There are 3 people: you, the person next to you on the train, and that person’s best friend. You all are marketers and are in the search for an all-in-one marketing platform.
All-in-one marketing platforms typically offer several digital marketing and sales features and functions, as an integrated software, instead of purchase each separately. All-in-one platforms come with capabilities that might include marketing automation, CRM, content management, SEO, social media marketing, and e-commerce. So, when it comes time for you to look for an all-in-one marketing platform, you must know what features you’ll need, how you’ll use those features, how robust the features need to be, and more.
For instance, you may do marketing for a small business in your local town who doesn’t need the benefits of every single feature a fortune 500 company may need. Also, your small business most likely doesn’t have a huge team of sales and marketers to manage the platform. This means your platform needs to be built for small businesses, not Fortune 500 companies.
Do you see where I am headed? Not every platform is a perfect match for you. Some companies opt for multiple platforms to fit their needs. However, as a small business, you can't afford the time it takes to manage various platforms nor the expense. But you don’t want to lose out on any of the amazing features and functions either. So, an all in one platform is perfect for you!
Let’s continue to dive into why.
What is an all-in-one marketing platform?
An all-in-one marketing platform is a digital marketing software that brings together your essential sales and marketing tools into one platform. A marketing platform enhances the way a marketer can develop, deploy, and manage all their marketing efforts. An all-in-one platform comes with capabilities that might include marketing automation, email marketing, CRM, contact segmentation, content management, SEO, social media marketing, e-commerce, and integrated reporting.
Whether you are a start-up or a company that has been around for a while, investing in an all-in-one marketing platform is a good idea, especially if you are looking to grow your business with more than word of mouth.
Why do I need an all-in-one marketing platform?
With an all-in-one marketing platform, all your marketing and sales efforts are in one place instead of across multiple platforms. This can positively change your workweek. Below are a few benefits of an all-in-one marketing platform.
- Boost efficiency. An all-in-one marketing platform allows for your team to work and perform more efficiently because they have all the necessary information at their fingertips, in one place.
- All your data in one place. You have better control over your data and can easily access it in one place. This allows you to see what’s working and what’s not in one dashboard.
- One bill and one customer support number. An all-in-one platform means you have just one company to pay and reach out to for questions, concerns, and help. You can build a better relationship with one company vs. juggling multiple vendors.
- A complete view of a customer. Track every interaction a customer has with your company – Email, Sales Meetings, Phone calls, Social – to capture a comprehensive view of your customer journey.
- Analytics in your lap. All your metrics in one place to measure, track, and report on sales and marketing efforts.
With an all-in-one marketing platform, you are guaranteed less stress and more time to focus on other projects to grow your business. With the power of a platform like this, you’ll be steps ahead of your competition!
How do I choose the best all-in-one marketing platform for my business?
It's a big decision. It's the only platform you are going to use and hopefully use for an extended period. The platform you choose must meet your expectations for your business. Remember, just because it is all-in-one, you don’t want to give up any features that are crucial to your business. Below is a list of the most popular features you will see in an all-in-one platform. Review this list and decide which features you’ll need. This will help you understand the right all-in-one platform for your business.
- Marketing automation – technology that automatically initiates campaigns, posts, and emails across multiple channels.
- Email Marketing – Send bulk emails to targeted groups of contacts.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management) – manages customer interactions, tracks leads, streamlines processes, and identifies sales opportunities.
- Contact Segmentation – the ability to organize your contacts into separate groups or lists based on information such as products purchased, titles, interests, demographics, etc.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results.
- Social Media Marketing – the process of creating content that you have tailored to the context of each social media platform to drive user engagement and sharing. Source
- Integrated Reporting – get actionable insights into your business across all marketing and sales channels.
When looking for an all-in-one marketing platform, be aware of the features l listed above. These features are essential for small businesses and their marketing and sales efforts. They are needed for a small business, especially if you are jumping into marketing. To learn more about DirectLync’s features, check them out here.
Power to the small businesses
As a small business, you may feel like you can’t do as much marketing as a larger company, especially when they have a bigger budget. But that’s not necessarily true – you just have to be smarter. That’s why an all-in-one marketing platform is powerful for a small business. An all-in-one marketing platform not only makes a marketer’s life easier and helps them be more efficient during the workday but more enjoyable too. Think about all those google docs, excel sheets, and sticky notes with content ideas that you have on your desk and in files. You can transform those ideas into an eye-catching email in a few simple steps, and even design it to fit the tone and voice of your company. You can convert that excel sheet of contacts right into the CRM module to keep a more organized contact list with all their details and conversations in one view. CRM also helps build stronger customer relationships. And these are just a few examples. There are countless ways an all-in-one marketing platform can help; you can stay more organized, save time, and build a strong marketing strategy. You’ll regret ever using that excel sheet in the first place!
Why should you choose DirectLync?
DirectLync offers a powerful solution to transform your business. We bring it all together to save you time and make your life easier. With the best all-in-one marketing platform, you get all the tools you need to make an impact on your business. With features like CRM, Email Marketing, Social Media Manager, Website CMS*, and Reporting & Insights, you can make your business unstoppable.
- Increase Productivity – simplify efforts and save time with all your tools in one place.
- Communicate Effectively – plan, manage, and enhance your marketing channels with compelling messages.
- Understand Your Customers – gain a complete view of your customers’ journey to build stronger relationships and increase sales.
- Generate Actionable Insights – make smarter, faster business decisions with integrated insights.
*The Website CMS feature is limited to custom-built websites only.
Your “All-in-One” Answer
Yes is the only thing you need to say when it comes to investing in an all-in-one marketing platform for your small business. With limited employees and time in the day, you won’t need to stress over what needs to be scheduled, published, and analyzed. With the help of DirectLync's all-in-one marketing platform, you can be planned out weeks in advance and have the chance to breathe during the workday and work on growing your business.
