Can You Have Too Much Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is vital, but it needs to be done right.

Digital tools afford modern marketers an unprecedented level of control over their automated processes, but it’s important everything isn’t simply set to autopilot. Marketing automation is a tremendous asset, but only when used thoughtfully. Adjustments must be made frequently to accommodate changes in customer trends and company strategy. It’s vital to understand how to effectively manage your automation structure.

Falling into Complacency

Automating your marketing processes, such as sending out emails to your mailing list and automatic posts to social media pages, is a fantastic way to cut down on time spent on the mundane parts of marketing. This can allow you to focus more of your effort on building your brand and growing a sphere of influence. However, if you simply set up your automations and assume everything is just fine, you’ll more than likely encounter significant issues.

Email Spamming Customers

One of the last things you want to have happen is for your customers to assume you’re going to continuously bombard them with unhelpful, pointless emails. This is the fastest way to get mailing list members to hit the unsubscribe button, so make sure you’re only sending out emails with value.

Some of your email marketing needs to be automated, such as sending customers receipts after making purchases, or thanking them for fulfilling a call to action, such as downloading a freebie or signing up for your mailing list. However, never assume your email marketing is frivolous – it’s a tremendous asset when leveraged effectively, so don’t neglect the human aspect of connecting with your customers.

Neglecting Personal Connections

It’s a great idea to set up some kind of automatic response for customer inquiries. This lets the customer know their message has been received. However, these interactions are going to require a personal touch for the follow-up. If your automation processes aren’t notifying you of issues, customers will start to assume they’re sending messages into the void and you aren’t interested in actually helping. When a customer has an issue, it’s an opportunity to display stellar service. When these messages are overlooked or never seen, those opportunities disappear and diminish your reputation with customers.”

Greater Precision Requires Skilled Hands

Automation can help you target your marketing more effectively, increase your email open rates, and reduce the number of people unsubscribing from your mailing list. However, this requires consistent effort on your part. Carefully track all your metrics to see what works and what doesn’t, and tweak your automation processes accordingly.

Changing with the Times

Automation on social media can have disastrous effects without proper monitoring. For example, setting up automatic responses to tweets could work in most cases, but if a recent event causes emotions to flare among your customer base, these automatic messages can seem stale, disconnected, or even inappropriate. When things change, you need to adjust your automation so you’re not inaccurately representing your brand through robotic messages.

Marketing automation can be a fantastic asset when used well or a complete disaster if you fall into complacency or fail to change with the times. Think about how your automation platform has performed and consider areas you could improve.