Automation is easy.
But try telling that to the guys who are setting things up!
It’s not all plain sailing for the marketing automation experts of this world. And here are the four things they struggle with most in their efforts.
Creating automations and complex journeys
There is a lot to factor in when building more sophisticated automations. It requires research and planning. Jumping into automation with no planning can lead to negative customer experiences. You should consider all of the potential journeys. To do this, marketers must be familiar with the customer journey of the business. Complex automations shouldn’t put marketers off the idea. So remember when creating automations the power is in the planning.
Top Tip: Plan ahead. Before diving straight into creating your automations, have a robust plan of action in place.
Humanisation (Not Personalisation!)
Often confused terms – personalisation and humanisation – are worlds apart. We’ve talked about it before in our Ways To Humanise Automation article. It’s something we’re passionate about at Automation Base:
The power of developing human-to-human automation.
And it’s the most common thing that marketing automation experts get wrong. The most effective communications hold a human touch and consider how the audience is feeling at that moment. So using this research, experts should ask whether the channel used feels natural and relevant to them.
Top Tip: Learn more ways to develop human-to-human automation in our Ways To Humanise Automation article
Integrations
The best automations require seamless integrations. For example, your automated marketing platform might need to link to your website to collect leads from a landing page. Or your accounting platform might need to send invoices to converted leads sitting in your CRM.
Do you expect to have to build multiple automations? If so, choose an automation tool that integrates with other apps you plan to use or are already using. You’ll make it easier for yourself in the long run and create a smoother experience for your customers, leading you to more business.
Top Tip: Research your marketing automation platform and ensure it integrates with your desired apps.
Creating content
We talk about the challenge of content creation in our Problems With Marketing Automation article. It’s what drives automated activity. It’s the value that engages customers. Often smaller businesses forget to create content and hire an automation developer first. But their initial focus should be on creating the communications, blogs, downloadable content, etc., that drives it. Without the content created by marketers and copywriters, it’s a non-starter!
Top Tip: Create all content first and build your automations around it.
Get in touch with the experts
Here at Airbase we can help you create an effective automation strategy. Simply ask us a question to get started.
