7 Marketing Automation Mistakes You Might Be Making

Marketing automation exists to help you make the most of your marketing processes. If you aren't leveraging the right automation tools, it can hurt your engagement rates and your overall ROI.

If this is true for your business, you're not alone. When you switch from traditional to automated marketing, some basic tools and strategies have a tendency to get lost in the process.

Marketing automation software has exploded in the last few years, but many businesses aren't using it to their advantage. Let's explore seven common marketing automation mistakes you might be making. 

1. No Plan in Sight

Without a clear strategy in place, your marketing automation efforts are likely to fail. A well thought out plan is the foundation for marketing success.

Your first step is to determine your campaign goals and objectives. Be sure your plan for automation lines up with your content marketing and social media strategies.

Before you start sending automated emails and creating buyer journeys, make sure you have quality content and a lead generating strategy in place.

Marketing automation is amazing and can take your business to the next level, but you must have a plan in sight before you can choose the right tools to generate success. 

2. You Don't Know Your Customers

To run a successful business, you need your customers to return again and again. If you don't understand who your customers are and what they need, you're fighting an uphill battle to grow your business.

You can send out notifications and emails all day, but if you're not reaching the right people, you're wasting a valuable opportunity. You must know your ideal customer, reach them, and meet their needs.

You need relevant content on your website and social media that speaks to your unique audience. This may be different for every industry, as in, videos may perform better for some businesses and e-books better for others. For your automated marketing efforts to succeed, you can't overlook this critical part of the strategy.  

3. You're Too Busy Making the Sale 

Of course, you want to make the sale. But rushing to close a sale can actually cost you business down the road. 

When you push a customer too fast through the buyer's journey, it can backfire and turn them off. This can result in fewer repeat customers and diminished revenue over time.

Automation helps you nurture leads and get to know who's really buying what you have to offer. This is valuable intelligence for your business.

Although automation is a powerful marketing element, it's only a tool. It can't replace an authentic buyer experience.

4. You're Choosing the Wrong Software

There are so many options for marketing automation. If you're not a marketing expert, it can be hard to find the right tool for your needs. 

Asking a few questions can help you navigate through software options.

• Does this software meet my overall objectives?

• Do I have the resources to make this option effective?

• Will this tool remain effective as my business grows?

• What challenges will I face with this option?

• How does this platform line up with my marketing efforts?

Narrow your choices of software options based on the answers. Then, you are more prepared to make an informed decision about what will work for your marketing goals.

5. Sending Unnecessary Emails

Are you blasting out automated emails hoping to reach new customers? Sending out mass emails can backfire and lead to higher unsubscribe rates. 

When it comes to emails, you should focus on quality over quantity. It's better to have fewer leads and higher engagement rates than a large database of potential customers who never read your emails.

Quality leads are more likely to lead to real customers who have a genuine interest in your product or service. The key is to segment your emails and send relevant emails to the right audience at the right time.

Stagger emails to arrive at strategic times. This will help you avoid bombarding your contacts with annoying emails. The same concept works with social media posts.

For the most part, people use social media to be social. So, keep your posts relevant, useful, and engaging.

6. Forgetting Your New Subscribers

New subscribers need to be pampered, not ignored. They've already shown an interest in your business, so you shouldn't let them slip away.

If you're getting new subscribers but have no automated system in place to nurture these leads, they'll move on to your competitors.

This is a loss for your business but so easy to correct. You should have an automated welcome campaign in place to welcome new subscribers right away.

Reach out to them as soon as they subscribe to your mailing list. Don't leave them hanging and waste the opportunity to attract new business. 

7. Your Content Isn't Relevant

No matter what kinds of marketing automation you use, you can't replace good content. When your potential customer opens up an email or clicks on an article, it's useless if it doesn't appeal to them.

You must understand your customer and provide content that speaks to their interests and needs. Yes, you should have content that focuses on your products or services.

But that's not all. Providing valuable, relevant content on your website will attract customers and increase your brand's credibility as well.

Ultimately, you must understand your customer. And when you do, focus on generating fresh, timely content that appeals to them.

Stop Making Marketing Automation Mistakes

The goal of automation software is to make your job easier and attract new customers to your brand. If you're not seeing the success you hoped for, you could be making some of these marketing automation mistakes.

You may need to take a step back and focus on your overall marketing strategy. Marketing automation is a powerful tool to keep your business moving forward.

If you need some guidance on taking your marketing automation to the next level, we'd love to talk with you. Contact us today.