Marketing automation is such a buzz word, but is it really useful?

The biggest problem facing everyone today is time management. Every app, innovation, and “paradigm shift in synergy” results in the same thing… more time to do other things. This doesn’t always make life easier, sometimes it opens up the door for more responsibilities or creates unexpected outcomes. One Netflix employee even eliminated her own job she innovated with automation so much. The key is balancing automation with your schedule. Every sales process benefits the most from an ethic of care. I care for you and in turn you care for me. I am loyal to you first and in turn you will be inspired to be loyal to me. This is one mentality that works in many environments.

Automation can be a double edged sword

Marketing automation typically comes in the form of email workflows (AKA drip campaigns, etc), but can even happen on social media and website actions. This helps ease the draining and repetitive tasks like email follow-ups or quick responses with customers you don’t know if your time is worth yet. The biggest flaw in this is the loss of personality. It’s usually the first to go in automations. However, if your team is falling behind talking to new leads, marketing automation can be a savior.

Automate when your team is pushed to the limit with handling leads. For instance if you have a small team and the launch of a new content offer is increasing leads by 50% (it happens), automation can curve the next time you need to hire someone. You might also want to automate a process to make sure a certain order of actions are followed. This can even help with training new employees to help them understand your customers relations goals.

Do not automate when your team still has the time. There is no need to sacrifice your company’s personality for time savings you don’t need. There is something to be said about companies who are loyal to their customers first, it can foster the lifetime-value of a customer. People can usually tell the difference between a real person and an automated message. Therefore it’s not worth the risks if you can avoid it.

Learn more about automation from some very-pro automation companies… Hubspot and MailChimp

Don’t automate to automate. Automate to connect with leads and customers you otherwise wouldn’t have time to do.