Automating your marketing effort has become a new norm these days. With all the available software, programs, and applications out there that are just at your disposal, it has practically become a requirement for companies to incorporate a few of these technologies into the way they are promoting their brand and growing their business.
While it’s good that businesses have more than a few options to choose from where marketing automation goes, another problem has also emerged— that is which from among these choices would work best for you. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of wanting to try every single tool out there in the hopes that you can finally find the right fit for your business, stop right there.
There’s a very good chance you may be making some of the most common mistakes that businesses commit in terms of marketing automation. Read on to find out if you are guilty of the following:
Choosing the wrong tools
There are a lot of marketing automation tools out there, and each may have its strengths and weaknesses. When you’re first starting out, it’s tempting to pick the tool that looks the most sophisticated, because that’s what it will most likely be.
But as your business grows and you start to optimize for more complex goals that might require customization, you may need a more robust platform. It is also important to look beyond just the functionality offered by each platform.
Before you start investing in any tools, make sure you understand what they can do and how they will fit into your marketing strategy. Does the solution provide analytics and other data insights? Are there any third-party integrations or APIs that can help you build additional functionality? Are there any training resources or support available?
When choosing an automation tool, remember that it should be able to do three things:
- automate the repetitive tasks involved in marketing
- help to track data across all marketing channels
- give you insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns
The best way to do this is by testing different tools against each other. Also, it does help to use automation tools with a strong track record of delivering results.
Not giving a tool enough time to work
Marketing automation tools are often thought of as a quick fix to all your digital marketing woes, but they’re not. In fact, you must make sure you give them time to work. If you’re not patient, your marketing automation tool may not produce the results you want.
By giving the system time to learn about your business, you avoid the risk of sending out automated messages that are irrelevant to your business. The last thing you want is for your brand to end up looking unprofessional due to the mixed messages it has been sending.
It can take a few months for a tool to have an impact on your business. Once it’s working, you want to keep using it every week so that it continues to be effective.
You also have to set up the right systems, add users, and integrate the technology with all your other systems. Set aside at least a few weeks to test and fine-tune your marketing automation strategy. By taking the time to learn what works and what doesn’t, you can make sure that everything has a clear purpose and is effectively executed.
Executing an automated marketing strategy effectively takes a lot of time and effort. So, give it time and don’t move on to the next fad or you’ll just be wasting your money and time.
Automating the wrong aspect of your business
Automation is a powerful tool that can be used to optimize the performance of your marketing activities, but it is not magic. It can help increase leads and sales by taking over repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and website content creation. In fact, implementing automation in over 30% of sales activity can improve its effectiveness and efficiency. However, it should not be viewed as a silver bullet that will solve all of your problems.
Rather, it should be used in conjunction with other optimization tactics such as product research and data analysis. Failure to do so could result in an increase in costs, customer frustration, and a decrease in ROI.
When you automate, you must take extra steps to ensure that your workflow is running smoothly and that everything is working as intended. You don’t want to make the mistake of automating the wrong aspect of your marketing strategy. If you’re trying to automate email marketing, but still sending out emails manually, then your automation efforts will go nowhere.
Spamming your customers
Marketing automation can do wonders for your marketing efforts. There’s just one problem: It can also be one of the most dangerous tools for marketers to use. If you’re not careful, it can lead to spamming your customers or damaging their trust in your brand.
This is especially true for email marketing. Here are some things you need to keep in mind:
1. Always be mindful of your tone. Pay attention to proper email marketing etiquette. If people don’t feel like they’re getting value out of your emails, they won’t want to receive them at all. So be sure to keep your tone friendly and helpful, not pushy or aggressive.
2. Make sure you’re not overdoing it. There’s nothing worse than seeing a customer unsubscribe from an email simply because it kept popping up in their inbox over and over again. If you’re sending too many, you could risk annoying them and losing their business.
Spending too much
Your marketing automation tool is not a magic wand. It’s not going to make you overnight success, it’s not going to save your business and it’s not going to solve all your problems.
It simply gives you the ability to automate certain parts of your marketing process. Before you invest in a tool, make sure you have a thorough understanding of what it can and can’t do.
You’ll also want to carefully consider how much it will cost and how effective it will be before committing to a full rollout. Don’t make the mistake of spending too much on marketing automation because just like any other business expense, you should be realistic about your budget.
Temper your expectations for marketing automation tools
It’s easy to get sucked into the allure of marketing automation tools. They promise to optimize your marketing workflow, so you can spend less time on repetitive tasks. But marketing automation isn’t a silver bullet for achieving success.
In fact, there are plenty of mistakes that can derail your marketing efforts if you don’t take the proper precautions. So, don’t let yourself get caught up in the hype. At the end of the day, how well you incorporate these tools into your overall marketing strategy will determine whether your business will succeed or not.