How to Use Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Marketing Campaign Management

In a recent blog we highlighted how Access Hoover’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help streamline the creation and management of lists for campaigns.  Today, we are highlighting how Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketing makes campaign planning and management easy.  Once you have a target marketing list created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM you can create a campaign by identifying the common items you need to track such as type of campaign, start and end date, budget, etc. and then the fun of planning begins.  Within the CRM campaign window there are areas to track Campaign Planning Tasks, Campaign Activities, Campaign Responses, Campaign Literature, and more.

Campaign Planning Tasks are used to track everything that needs to be done for a campaign, and help you properly organize a campaign launch.  For example, if you were attending a tradeshow to promote your product or service to healthcare organizations, you would include tasks for securing a booth location, identify collateral to print, arrange travel, etc.  As a rule of thumb, most will use tasks to track anything that does not have a cost or marketing list associated with it, and instead will use Campaign Activities for tracking those items.

Although Campaign Activities are similar to Planning Tasks, Campaign Activities include more detailed information about budgets and vendors required to execute the campaign.  You are also able to associate marketing lists to Activities, so you can bulk distribute Activities such as phone calls all at one.  This helps save time and streamlines who is responsible for what to ensure a successful campaign.

As each Planning Task and Campaign Activity is completed the campaign begins to take shape and you can start to track the campaign progress and performance right within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  This can include tracking campaign responses, completion and status of tasks and activities, budget to actual, ROI, and more.  Microsoft Dynamics CRM seamless integration with Excel also allows you to export campaign information easily and share it with others.

Another key area of campaigns within Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the Sales Literature area, where all collateral and materials that are being used for the campaign can be stored right within the campaign.  Expiration dates can also be specified for the literature to ensure it is not used after the campaign is over.   This helps sales teams have quick access to all the information for a campaign when it comes to follow-up, etc.

If you are not using Microsoft Dynamics CRM Marketing Automation to its fullest potential today, contact InterDyn – Remington Consulting and we can help you implement best practices to use features that are included out-of-the-box.

By InterDyn – Remington Consulting, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Gold Certified Partner in Portland, OR