Marketing automation - Expectations vs Reality

Marketing automation, those two words seem almost magical, especially when you realize how important process automation has been to companies during the past few years.

From implementing Intranet software to automate their internal processes and workflows, to getting CRM’s software to automate their customer relationships, companies are constantly looking for better ways to streamline their processes, no matter what they are.

You see, marketing automation refers to the software that helps companies automate their marketing actions, merging their marketing tools all in one and manage them all together. In theory, marketing automation sounds like the solution every marketer ever dreamt of, but the truth is, as helpful as this software solution can be, it is important to separate expectations vs reality.

1: Marketing automation only depends on marketing software

This is half true, half a lie. Although a marketing automation software IS extremely important, and it’s the tool that will help you automate your marketing strategies, it won’t work on its own.

You see, you will still be using other platforms such as social media sites (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube...), email platforms and your own website, but everything will be managed directly through the marketing software.

This means that you’ll be able to have a 360 degrees view on all of the platforms that currently take part on your marketing strategy, but instead of handling them one by one, you get to merge them into a single software.

2: Marketing automation it’s an easy, quick process.

Much like any other automation software, practice or tool, mastering marketing automation takes time and continuous effort, especially when you consider how new this practice really is. It is important for you to know that getting a marketing automation software like Mautic, is just the first step. You need to successfully merge all of your marketing tools into the software, monitor your customer’s behavior, pay attention the analytics and use this data to create customizable marketing campaigns for everything to work out the way it should.

HubSpot defines this process in a very illustrative way, where it compares the process of marketing automation to the one of growing a plant: It takes time, there are certain steps to follow, but it isn’t impossible.

3: It will make your company grow instantly

Although one of the main benefits of marketing automation relies on the fact that implementing these types of software results in higher turnout and bigger sells, it doesn’t happen overnight.

You see, the proper use of a marketing automation software, along with the necessary practices and dedication can result in a better nurturing, generating more leads, and turning those leads into clients in a much more effective way than before.

However, it isn’t an instant result. It takes time and a smart team of marketers to pull off such a strategy like this. Otherwise, you’ll just be left with a fancy software and not proper idea on how to use it.

4: Marketing automation is a must for successful campaigns

Here at Rootstack we believe in marketing automation and implement the technologies necessary to carry on this type of solution, however, we understand it isn’t indispensable to have a successful marketing campaign.

Unlike many other automation software, marketing automation is for those companies who have a very complex marketing strategy that’s consuming more time and money than they’d like. Marketing automation software are made to make their job easier, help them streamline repetitive tasks and reduce costs while deconstructing a complex plan.

Although helpful, these types of solutions aren’t completely necessary for those companies who really don’t have an active marketing campaign. However, if your company is looking to grow and expand their strategies over time, then this is the right solution for you.

5: You get instant insight on all of your marketing tools

Marketing automation does gather, collects and lets you visualize all of the data across your marketing channels, allowing you to analyze it and take that information to improve your current strategy.

However, this data isn’t handed to you right away, and it needs time for the software to gather this information in the same place and be able to come back with a helpful inside on how each customer is behaving across all platforms.

So, should I automate my marketing campaigns?

The short answer is yes, you should. Through marketing automation you’re able to create and scale your marketing campaigns, taking them to a whole new level than before.

It is thanks to these types of software and solutions that marketers are now able to offer a personalized, custom-made experience to their clients, making lead nurturing much easier.

If you’re looking to get into marketing automation, contact us! Here at Rootstack, we have a team of professionals ready to help you understand and implement this solution.