
{"id":22763,"date":"2023-02-09T12:38:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T11:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/?p=22763"},"modified":"2023-02-09T12:41:39","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T11:41:39","slug":"what-is-crm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/what-is-crm\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is CRM? A Complete Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is CRM? CRM stands for customer relationship management. It&#8217;s an all-encompassing digital marketing tool that enables businesses to manage customer relationships and data. CRM systems track customer interactions, personalize customer experiences, build brand loyalty, and generate more leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sounds great, right? But how does a CRM system work, and how can you use it to reach digital marketing success? In this beginner&#8217;s guide, we&#8217;ll cover the basics of customer relationship management, the benefits of using a CRM system, and how CRM platforms facilitate the process of customer acquisition, engagement, and retention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article is for you if you&#8217;re <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/digital-marketing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new to the world of digital marketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or looking for a career change in this field. Feel free to use the clickable menu to find the information you&#8217;re looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-crm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is CRM?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-does-a-crm-system-do\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does a CRM system do?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#why-do-companies-use-crm-systems\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why do companies use CRM systems?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-does-a-crm-platform-work\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does a CRM platform work?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-to-learn-more-about-crm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to learn more about CRM<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#summary\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summary<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-crm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. What is CRM?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basically, a CRM system is like a digital filing cabinet for all of your customer data. It stores everything from contact information and sales history, to purchasing patterns and preferences. This data can be used to support sales and marketing activities, such as email campaigns, personalization efforts, and customer segmentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM systems also enable you to track customer interactions over time, giving you a better understanding of their needs and behavior. This helps you to build better relationships with customers and provide them with more tailored services and experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are different types of CRM systems, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>On-premise CRMs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are installed and maintained on the company&#8217;s own servers, requiring significant upfront costs and ongoing maintenance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cloud-based CRMs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are hosted on the cloud, offering quick access without software installation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mobile CRMs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are optimized for mobile devices, making them a good choice for companies with many on-the-go staff members.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although all CRM systems offer contact management solutions, their focus may vary depending on the types of businesses and goals they can support. For example, some tools have a mainly operational focus\u2014managing sales processes, customer service tasks, and customer communication\u2014while others focus on marketing and analytics capabilities\u2014providing insights into customer behavior and buying trends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which type of CRM a business uses depends on the size of the company, its budget, and more specific factors, such as customer segmentation, scalability, and the level of automation required.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-does-a-crm-system-do\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. What does a CRM system do?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter the type of CRM system you use, it should be able to perform the following key functions:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Store contact information<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the heart of every CRM system is contact information storage. It stores all customer or client-related data, such as names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and other contact details. This data allows you to identify who your customers are and keep track of their customer journey. And what&#8217;s more, if you&#8217;re dealing with a large customer base, CRM tools enable you to segment customers into groups and assign specific tags to them. This makes it easier for you to target customers and personalize your messages and marketing campaigns for maximum impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interested in learning more about customer journey maps for targeted marketing? Check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/what-is-a-customer-journey-map\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our comprehensive guide here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Log communication history<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM systems log the communication history between your customers and your company. This way, you can organize customer conversations by contact or account and track interactions with customers across multiple channels. This feature enables you to better understand customers&#8217; needs, respond quickly and accurately to inquiries, and resolve issues faster. Another atdvantage is that with all your communication data in one place, it\u2019s easier to spot opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimize the sales process<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM tools also streamline your marketing efforts and automate repetitive tasks. For instance, you can use them to manage your sales pipeline, track leads, and monitor the progress of deals. That way, you can easily identify which stage they are in and take appropriate action to move them forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also use CRM tools to schedule sales calls, set follow-up reminders, and assign tasks to team members. All this makes optimizing your sales process and maximizing your team&#8217;s productivity much easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analyze customer behavior<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another key feature of CRM systems is analytics.\u00a0 With powerful insights into customer behavior, you can get an in-depth understanding of your target audience\u2019s preferences and buying habits. This allows you to track customer engagement and analyze the effectiveness of your campaigns. Furthermore, you can use this data to identify growth opportunities, create targeted marketing strategies, and personalize customer experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/digital-marketing-analytics\/\">What are digital marketing analytics?<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improve customer experience<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To elaborate on the previous point: one of the most significant advantages of CRM systems is their ability to provide a better customer experience. By collecting and analyzing data about your customers, you can create personalized campaigns that resonate with them. Additionally, CRM tools enable you to build loyalty programs to reward your customers for their engagement and keep them coming back for more. So, using CRM software is a great way to increase customer satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use marketing automation<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/marketing-automation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketing automation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014or sales force automation\u2014is another common feature of CRM systems. With tools such as email campaigns and drip marketing, you can automate sales and marketing processes to save time and resources. This will enable you to focus on more critical tasks, such as nurturing relationships with existing customers, attracting new leads, and optimizing customer service. And, most importantly, it can help you to provide a seamless customer journey for maximum satisfaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measure and grow your business<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, CRM systems can help you measure and grow your business. For example, you can use customer data to assess your campaigns&#8217; lifetime value and return on investment (ROI). That way, you can adjust your customer outreach strategy as needed and make decisions that will lead to better customer retention and higher profits, which ultimately translates into business growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-do-companies-use-crm-systems\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Why do companies use CRM systems?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given all these features and functions, it\u2019s no wonder that CRM systems are gaining popularity in the business world. Companies of all sizes are investing in CRM software to connect with customers and prospects, improve customer service, and enhance their marketing efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective customer relationship management plays a crucial role in business growth today. With customer loyalty no longer a given, the only way to keep existing customers and attract new leads is by ensuring they remain as satisfied as possible throughout their journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwc.com\/us\/en\/advisory-services\/publications\/consumer-intelligence-series\/pwc-consumer-intelligence-series-customer-experience.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PWC report from 2018 on the future of customer experience in the U.S<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. confirms this:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One out of three customers will leave a brand they&#8217;ve been loyal to after just one negative experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">53% of customers hope to get better customer service from companies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70% of consumers say speed, convenience, and excellent customer support are the most significant factors determining overall satisfaction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what do these figures tell us? Quite simply, customer satisfaction is the key to success in today&#8217;s competitive business landscape. And the only way to ensure it is by leveraging effective customer relationship management strategies. Successful business managers understand the importance of customer relations and take a proactive approach by utilizing CRMs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-does-a-crm-platform-work\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. How does a CRM platform work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;ve probably heard of popular CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales, and Zendesk. But how do they actually work?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s a quick overview of the steps involved in setting up and working with a CRM system:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Setting up the platform<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: install, configure, and customize it to ensure it&#8217;s tailored to your needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Collecting customer data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: use forms, surveys, or other data collection methods to gather customer data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Inputting data into the CRM<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: input all the collected customer data into the CRM system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Automating processes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: automate email campaigns, customer segmentation, and lead generation tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Analyzing data<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: analyze the data to gain valuable insights into customer behaviors and preferences.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> Improving relationships<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: use these insights to engage customers more effectively and build stronger relationships.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, this is just a brief overview of how CRM systems work. Every platform comes with its own set of features and functionalities that can be tailored to a company\u2019s specific needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-learn-more-about-crm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. How to learn more about CRM<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are countless free resources available online to help you learn more about customer relationship management. Official websites of popular CRM platforms offer comprehensive training materials. Here are our top three examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/academy.hubspot.com\/marketing-sales-tool-training?__hstc=6643565.c65bd0c1827bf7e46eeba9b6ed465edb.1671023772030.1671023772030.1671023772030.1&amp;__hssc=6643565.1.1671023772030&amp;__hsfp=3719549991\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HubSpot CRM Software Training<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zoho.com\/crm\/customer-success\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zoho CRM Training Courses<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pipedrive.com\/en\/resources\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pipedrive Sales Resources<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another great starting point is the database from<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/crm.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It contains a wealth of information about different types of CRM systems, their features, articles, and case studies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And finally, if you want to learn more about digital marketing, consider enrolling in our<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/short-courses\/become-a-digital-marketer\/?popup-tracking=WYSDN-short-course-DM\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free introductory course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It includes a tutorial on the most commonly used marketing metrics relevant to CRM, and it&#8217;ll give you the basics you need to get started in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"summary\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Summary<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRM solutions have become an essential part of modern digital marketing. They help businesses build better customer relationships, identify improvement opportunities, and increase customer satisfaction levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With technology advancing at an ever-increasing pace, knowing how to implement and use these systems is a valuable asset for anyone interested in a career in digital marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more in-depth information on how to get into digital marketing, check out these articles:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/what-does-a-copywriter-do\/\">What does a copywriter do?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/inbound-marketing\/\">What is inbound marketing?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/digital-marketing\/pay-per-click-marketing\/\">What is pay-per-click (PPC) marketing?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is CRM? How does a CRM system work, and how can you use it to reach digital marketing success? In this beginner&#8217;s guide, we&#8217;ll cover the basics of customer relationship management, the benefits of using a CRM system, and how CRM platforms facilitate the process of customer acquisition, engagement, and retention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":22764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing"],"acf":{"homepage_category_featured":false},"modified_by":"Kirstie Sequitin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}