Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments and organizations to more effectively market on multiple channels. They do this by employing AI to automatically complete otherwise mundane or time-consuming manual tasks involved in email, social media, websites, etc.
In 2021, all but the human brain will be automated. Alright, that might be a tad dramatic, but when it comes to marketing, it’s safe to say virtually all areas will have some sort of automation tool available, and for good reason, to be honest.
Let’s define marketing automation…
Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments and organizations to more effectively market on multiple channels. They do this by employing AI to automatically complete otherwise mundane or time-consuming manual tasks involved in email, social media, websites, etc.
In short, it streamlines the logistics of your business and makes daily tasks easier.
Why is automation becoming increasingly important?
As the demands of your business grow, it is important that you protect your company’s most vital resource--time. Marketing automation allows you to place your time and energy where it is needed most.
Automating tasks such as email, social media content, and team delegation are all forms of marketing automation. Having said tasks “out of sight, out of mind” can add fuel to your team’s productivity and success.
Marketing automation also helps to cultivate a reputation of consistency. This not only positively affects your standing with clients, but your overall output isn’t going to suffer at the hands of sick days or unforeseen circumstances.
We all love a personalized touch in a customer service experience. Marketing automation allows you to personalize your outgoing content. Plus, customizable emails with the recipient’s first name are just one example of how marketing automation can be advantageous to your business.
The knock-out benefits of automation:
Efficiency
Streamline Campaigns– Marketing automation is an amazing tool a business can use to streamline campaigns. Set up a series of emails, blog posts, or articles on your landing page to promote an upcoming campaign. Whether it’s for holiday shopping or a mini-series on mental health, automating your content to post at the same time boosts efficiency.
Optimizes Results– In the example above, we see how streamlining campaigns can be efficient. It also optimizes results. Giving customers multiple opportunities and outlets to hear about upcoming services and products means more sales! The simple investment of time in creating automation will lead to profitable sales margins and customer base.
Accuracy
Marketing automation will lead to an organized and streamlined system for the entire team. Automation allows everyone to be on the same page in regards to content, goals, sales, and needs. The margin of error drastically shrinks when a marketing automation system is in place. For mistakes that are made, the entire team is aware and able to plug away at a solution quickly and easily.
The many forms of marketing automation:
Email automation tools and features are truly endless. Some of the most prominent tools offered by automation include personalization in email, creating email sequences, and introducing new products first to email subscribers.
Easily one of the most effective tools available in marketing automation systems is the ability to create trigger campaigns. An email subscriber meets certain criteria set by the company and is automatically shuffled through an email marketing campaign.
Social Media
Social media can be automated in tons of ways. Easily one of the most prominent is that automation allows you to schedule posts at certain times of the day, at say, peak times of engagement of its customers.
However, you’ll also find a large degree of automation in ChatBots. You can employ them on your social media channels to automatically throw visitors a “Welcome! Enjoy looking around. I’m here if you need anything.”
This AI tool is amazing because it allows for staffing and resources to be utilized elsewhere.
Productivity
The beauty of marketing automation is that allows for the enhancement of productivity.
If a salesperson has a new lead in the system, a CRM platform can create a task for the salesperson. Additionally, customers can schedule phone calls, consults and more without annoying back-and-forth via email.
Team and Project Management
You’ll find a plethora of automation integrations on Zapier, which basically sets up automation between the various platforms you use in team and project management.
For example, if a team member checks off a task in a PM tool, you can set up a Zap to create a new task that says “Manager Review” or something of the likes.
Honestly, the automations available for team and project management is insanely vast.
In 2021, most things marketing will be automated.
Let’s face it, we’re moving toward an automated world. In a time where the “there’s an app for that!” culture prevails, we’ll find that more and more mundane tasks relative to business operations will have AI running things. There, however, a few things that won’t EVER be able to be automated, largely having to do with human creativity. But that’s a different subject we’ll cover in another post.
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