9 MARKETING AUTOMATION-RELATED PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT BUSINESS
According to HubSpot, seven out of ten of the most prosperous businesses use marketing automation. To increase revenue and efficiency, a growing number of companies are putting marketing automation ideas into practice. Widespread acceptance is hampered, though. If left unattended, these marketing automation issues could impede the expansion of your company.
This is a thorough summary of the nine main issues with marketing automation that may affect your company and how to resolve them. Additionally, we’ve included a list of tools for each marketing automation obstacle that will assist you in resolving those issues.
1. TROUBLE MEASURING RETURN
Automation systems frequently offer the convenience of simple ROI tracking. It is a major myth. It is not enough to simply put in the tool and wait for magical numbers to materialize.
Setting up your marketing KPIs is a must, but it’s not always an easy task.
You have to take into account various client behaviors, marketing, and management styles.
Each measure, such as the click-through rate, email open rates, customer retention rate, etc., has a meaning for your company that you must understand.
The best practices and solution
Step 1: Make a list of the precise results you hope to achieve with your marketing initiatives. More website visits, is that right? a spike in sales during a promotional season? After you have that list, give each result a monetary value. This provides you with a methodical way to calculate ROI to the nearest dollar.
Step 2: Configure your campaigns’ tracking codes. You can accomplish this with most automation technologies. With the use of these codes, every click, purchase, and other activity will be tracked and linked to your particular campaigns.
Step 3: Schedule a weekly review session for these indicators. Modify your campaigns if necessary to meet your goals. Perhaps you might change the subject line of your emails, or perhaps the audience your social media ads are targeting is incorrect.
2. SALES AND MARKETING SILOS
It is expensive and annoying when there is a gulf between the marketing and sales teams. These teams’ isolated operations lead to the creation of data silos, which impedes the ability to make wise decisions. Sales must obtain or evaluate the useful lead data that marketing may gather to make sure that opportunities are recognized.
If automation tools are not effectively handled, this gap may get wider. For example, your marketing automation software may gather information on which emails are opened the most; but, the sales team may only benefit from this information if it is shared or comprehended in relation to sales objectives.
The best practices and solution
Integrate your marketing automation platform with your customer relationship management (CRM) system to close this gap. The same data sets can now be viewed and interpreted by both teams.
For instance, the sales team should be able to access and utilize this information instantly if the marketing team finds a high-value prospect.
Here are some examples of best practices.
Select systems that are compatible: Make sure the CRM or marketing automation platform you choose has integration features.
Assign a liaison and concentrate on sync-ups: Assign management of this integration and data consistency to a specified individual. Furthermore, schedule quick, targeted meetings so that both teams can give each other an update on ongoing tasks and KPIs.
Teach both teams and create unified dashboards: Arrange collaborative training sessions to ensure that all team members are proficient in using the integrated system. Make use of a shared dashboard where sales and marketing-related key performance indicators (KPIs) are shown.
Three. Absence of interaction in real time
Consumers anticipate prompt, instantaneous communication. They want an answer right away; they don’t want to wait hours for one. These conversations may come across as robotic and cold due to automation. Imagine receiving a message saying, “We value your business,” when you’re experiencing issues.
That doesn’t seem real, does it?
Yes, automation is capable of sending messages at blazing speed. But these messages frequently lack the human element that comes from in-person conversations. They are unable to provide prompt answers to particular queries or work out novel solutions.
Automation can therefore handle volume, but it frequently has to catch up in terms of quality.
The best practices and solution
The secret is to employ automation sensibly. It works well for making first contact or responding to common inquiries. Use real-time involvement instead, though, for deeper exchanges. Use automated chatbots, for instance, to respond to simple inquiries; for more complicated problems, move to a live person.
To determine whether a consumer might want immediate assistance, use automation. For instance, you should intervene if a customer repeatedly clicks the “Help” button.
Make sure your team is aware of when to take over from the automated system as well. They ought to be able to intervene with ease and provide genuine assistance.
4. LOW-QUALITY CONTENT
It seems wonderful to have a ton of leads, but most of them are never going to become customers. Automation technologies have the ability to reach a large number of leads, however they frequently attract uninteresting or indecisive leads. This consumes the time of your staff and clogs your sales pipeline.
Automation technologies are able to produce a large number of leads, but they frequently lack the sophistication necessary to discern between a hot and a cold lead. You may wind up with a list of folks who clicked on one email from you but who aren’t really interested in your offerings.
The best practices and solution
Make use of the lead scoring feature in your automation platform. This goes beyond simply giving leads random points. A system that replicates your real sales process must be put in place.
Consult your teams: Find out what often signifies a lead is ready to convert by asking sales and marketing for their opinions.
Customize scoring: In your automation tool, create custom scoring rules using the feedback provided here. A lead visiting your pricing page and downloading a product guide, for example, is a high score.
Set up automated alerts to notify your sales team when a lead hits a predetermined score. This way, they can take fast action.
Concentrate on high-quality leads: Fill your pipeline with prospects that have a real chance of converting, not just any old leads.
Examine and adjust: Examine the leads that were forwarded to sales one month later. The number of converts? To improve your score system, use this data.
5. BRAND PRESENCE INCONSISTENCY
Customer confusion and brand weakness result from a disorganized brand voice. Inadequate management of automation tools can result in confusing signals. You’re casual on social media one minute. Next, your emails are formal. It’s similar to meeting someone whose accent changes every time they speak. Perplexing, huh?
Every automation tool has a unique collection of presets and templates. If you’re not careful, you might send a lighthearted tweet on one platform and a somber email on another, all on the same day.
The best practices and solution
It’s simple to fix: organize your stuff centrally.
One content management system (CMS) that is compatible with all of your automation tools should be used. In this manner, all of your messaging is derived from the same source.
Choose a CMS that can integrate with your different automation solutions by having API capabilities.
Enter all of the brand guidelines—such as tone, style, and permitted phrases or taglines—into the CMS.
Assign a gatekeeper: Pick a person to oversee the approval of all automated communications prior to their distribution.
Checks for consistency: Perform a consistency check before to commencing each campaign. Do the messaging follow the rules for your brand?
Automate approvals: To build up an automated approval procedure, use your CMS. Until the gatekeeper gives the all-clear, no message is sent.
Reviews every month: Take a seat once a month and go over a selection of messages from every outlet. Make changes as necessary.
6. FAILURE TO USE AUTOMATION EFFECTIVELY
While selecting the appropriate automation tool is important, the most common issues with marketing automation arise at the implementation stage. Ineffective setups can result in resource waste, inefficiencies, and missed objectives.
Numerous automation tools have intricate features that call for specific training. An inefficient onboarding procedure may result in inappropriate use of the product, increasing its drawbacks rather than its advantages.
The best practices and solution
Examine the support system offered by the vendor before committing to a purchase. A provider that provides all-inclusive support can make the installation process a lot simpler.
Pre-purchase question: For specific inquiries, get in touch with the vendor’s customer support. Evaluate the level of responsiveness and quality of their responses.
Get a product demo by requesting one. During the session, evaluate the tool’s usability and note any features that might need for additional training.
Community and peer support: Check if the vendor has an active user community or forum. Real-world advise from current users can be essential.
Implementation team: Assemble a group of end users and IT experts from related departments. This ensures technical feasibility and user acceptability.
Define objectives: Clearly explain what you hope to achieve using the automation tool. Goals could include automating tedious marketing chores or improving consumer communication.
Phased rollout: Implement the tool’s functionality in stages. Start with simple functionalities and progressively move to more complex ones. This enables for easy troubleshooting and modifications.
User training: Provide each and every end-user with practical instruction. Make sure to include real-world scenarios related to your business operations.
6. LACK OF ENGAGING CONTENT
Creating content that both draws in and holds the attention of customers is one of the toughest marketing problems. Automation tools are useful for managing your content strategy, but they can also result in bland, uninspired messages that don’t really engage your audience.
A variety of pre-made templates and stock responses are frequently provided by automation technologies. These can be quickly implemented, but they frequently lack the human element that makes material genuinely interesting. Here, there is an obvious risk: lifeless, automated material has the potential to alienate viewers, which could result in lower engagement and, eventually, lower sales.
The best practices and solution
Making a plan is the first step toward avoiding boring content. Maintain a shared editorial schedule throughout teams. It assists you in coordinating your content with customer interests, seasonal trends, and corporate objectives.
Keyword research: To determine the searches made by your target audience, use programs such as SEMrush or Google Keyword Planner.
Create a thorough and accurate audience character. Recognize their problems, the solutions they seek, and the methods by which they consume content.
Content bucketing: Classify the information you have. “How-to Guides,” “Industry Insights,” “Customer Testimonials,” etc. are a few examples.
Allocating resources: Decide who will handle writing, editing, graphics, and analytics. Ensure that everyone in the team is aware of their deadlines.
8. ACCESSING SUBPAR DATA
Using inappropriate or out-of-date data might make marketing campaigns fail. For instance, your bounce rate will rise and your sender’s reputation will be impacted if your email list contains addresses that are no longer in use. Poor data can also lead to wasted ad spend if you’re targeting demographics that are not aligned with your customer base.
Inaccurate data is also a legal issue. Regulations like GDPR require businesses to protect customer data. Failure to do so can result in fines that can go up to 4% of your annual global turnover or 20 million euros, whichever is higher. Moreover, data breaches can lead to lawsuits and a loss of customer trust, which can be devastating for a business.
The best practices and solution
Conducting regular data audits can help you identify outdated or incorrect information in your databases. During an audit, you’ll need to validate all data points, including customer names, email addresses, and purchase history.
Here are some examples of best practices.
Data source verification: Confirm the reliability of your data sources. Whether it’s a third-party data provider or your CRM, the source needs to be reputable.
Data relevance: Evaluate the relevance of the data you’re collecting. Remove any data fields that are not directly contributing to your marketing goals.
Data accuracy: Check for errors like duplicate entries, misspellings, or outdated information and correct them.
Audit documentation: Keep a record of all changes made during the audit for accountability and future reference.
Being GDPR compliant protects your business from legal repercussions and helps you build trust with your customers. It’s crucial to make sure that all data collection methods are transparent and that you have explicit consent from individuals to collect their data. Collect only what you need and use encryption methods to protect stored data. Excessive data collection increases the risk of data breaches.
Implement clear and easily accessible consent forms on your website and other data collection points. Additionally, have a plan in place for how to handle data breaches, including notifying affected individuals and regulatory bodies.
9. AUTOMATING TASKS THAT SHOULDN’T BE AUTOMATED
There are tasks that require the nuance and understanding that only a human can provide. For instance, automated social media posts can sometimes miss the mark, coming off as tone-deaf or insensitive during critical events. Similarly, automated customer service can frustrate customers who are looking for personalized assistance for complex issues.
There are plenty of examples where automation has failed in areas that needed a human touch.
Automated social media posts have been known to publish inappropriate content for current events, causing public relations nightmares.
In customer service, automated chatbots can often fail to resolve issues, leading to customer dissatisfaction and potential loss of business.
The best practices and solution
The first step in avoiding automation pitfalls is identifying which tasks should remain manual. Tasks that require emotional intelligence, such as customer complaint resolution or personalized marketing, are usually better handled by humans.
Steps for identifying no-automation tasks
Risk assessment: Evaluate the potential risks of automating a particular task. If the risks outweigh the benefits, it’s a task that should remain manual.
Customer feedback: Listen to your customers. If they are consistently dissatisfied with an automated service, it’s a strong indicator that a human touch is needed.
Complexity analysis: Some tasks are too complex to be effectively automated. These usually involve multiple variables that a machine can’t easily interpret.
Review and adjust: Regularly review automated tasks for effectiveness. If something isn’t working, be prepared to revert to manual processes.
Try to find a balance between automation and human intervention. Use automation for repetitive tasks that don’t require emotional intelligence, like data collection or initial lead sorting.
For tasks that require more nuance, such as customer engagement or crisis management, keep a human in the loop.
Task segmentation: Divide tasks into categories based on their suitability for automation.
Human oversight: Even for automated tasks, have a human supervisor to monitor and intervene if necessary.
Feedback loops: Implement mechanisms for real-time feedback on automated tasks. This can help in making quick adjustments.
Periodic review: Set up regular intervals for reviewing the performance of both automated and manual tasks. Make adjustments based on performance metrics and customer feedback.
CONCLUSION
Understanding the challenges of marketing automation is just the starting point. What’s more important is how you adapt and evolve. The future of marketing automation is about troubleshooting and being proactive. Stay ahead of the curve by continuously updating your skills and knowledge.
Review your key performance indicators daily, weekly, or monthly, and be prepared to pivot your strategies based on real-world performance data. The goal is to build a marketing automation system that’s not just efficient but also adaptable and resilient, capable of meeting future challenges as they arise.
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