NextPrinciples launches new social media-focused marketing automation system

Startup NextPrinciples is launching an enterprise-focused social media marketing automation system today. The company says it integrates elements of social, automation, demand generation, and CRM in one tool.

It’s an interesting new trend in marketing automation, one also seen in competitors Spokal and Vocus.

In brief, it helps companies identify potential customers based on what they’re saying in social media, rank them, and reach out to them in the best possible way.

The software allows companies to identify keywords they want to listen for and set up social media trackers with filters and specific criteria (think “bears not Chicago”). When collecting that data, brands can score potential leads with demographic and behavioral criteria via what NextPrinciple says is a “detailed and sophisticated” tool. Then, the company provides tools for companies to reach out to people via targeted, personalized, and timed content.

“NextPrinciples … brings new life to social by generating better leads and enhancing data that you already have in your Marketing Automation and CRM systems in a seamless manner,” CEO Satya Krishnaswamy said in a statement. “And, it’s an end to end process that integrates easily with your current systems and processes.”

Once companies have established communication with potential customers, those leads can then be pushed into traditional marketing automation or CRM systems.

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The tight connection with marketing automation and CRM systems is probably why NextPrinciples has a tight partnerships with Marketo, a leading enterprise-focused marketing automation system, and with SAP, IBM, and Microsoft.

NextPrinciples is clearly priced for the enterprise, with plans that go up to $2,499, but toe-in-the-water potential clients can also try the service out for just $99/month.

One big advantage the company touts is quick implementation. “All NextPrinciples customers have been on-boarded in two hours or less,” the company says.

The solution isn’t just a digital comb looking through Twitter for potential leads; it also helps score the ones you already have in your CRM or marketing automation system, by adding social color — such as social profiles, scores, and insights — to existing contacts.