It’s Simple Really: Your Introduction to Marketing Automation

The Age of Technology is truly upon us. If it doesn’t send email, it wasn’t built in this century. If the toaster can’t be programmed with Bluetooth, you need a new toaster. And now, we’re taking things a step further. And you’re going to be part of it. You’re ready to embrace automated marketing. Excellent… what is that?

Despite its popularity, more than a few companies struggle to grasp the concept of marketing automation. We’ll give you a fun and light-weight introduction to marketing automation. Here’s where part of the problem lies:

Marketing, people understand. Automation is the part that trips them up.

So lets break down “automation.”

Imagine instead, your FAQ page. A customer or prospective client has a question, you have the answer there waiting for them. You provide information they didn’t realize they’d need. And it came at no added cost to you. Now imagine a FAQ page, addressed to and tailored for each individual client.

How is that useful?

You want your customers to feel valued. To do that, you need to show them they’re more than just a number to you, that their needs are your priority.

You want to get your latest products and special offers seen by the right audience. To do that, you need to gather what relevant information is available and send out the appropriate response.

You want to make the most of your leads.

This is what marketing automation software was created for.

Automated marketing encourages leads to become personalized sales.

Great. Job done, right?

Lets go back to the FAQ page. Have you ever been denied the option of sending in your unique complaint, referred only to a static script of answers, with the very distinct sense that the site owners are trying to avoid dealing with you? How did that influence your opinion of that company?

This is where automated marketing falls short.

When handled badly, it’s mistakenly viewed as lead generation, in a campaign left unable to adapt. Investing in automation and failing to take into account your client’s specific and ever-changing needs is a sure-fire way to lose on that investment. In the end, your once quality leads have discredited your company.

Marketing is still the question of “what can I do for you?” Automation hasn’t changed that.

Knowing what it is is only half the battle. Knowing what it’s for, whether it’s right for you and how to use it is the real key to success.