Marketing automation, or marketing automation, appeared with the aim of using software to perform different marketing actions in an automatic way. This automation makes it possible that many tasks, which would take a lot of time and effort manually, are done more efficiently and easily. In this way the most repetitive tasks are performed through this software and free up the time of workers to focus on other areas that can not be automated, such as conducting campaigns or creating a strategic plan. This process aims to streamline marketing actions and saving time and extra effort.
Obviously, marketing automation is of little use if you don't have a good strategy with set objectives, but bear in mind that a basic factor for your automation process to be successful is to have a well-defined buyer persona, i.e. the profile of your ideal customer.
Remember that automating does not mean depersonalising the relationship with your customers; on the contrary, it will help you to have a better communication with them, as you will be able to segment them in order to send them a more personalised message.
Advantages of marketing automation
As we have mentioned before, the main advantage is saving time and optimising it, because if you are dedicated to this world you know that this is a plus. Other benefits that stand out are: Increased productivity:
- Increased productivity: Reduces stress and workload, frees your staff from an excess of activities, they can focus on other tasks and prioritise those that cannot be automated.
- You reduce costs and allow you to manage your budget more effectively. Tasks are automated so you don't need extra staff.
- You can track your marketing actions in more detail and have more control over your marketing actions. It allows you to obtain statistics, graphs and accurate data that you can then use to optimise your future campaigns and know how your business is performing.
- Inbound marketingautomation : Your inbound marketing strategy can be supported by this software to increase traffic to your website, generate leads and create actions to convert your users into customers, i.e., implement the right actions to guide your potential customer to your business.
- Segmentation of your target audience: You don't have to manually separate your customers according to their tastes, needs or preferences, the use of automation allows you to segment your database.
- Multi-channel management: It is very difficult to keep track of all the channels where your potential customers can be found, so these platforms help you to have control over these channels.
You can see throughout this list the many benefits of using automation software, but don't forget that it doesn't work on its own. If it is not well integrated into your digital strategy it will not work properly and your efforts will be in vain.
what actions can you automate?
Sometimes it can be a bit tricky and you don't really know where to start, but don't worry, here are a few key actions to implement marketing automation without any problems.
- Welcome emails. This action, as simple as it may seem, is a perfect opportunity to make your new customer feel loved by your brand. Take advantage of the segmentation you have done in your database to send an email according to their tastes, because you have to go beyond the welcome. This is the ideal opportunity to present your website and highlight the content that has attracted them to you. Always remember this: offer them value.
- Recovering your leads: On many occasions we notice that some of our leads do not read our emails, do not visit the website or take any action. This is where we can automate the process. For example, when a lead has not interacted for "x" amount of time, send them an email expressing how much you miss them and recommending products or services that might be of interest to them.
- Customer service: This is a fundamental step to obtain a good user experience, so don't overlook it. This is where we can resort to the use of chatbots and artificial intelligence. These automatic chats, with questions and answers previously thought by your team, are active at any time and 365 days a year, and are perfect for handling queries and frequently asked questions without having to contact a physical person.
- Evaluate purchases. The moment a customer makes a purchase is the opportunity to interact. The first thing is to send an email with a summary of the purchase, and here we can include a questionnaire to evaluate the product or ask for a review. You do not have to send it at the same time of purchase if you think it needs time, a few days later you can send another email automatically where we ask how the purchase went and leave us the evaluation, and even include similar products that might also be of interest to them.
- Schedule publications: As you know, content creation is a fundamental part of marketing and must be present in your strategy, but if you also add the facility to automate this process everything is easier. Both in the different social networks and in the websites you can schedule the time and day of publication of content. Saving time will add effectiveness to your actions.
These are just a few examples of the many processes that marketing automation can streamline for you. Keep in mind that the tricky part of automation is getting the process design to achieve your previously set goals. Take the time to know and set your business goals so that the automation of your actions works well.
Just like other parts of an Inbound marketing strategy, the beginning is tricky, and in the beginning the automation process will not be easy and will lead to headaches. Take your time, test, allow yourself to make mistakes and try again, in the end you will achieve your goal. I hope you have enjoyed this read, we look forward to seeing you in future marketing posts.
