation, you can add a customer's experience, income of the company and its location (if it is important) to the list.

**Users' behaviour**: how they interact with ads and newsletters. For evaluation, the number of clicks per user, subscriptions, information requests, lead magnet downloads, sending contact information and even attendance at online brand events are taken into consideration. Users' «last seen», their reaction to advertising campaigns and posts on social networks are also examined.

**Data quality.** Sometimes a customer can turn out to be a spammer or an agent of dishonest competitors who want to spoil your statistics with their actions. So, leads with incorrect, false or insufficient data find their way into your database. For example, a set of random characters instead of an email address is a sign of spam. Besides, poor quality leads are those who have left a personal email instead of a corporate one, though the information is for corporate customers.

### How to understand which criteria are really important

**First of all**, ask your employees to arrange a brainstorming session or to conduct a survey. Salespeople work closely with customers and know their needs well.

**Secondly**, ask your customers themselves what influenced their decision to buy.

**Thirdly**, focus on the analytics and see which customers bring you more profit. It is useful to employ [**attribution**](marketing-attribution-models).

### Step 2. Determine values

Each criterion should have its own weight on a selected limited scale. The higher weight will be given to the criteria of more profitable leads, whose conversion rate is better.

For example, we know that customers with higher education purchase twice as much on average as those with secondary education. In this case, the lead with higher education gets a higher score.

Negative criteria (minus values) are also important. Even the highest quality lead can «burn out» and stop being active.

Minuses in the scoring should be given for:

- unsubscribing from the newsletters;
- visiting a career page on the website: a person may hunt for a job and is not going to buy anything from you;
- a lead's position or industry does not fit your customer profile;
- a lead is from a competing company;
- low activity — a person stopped clicking on your newsletters.

### Step 3. To conduct evaluation

You have criteria, you have points. Now it is time to evaluate. But you should start with threshold values. Determine from what number of points your customer is assigned a low, medium, or high priority.  Do not over- or underestimate the values. Start with an average one and adjust it in the process.

Scoring can be conducted by one manager or a team. In case of the latter, the points of all participants in the assessment are summed up. At the end of evaluation, customers are ranked from higher priority to less valuable ones.

**Example of customer evaluation**

Let's imagine a prospective customer N, who has left their data.

Now let's set priorities according to the number of points:

High — 15–20 points.

Medium — 10–15 points.

Low — up to 10 points.

The maximum score a customer can get is 20.

Below you can see an example of a simple table with customer’s evaluation.

<Table>
<table>
      <thead>
          <tr>
              <th>Criterion</th>
              <th>Status</th>
              <th>Score</th>
              <th>Concordance (+)</th>
          </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
           <tr>
              <td>Email</td>
              <td>Corporate</td>
              <td>+6</td>
              <td>+</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Personal</td>
              <td>+1</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Not stated</td>
              <td>-2</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td>Phone</td>
              <td>Stated</td>
              <td>+3</td>
              <td>+</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Not stated</td>
              <td>-1</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td>Position</td>
              <td>Supervisor</td>
              <td>+6</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Manager</td>
              <td>+3</td>
              <td>+</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Other</td>
              <td>+1</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Not stated</td>
              <td>-3</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td>Company</td>
              <td>Stated</td>
              <td>+3</td>
              <td>+</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Not stated</td>
              <td>-2</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td>Activity</td>
              <td>Subscribed to newsletters</td>
              <td>+2</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>No subscription</td>
              <td>-1</td>
              <td>+</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td></td>
              <td>Unsubscribed</td>
              <td>-2</td>
              <td></td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td colSpan = 3>Total score</td>
              <td>14</td>
          </tr>
           <tr>
              <td colSpan = 3>Priority</td>
              <td>Medium</td>
          </tr>
      </tbody>
  </table>
</Table>

## Tools for lead scoring

Lead scoring can be conducted in two ways:

**A simple but time-consuming one**: Google Sheets or Excel. In this case, you will have to calculate the results manually or set up formulas, which is quite time-consuming. You will also have to transfer all your customers’ data into sheets/tables.

**An automated one**: marketing platforms make it possible to conduct lead scoring simply and quickly. [**Altcraft Platform**](/en) is no exception.

The platform pixels track users' activity on company resources and third-party resources: websites, social networks, blogs, mobile apps and services in the browser, even the company's CRM.

Each action counts as a target for which a certain value or weight is assigned. Lead scoring is conducted according to these values. On our platform, you can track data on anonymous profiles, which will be later added to a user's official profile.

## Conclusion

Companies dream of streams of clients, but once the dreams come true, they cannot handle it sometimes. Prioritizing customers by their value during peak times is a sensible approach. Although it is better to foresee certain situations to prevent a disaster, such as lost customers, downgrade of service and even employees' nervous breakdowns. Everything is possible if you do not arrange work properly.

Lead scoring helps to optimize different processes and not to waste time on unprofitable customers, to coordinate the work of the marketing department and the sales department, and as a consequence, to earn more.

In this piece we are getting into the notion of scoring, why and how this method is used in business. Learn how to conduct lead scoring.

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Lead scoring helps to optimize different processes and not to waste time on unprofitable customers and to coordinate the work of the marketing department and the sales department.

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