To increase digital reach, Marketing Automation has become a staple for all marketing and sales teams to build customer relationships.
Marketing automation software usually benefits businesses by helping them save time.
It automates repetitive marketing processes such as sending email campaigns or posting social media. These marketing tasks support the customer journey and often increase lead generation.
But marketing automation only sometimes leads to positive customer experiences. It can lead to rigidity that may send the wrong message to a brand’s audience during moments of change or cultural relevance. We’re only a couple of months into 2020, and we’ve already seen examples of the risk of marketing automation.
You’ll be able to read on to discover the risk of marketing automation and how marketers can take care of these risks.
Where Did Marketing Automation Come From?
The marketing automation industry started in the early 2000s when a few titans, like Salesforce, emerged. Back then, marketing automation platforms focused primarily on Email Marketing and CRM data.
The industry has ballooned to a net worth of $1.62 billion, with many practitioners and companies offering low-risk automation practices. Most brands now automate many aspects of their marketing processes, including transactional emails, lead generation, display and social media advertising, and social media campaigns.
Marketers Need to Be Agile As the World Changes
It’s been almost 20 years since the marketing automation industry was established, and much has changed. Marketers today can no longer set campaigns and forget about them once they reach a certain performance level.
Marketers now need to have an agile approach to their strategies. This means keeping up with what is culturally relevant, acceptable, and permissible in the eyes of those who will receive their ads or emails. Marketing teams must then be able to adjust their strategies and campaigns that reflect the current realities of their audience.
A non-agile marketing approach that relies too heavily on automation risks sending outward messages that are tone dead, inappropriate, or irrelevant. And customers take note of these missteps because consumer expectations today have evolved. Customers are socially aware, and they hold the businesses they support accountable.
Yesterday’s #BlackOutTuesday is an excellent example of the need to be in tune with cultural moments. The day’s purpose was for social media to put regular content on pause. Instead, the online space was dedicated to amplifying Black voices and taking the time offline to learn about the systemic racism Black people face daily.
On Tuesday, marketers needed to pause their ads, change up email content, and push social media content aligned with what the public was doing in protest against racism and police brutality. Some marketers were on top of it, but others could not because of the automation inside their tech.
Balance Marketing Automation With Agility
If 2020 so far has taught us anything, it’s that these days the world is more connected and more online than it’s ever been before. While this has resulted in positive gains for ecommerce, it also means that marketers must be on top of the content they publish in real-time.
Marketing teams must remember their marketing campaigns. Instead, marketers need an agile and fluid approach to their strategies to respond adequately in moments of change and cultural relevance.
While automated processes continue to have benefits, companies should aim to strike a balance between automation and real-time marketing. This means ensuring that marketers have the tools to pause any automated processes in sudden or significant moments.
A company’s marketing team is the key to ensuring companies stay culturally relevant and topical. It used to be that marketers would use marketing automation tools to set up and run campaigns with the single goal of high performance. But these days, consumer expectations mean marketers are responsible for promoting positive change by shifting their content to reflect cultural moments. In this context, all-in-one marketing automation software like adplorer.com can play a crucial role in helping marketers strike that balance between automation and real-time marketing. With its comprehensive suite of features, Adplorer allows businesses to automate various marketing tasks while still providing the flexibility to swiftly adjust campaigns in response to changing cultural and market dynamics. By embracing an agile approach and leveraging the capabilities of all-in-one marketing automation software like Adplorer, marketers can ensure their strategies remain relevant, timely, and aligned with their audience’s expectations.
The Evolution of Marketing Automation Tools
Marketing automation tools have evolved significantly since their inception in the early 2000s. Initially, these tools were primarily focused on email marketing and CRM data management. However, with technological advancements, they have expanded to include a wide range of features that automate various marketing tasks. These tasks include but are not limited to transactional emails, lead generation, display and social media advertising, and social media campaigns. The evolution of these tools has been driven by the need for businesses to save time, increase efficiency, and streamline their marketing processes.
The Role of Data in Marketing Automation
Data plays a crucial role in marketing automation. The customer data collected through various interactions enables personalized messaging and experiences. This data-driven approach allows businesses to create relevant content and messaging at scale across multiple channels. With automation, marketers can reach customers from acquisition to advocacy. This approach increases lead generation and enhances customer relationships and loyalty.
Marketing Automation and CRM: A Powerful Combination
Marketing automation integrates well with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. This integration creates connected customer experiences across marketing, sales, and customer service teams. It simplifies tasks like scheduling email sends, running A/B tests, measuring performance, and expanding customer view beyond CRM. This unified platform gives businesses a comprehensive view of their customers, enabling them to deliver personalized experiences that drive engagement and conversion.
Best Practices for Implementing Marketing Automation
Implementing marketing automation requires a strategic approach. Best practices include defining goals, collaborating with other teams, creating process-visualizations, segmenting databases, preparing content strategy, planning for a slow rollout, and analyzing performance. These practices ensure that the automation process aligns with the business’s overall marketing strategy and goals, leading to more effective and efficient marketing campaigns.
The Future of Marketing Automation
The future of marketing automation lies in its ability to balance automation with real-time marketing. As the world becomes more connected and online, marketers must be on top of the content they publish in real-time. This means ensuring that marketers have the tools to pause any automated processes in sudden or significant moments. The future will see more advanced marketing automation tools that allow marketers to swiftly adjust campaigns in response to changing cultural and market dynamics.
Summary
This article discusses the evolution and importance of Marketing Automation in the digital era. It highlights how automation has become a staple for marketing and sales teams to build customer relationships and increase lead generation. However, it also points out the risks associated with over-reliance on automation, particularly in moments of cultural relevance or change. The article emphasizes the need for marketers to balance automation with agility to ensure their strategies remain culturally relevant and aligned with their audience’s expectations. The role of all-in-one marketing automation software like Adplorer in achieving this balance is also discussed. The additional content provided further elaborates on the evolution of marketing automation tools, the role of data in marketing automation, the integration of marketing automation with CRM, best practices for implementing marketing automation, and the future of marketing automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is marketing automation, for example?
Marketing automation is a technology that automatically manages marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels. For example, a business can use marketing automation to send automated emails to customers based on their behavior, such as purchasing or abandoning a shopping cart.
What is CRM marketing automation?
CRM marketing automation is the integration of marketing automation tools with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. This integration allows businesses to manage their marketing campaigns and customer relationships from a unified platform, leading to more personalized and effective marketing strategies.
What is the difference between CRM and marketing automation?
While CRM and marketing automation are tools that help businesses manage their customer relationships, they serve different purposes. CRM systems focus on managing customer relationships and sales processes while marketing automation tools automate repetitive marketing tasks such as sending emails or posting on social media.
How do I become marketing automation?
Becoming marketing automation refers to the process of implementing marketing automation tools in your business. This involves choosing the right tool, setting up the software, defining your marketing automation strategy, and training your team to use the tool effectively.
What are the benefits of marketing automation?
Marketing automation offers several benefits, including saving time by automating repetitive tasks, increasing efficiency by streamlining marketing processes, enhancing customer relationships through personalized messaging, and improving lead generation and conversion rates.
How does marketing automation work?
Marketing automation works by using software to automate repetitive marketing tasks. This can include sending automated emails, scheduling social media posts, managing customer data, and tracking campaign performance.
What does marketing automation mean for the customer journey?
Marketing automation enhances the customer journey by delivering personalized and timely content to customers. It allows businesses to engage with customers at every stage of their journey, from acquisition to advocacy, improving customer relationships and loyalty.
What are some marketing automation best practices?
Some best practices for marketing automation include defining clear goals, segmenting your customer database, creating a content strategy, collaborating with other teams, planning for a slow rollout, and regularly analyzing and optimizing your campaigns.
Do you know if marketing automation is easy to use?
Yes, most marketing automation tools are designed to be user-friendly, with intuitive interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality. However, like any tool, it requires some training and practice to use effectively.
How can marketing automation increase revenue?
Marketing automation can increase revenue by improving lead generation and conversion rates. Businesses can focus on higher-value activities that drive revenue by automating repetitive tasks. Additionally, personalized messaging can enhance customer relationships and loyalty, leading to increased sales.
What are the risks of marketing automation?
While marketing automation offers many benefits, it also has risks. These include sending irrelevant or inappropriate messages if not correctly managed, over-reliance on automation at the expense of personal interaction, and potential issues with data privacy and security.
How can I balance automation with real-time marketing?
Balancing automation with real-time marketing involves using automation tools to streamline repetitive tasks while maintaining the flexibility to adjust campaigns in response to real-time events or changes in the market. This can be achieved by regularly monitoring your movements and having the tools to pause or modify them.
What is the role of data in marketing automation?
Data plays a crucial role in marketing automation, enabling businesses to deliver personalized content and messaging. By collecting and analyzing customer data, companies can understand their customer’s behaviors and preferences, leading to more effective marketing strategies.
How does marketing automation integrate with CRM?
Marketing automation integrates with CRM by sharing data between the two systems. This gives businesses a comprehensive view of their customers, enabling them to deliver personalized experiences that drive engagement and conversion.
What is the future of marketing automation?
The future of marketing automation lies in its ability to balance automation with real-time marketing. As the world becomes more connected and online, marketers will need tools that allow them to swiftly adjust campaigns in response to changing cultural and market dynamics.
This article originally appeared in the Diff Agency blog and has been published for broader discovery.
