How BPM Software transforms Marketing Campaign Management

As the years have passed, marketing has become more and more complex, and running marketing campaigns in the most efficient way is the key to success. As marketing activities are becoming more and more complex – for example, multi-channel campaigns and personalized content – the importance of well-managed processes is increasing. Therefore, business process management (BPM) software is an ideal tool to bring to light marketing campaign management. From planning to execution analysis and optimization, business Process Management software can help marketing departments improve their efficiency. In this blog post, we explain why BPM software is transforming marketing campaign management, and why it would be a great addition to any marketing department today.

What is BPM Software?

Business Process Management (BPM) is a solution used to automate, optimize and improve an organization’s business processes. BPM technology allows models and simulations of business processes to be created, implemented, monitored and refined, all in an effort to improve the performance of business processes in achieving core business goals.

BPM software automates various organizational business processes and serves to design, enact and optimize them in a structured manner to achieve maximum performance of business processes. Business Process Management software is increasingly implemented in several organizational business functions, such as marketing.

The Role of BPM Software in Marketing Campaign Management

A marketing campaign contains several activities: creating the content, targeting the audience in the correct way, distributing the aforementioned content, and finally, measuring the impact of the campaign. Running a marketing campaign is complex as it takes a huge amount of time, effort and energy. Managing campaigns manually may be tiresome, error-prone and inefficient. BPM software helps automate and simplify the entire process of campaign management. Let's have a look at how Business Process Management software can help improve the marketing campaign process….

1. Streamlining Workflow Automation

Maybe the most notable aspect of BPM software applied in the marketing environment is its capacity to automate workflows – that is, a set of (potentially many) recurring tasks involved with a single marketing campaign, such as sending emails, scheduling social media posts or generating reports, will be automated by BPM tools and done on time, within pre-set parameters.

For example, if a marketing team is launching a new product, the process will consist of multiple steps: first, the content has to be automated, then sent for approval, then sent to a mailing list, and finally metrics need to measured. With the help of BPM software, it is possible to automate these steps and aggregate them into a workflow: first, the content is created, then delivered for approval, then once approved it goes out to a distribution channel. In this way, the process saves a lot of time, but, most importantly, excludes the human factor, which could cause problems.

2. Enhancing Collaboration Across Teams

In particular, within large organizations it is common that various stakeholders from different departments must collaborate to run a particular marketing campaign (eg, the creative, sales, customer service teams). This collaboration is made possible through the use of BPM software, which provides a common workspace where all stakeholders can communicate, share documents and track a campaign developed in real time.

For example, the creative team could upload content to the BPM system for approval by the marketing manager; the sales team could build up strategy around the content on the same system; and the customer service team could prepare themselves for any customer enquiry on the system. All the teams could work in parallel on the same page, reducing the possibility of miscommunication and making the campaign more cohesive.

3. Improving Campaign Planning and Execution

Campaign execution is all about planning before you execute the campaign. A good campaign is one that is carefully mapped out from the start. Business Process Management software will allow marketing campaigns to map out the entire process, from planning out the campaign through to its execution. By mapping out every single step of your campaign, who is going to perform them, and when all of these will be done, you can ensure that nothing is left out.

BPM tools also provide visibility into the overall campaign timeline, enabling managers and executives to identify bottlenecks and take preventative measures to eliminate them and avoid a domino effect of delays. By proactively addressing such issues, campaign management becomes more seamless and effective.

4. Personalizing Customer Experiences

In the present climate, people have come to expect more tailored, relevant content and offers than ever before. BPM software can be used to provide customers with a more personalized experience when it is integrated with a company’s CRM system and other related data stores.

Leveraging customer data enables the Business Process Management software to personalize content and deliver it at the right moment and via the right channels. Say a customer shows interest in a product. The BPM system would automatically trigger an automated and personalized sequence of emails or adverts based on that interest. The customer is therefore much more likely to engage with you again, increasing the chances of making a purchase.

5. Ensuring Compliance and Accountability

Marketing campaigns are typically covered by a number of regulatory requirements (for example, the General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR] in the EU, or CCPA in the US, as well as other specific, industry requirements). A breach of these compliance requirements can lead to substantial fines – as well as loss of reputation. With BPM tools, regulatory requirements can be incorporated into the workflow.

For example, a campaign that involves collecting records of customers might have to follow a specific rule such as getting explicit consent before any data is processed and entered into the system. Business Process Management software that enforces those rules can not only track and document every action in the course of a campaign but can also provide an audit trail that demonstrates an organization’s compliance with regulations.

6. Optimizing Campaign Performance Through Analytics

In addition, one of the most useful affordances is the ability of a BPM solution to track and report on campaign performance in real-time. Incorporating an analytics component into BPM tools can provide the user with important insights into KPIs such as conversion rates, customer responsiveness and ROI.

This allows marketing teams to make informed decisions based on data, and to pivot on the fly if – say – a certain marketing channel is just not working. It’s critical, as the marketing landscape is ever-changing and a quick response can be the key to success or failure.

7. Facilitating Continuous Improvement

Marketing is something that you need to do regularly, so there is always room to tweak what you are doing. BPM software can support iterative improvement by providing job roles and a format for dissecting prior campaigns and for incorporating the lessons found in future campaigns.

When a campaign ends, BPM tools enable teams to perform post-campaign assessments and get feedback, which they can then apply to the next marketing campaign. This helps marketing teams continually improve their processes and become more efficient by practicing the art of continuous improvement.

Marketing campaigns are becoming more and more complicated, and the right Business Process Management software can help to manage the marketing campaigns in a better way. It helps to improve processes and deliver customer satisfaction, increasing efficiency and speed, and creating accurate decisions.

First, it makes workflows more efficient. That means processes can be carried out in an easier way and less complicated.

Secondly, collaboration is also deepened and improved. There is various software which allows process modelling and whereby it is easy to create workflows.

Thirdly, planning and execution of social media marketing campaigns are getting more and more complicated and sophisticated, and therefore proper scheduling and planning are of great importance. BPM software helps to manage these processes.

BPM tools for marketing teams are a must for those who want to stay competitive and produce impactful campaigns going forward.