With marketing automation being thrown around as often as it is today, it’s important not to abuse or misuse the tools and tips out there. Below are some general guidelines for what automation does along with what it should not be used for.
#1: Automating Information
Does: Share information with your audience from a select few (or one) central locations.
Shouldn’t: Copy your message and disperse it amongst all mediums
#2: Efficiencies
Does: Use your time more effectively
Shouldn’t: Set and forget or never return to evaluate
#3: Interactive Selling Cycle
Does: Allow customers and prospects to customize what information they receive from you.
Shouldn’t: Create a sales robot in place of a sales person.
#4: Customer Service
Does: Automatically trigger messages to customers or alerts to your company at high priority touch points (ex: abandoned carts, negative sentiment on social, filling out a satisfaction survey)
Shouldn’t: Allow you to operate without personal interaction or live customer service.
#5: Reporting
Does: Create high level automated analytics/reporting based on a variety of user behavior, conversion and other criteria.
Shouldn’t: Provide an ongoing business plan or detailed analysis of current marketing and site performance.
Summary
Screenshot from Google Images search for ‘Marketing Automation’
Just because a tool makes something easier, does not necessarily mean it is the right tool for your business. Make sure you have a solid plan in place for how and why you are using marketing automation. Use real people, yourself included, to handle the important conversations and interactions as well as some not quite so important ones. Automation should be an extension of your business, not a replacement for more valuable resources. As always, our team is here to help you make the right decisions when it comes to your marketing plan. If you have questions, give us a call at at (919) 636-9835 or email us at fungimarketing@gmail.com.