Well the first thing they do is allow marketers to create customer journeys and build personalized workflows using visual drag-and-drop editors. Like with Ontraport, the platform I use, I have a little 'map-maker'. Think of it as a grey and gold flow chart. These workflows can be triggered by events like a new lead entering the system or a specific action taken on a website. Ontraport then automatically sends emails, SMS messages (texts), or even social media updates. This ensures relevant and timely communication with your prospects and customers.

Second, marketing automation platforms enable businesses to segment their audience based on various criteria. There are items like  like such demographics; where were you born, where do you live. You know the usual. Then there's more advanced data points like behavior, or engagement level.

By using these segments, marketers can tailor their messages and offers specifically to each group of individuals, increasing their chances of converting them into customers. And these platforms provide sophisticated tracking and analytics capabilities. This means you don't just have this data, you can dig into it and come up with innovative ways to continue marketing.

Lastly, marketing automation platforms often integrate with other tools and systems, such as CRM software or social media platforms. Or, if you're lucky enough to use a platform like Ontraport you often don't need to. All the data is in one place. Still, there's almost always something you need to use that your platform can't do for itself. Businesses are tricky things and nobody can do quite everything. Ontraport comes pretty close though.

Anyway, integration enables marketers to collect valuable data from different sources and leverage it to create more targeted and personalized campaigns. With the help of marketing automation, your business can optimize its marketing efforts, save time, and deliver more relevant and engaging content to their audience, ultimately driving growth and increasing the value of your investment.

But remember the real value here is that your business save time and resources with the platform you use, "cough, Ontraport, cough". It does this by automating repetitive tasks such as email marketing, lead nurturing, and social media posting. Imagine not having to pay someone to manage all those details for you. Instead, your marketing automation platform does it all for you. And what do you do? You spend time working on your book, developing your product, or heck taking a hard won vacation. I'm sure you've earned it.

When you get back all that data your system has been collecting from various touchpoints like website visits, email opens, and social media interactions, providing valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. This level of interaction and customization makes your customers feel seen. There's nothing like a business that cares and makes you feel like a person instead of a number. Your marketing automation platform is a critical piece of how to accomplish that. This level of personalization not only improves customer engagement but also increases conversion rates, ultimately driving revenue growth for businesses.