Definition of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and an Email marketing platform, their differences and which platform is the best for your business.
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Email or CRM Platform: The Million Dollar Question?– Lyris Blog
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Email or CRM Platform: The Million Dollar Question?
By Ramak Capodicasa
Whatever your line of business, your customers are the most important
component of it. While managing and communicating with your
customers effectively is vital, things can get a little confusing when it comes
to the use of email marketing platforms versus Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) platforms.
In my experience working with digital marketing
managers and directors across Asia Pacific, there are two
underlying questions feeding the confusion: What is the
difference between CRM and email platforms, and do
you need one, or the other…or BOTH?
So here is a breakdown that might be useful.
What is a CRM platform?
A CRM is a type of database that is used to collect customer information like names and email addresses, and that
manages customer data. A good CRM should be able to provide you with a 360-degree view of your customer base.
CRMs can also help you manage your customer and sales pipelines and can track other customer information like
purchasing history, discounts used, complaints/refunds, account logins, events attended, and so on. With a CRM, you
can often see who your most loyal customers are and even which of your products are most popular.
What is an email marketing platform?
An email marketing platform is an execution platform that facilitates one-to-one communications with your
customers. It’s not a database (like a CRM), but rather a tool that allows you to target and communicate with your
customers by sending them various automated emails, like newsletters or seasonal sales offers, for example.
An email marketing platform should be able to track your customer behaviour (such as clicks and downloads),
which can be instrumental in informing your future communication strategies and measuring the success of your
email campaigns.