Is Marketing Automation Right For Your Business?

Should every business use marketing automation?

Before I answer the above question on whether every business should have a marketing automation process or not, let’s first of all define what marketing automation really is…

Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments and organizations to more effectively market on multiple channels online (such as email, social media, websites, etc.) and automate repetitive tasks” (source: Wikipedia).

In other words… it’s a system which simplifies tasks for businesses, within the context of marketing!

We’re living in the ‘age of robots’. A period driven by technology, which has now formed the base for most businesses. One way or the other, we’re all using online mediums to connect, learn, engage, share ideas, promote our businesses, and in some cases, let off a few rants here and there.

Everything we do online is based on systems. Our websites, email, social media accounts, etc, are all built on systems. Based on this, there’s a level of automation within each system, which then addresses the question whether every business should have it in place or not. I believe businesses with an online presence can benefit from having some form of marketing automation process in place, however, it’s basically a matter of choice and ease of operations.

A social media manager would tell you that it’s best to use systems such as Hootsuite, Buffer, MeetEdgar, IFTTT, etc, to get the word out automatically to various platforms or individuals, otherwise he/she would be burned out trying to run a gazillion accounts manually.

All well and good, but where do we draw the line, when it comes to marketing automation? Should every business use it?

Here’s the thing…

Marketing automation helps reduce some work load, however, if it’s not well setup, it can ruin your business’s reputation. It’s important for business owners to keep an eye on things, in order to ensure everything is functioning well.

Let’s examine three key aspects of marketing automation, then you can make a decision if it’s something worth integrating in your business or not:

#1. Funnel systems

When it comes to funnels, there’s usually a lot of moving parts. This aspect of marketing automation is usually where the grunt work is, and also one which overwhelms business owners.

In order to avoid that, let’s focus on the simpler aspects. A funnel is basically the system you take a prospect through, in order to get him/her on board as a client/customer. This can be something as simple as a newsletter signup form on your website. But what makes it unique is the communication that goes on behind the scenes.

If one element is broken, then it’ll affect the entire automation process within a funnel system. But here’s where most people miss it when it comes to funnels… they focus more on the tools and forget to fine tune their content, offer, and call to action. These later aspects are the determinants when it comes to lead generation and sales conversions.

When you have the right offer, content and effective call to action (you could create a genuine sense of urgency or scarcity), which is in line with the well structured funnel system, then you’re well positioned to have a smooth marketing automation process. Never leave things to chance… keep an eye, or end up leaving money on the table!

#2. Emailing systems:

The idea behind marketing automation via email is primarily to sustain the connection you’ve established your contacts who came through your funnel system. When a visitor lands on your website, and decides to become a subscriber, it’s important to keep him/her updated as much as you can, in order to stay in his/her memory. There are thousands of other businesses also vying for his/her attention.

But there’s a downside to marketing automation via email, which is usually due to the systems we use. You see, no matter how much technology has improved, there’s always bound to be issues, one way or the other. When that happens, you might end up sending emails meant for “John Doe” to “Jane Doe” (which is not always a good thing).

There are those who prefer to setup all their emails for the year to go out automatically. Makes life easy right? Well, you might want to go easy on that one, because when it comes to email marketing, timing, proper segmentation, and personalisation are vital for success.

The best period for marketing automation with emails (in my humble opinion) is the first few days people subscribe (it can be the first 5-7 days). You’re using that period to solidify the connection, and also gauge the responses.

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#3. Social Media systems:

Social media has become every business’s go to medium for brand awareness, promotion, engagement, interaction, and many other activities. There’s a great deal of interaction happening around these various networks, and trying keeping up with everyone of them can lead to massive overwhelm.

As much as I value automation in business, applying it within social media is not often my focal point, however, there are times when one needs to setup certain marketing automation processes within social media, in order to be more efficient on the long run.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of marketing automation within social media:

Pros:

  • Easy to schedule posts to go out for a certain period of time, using automation tools such as Buffer or MeetEdgar
  • Helps business owners leverage their time more effectively
  • Helps reduce overwhelm when it comes to creating and posting content consistently on social media
  • It creates speed for the business, based on how they setup their content to go out

Cons:

  • It creates a void when it comes to establishing real connection between businesses and their ideal prospects (people feel as if they’re communicating with robots)
  • It increases the risk of losing clients/customers, especially if they are looking for real time solutions
  • It gives the market the perception that the business doesn’t really care about them, but themselves
  • It lacks the core personal appeal that comes with social media (i.e. being on social media without being social)

With the outline above, it’s left for you to make a decision about integrating marketing automation within your social media strategy. I personally do not use it, but that’s not to say it doesn’t work. I believe in testing out various process, so my suggestion in this case would be that you test things out, gauge how your market reacts, and then adjust accordingly.

Conclusion:

Marketing automation will continue to grow, and there will be more and more sophisticated processed created within it. What matters the most (in my humble opinion) is not how sophisticated it becomes, but how valuable it will be to the end user (i.e. our ideal prospects, clients/customers).

Whichever medium you choose to use in reaching, attracting, acquiring and converting your market, the bottom line is that a good marketing automation system can help you achieve positive results… you just need to know how to setup these systems within your business.

If you need advice, then schedule a date and time with me, to discuss how best to approach it for your business. Click here to apply

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To your success!

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