ERP and Marketing Automation Integration

It may seem like Marketing Automation software such as HubSpot has little to do with your back-office operations and ERP platform. However, several use cases demonstrate the benefits of integrating marketing software with ERP. Once you’ve completed your integration, your whole business can effectively share data around sales history, shipping orders, project orders and other areas where both front and back offices interact.

After all, modern marketers are spending more time collecting and analyzing consumer data to drive decisions and build effective campaigns. While a lot of your marketing data may currently be gleaned from Google Analytics and third-party reports, your organization itself has a treasure trove of data that you are likely leaving untapped. We’ve talked a lot about the rewards of connecting ERP and CRM and why ERP data can be incredibly valuable for your sales team. Now, we’re focusing on how integrating ERP and Marketing Automation software can help your marketing team leverage a wealth of ERP data to optimize the buyer’s journey and boost lead generation. 

Reach Out to End Customers

The best marketers know that the most valuable—and sought after—customer is a returning customer. Once your business has acquired a new customer, retaining them can be critical to generating business growth and fostering word-of-mouth marketing. Currently however, many businesses may not be the first-hand provider to their end customer, especially if they work with a distributor. This means that direct marketing to many buyers is more difficult than just looking at sales history.

If your customers are placing orders and organizing delivery through a third party, such as Amazon, your marketing team likely has very little awareness of what is occurring with these customers. Many businesses that rely on this model can obtain a meta file describing the activities that have occurred with these third parties, but this method offers little in the way of opportunities to truly engage with your customer base. By connecting a Marketing Automation platform with ERP, your business can begin leveraging knowledge about all orders and customers to promote new offers, products and services directly to them.

Trigger the Marketing Cycle from the First Order

Imagine that a customer orders your product from a distributor like Amazon. If the product they’ve ordered has a natural life cycle (i.e., technology that expects to be worn down or outdated at a predicted point), they can instantly be entered in a specialized marketing campaign in your automation software. Your marketing platform can utilize their order date and contact information to push email blasts that remind them when to reorder, offer them promotions or suggest bulk discounts for the right products at the right time.

By connecting Marketing Automation with ERP, businesses can expect to see their marketing departments offer personalized customer experiences, delivering relevant collateral and emails to customers that would otherwise go ignored. If your business thrives from repeat customers, this capability is essential. 

Use Integration to Upsell Your Other Services

If your business relies heavily on maintenance, service or continuous improvement plans, having access to your historical ERP data can reveal new opportunities for your marketing department. You’ll be able to ensure that every customer that makes an order gets marketing campaigns for related goods, maintenance services or other products that might represent a natural progression from their purchase.

Imagine you’re a company that makes knives which are largely sold through brokers and third-party dealers. When you integrate ERP and Marketing Automation software, your marketing team can now engage these customers to purchase warranty or service plans that may otherwise not reach the customer. If your broker or dealer isn’t heavily pushing these plans, there is a good chance that marketing could capitalize on some lucrative opportunities. 

Wrap Up

Integrating Marketing Automation and ERP software can introduce your business to new methods to drive sales. With the increase of distribution through eCommerce and third-party brokers, many businesses are now housing powerful marketing data that remains untapped inside of their own ERP systems. Don’t let your business miss out on that opportunity.

To capitalize on all your data, the experts at Datix have built Unity, an integration application designed to connect Epicor ERP with CRM, Marketing Automation and other software platforms. Our pre-built solution seamlessly connects Epicor with HubSpot, the leader in inbound marketing. HubSpot’s user-friendly tools allow businesses of all sizes to access insightful metrics and develop engaging marketing materials. Our certified consultants will quickly install your Unity solution, enabling you to optimize your marketing performance without coding or hassle. 

If you’re interested in building a connected enterprise, reach out to us today. Schedule a demo of Unity so you can see what it’s all about!

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