Marketing automation can streamline lead generation and simplify some of the tasks that are currently being done manually. According to Forrester, the marketing automation market will double in size by 2024. Now marketers are only at the initial stage of implementing such solutions in business processes. According to opinion polls, more than half of marketers plan to use process automation solutions. But they don’t know how to do it right. This article will discover key tips to automate marketing for small, medium, and large businesses.
- Take Care of Segmentation
One of the critical problems with automation is the risks of incorrect interaction with the target audience. We are all waiting for the moment when in SMM, 90% of all work will be automated, and managers will not have to respond to user messages or manually send emails. But you can’t just install an algorithm on a Facebook or Twitter page that will respond to all users with the same notifications since the algorithms are not yet able to recognize the content and understand what exactly the user required.
For example, one of the clients of the delivery service Dominos confused and posted a post with gratitude about a delicious pizza in the complaints section of the company’s page on the social network. SMM managers have fully automated responses in the complaints section, and the robot replied to the text with gratitude, “We are very sorry that you are disappointed”. No one could have thought that someone would make a mistake and accidentally write a thank you in the section with complaints. Other users immediately ridiculed the company for using a cheap way to automate response to a customer feedback.
How to avoid such mistakes in automation:
- Segment users by age and region of residence;
- Set up “stop words” in automatic chatbot posts;
- Classify customers based on their phase of purchasing a service or product;
- Do not 100% automate the process of interacting with people (without artificial intelligence, it is impossible to replace a real person with a chatbot with pre-written phrases);
These recommendations for the segmentation of the target audience also apply to the method of automatically sending out a business proposal. If you decide to entrust this work to automatic algorithms, then take care of the classification of users to know who to send which message and at what time. Bulk automated submissions are likely to end up in spam.
- Personalize Your Marketing and Use Triggers
All marketers agree that the next decade will see the rise of personalization in business promotion. Nowadays, no one is surprised by e-mails with a commercial offer that comes with a personalized address to the client. Moreover, companies can know much more about the client than he does about them.
This information is found on our social networks, in your email profile, and even by phone number. Any contact information allows companies to find out a lot of information about us. Therefore, when sending automatic emails and using any triggers on sites, you need to apply a personalization strategy. It increases customer loyalty, and they believe that there is a unique offer.
It also includes advice when implementing triggers in various forms of an advertising campaign. For example, in emails, in applications, mailings, banners, and websites. Triggers are simple banners and call-to-action buttons. For example, with calls to buy something, complete a purchase, register, or leave a request for a manager’s call. In automation, it is important to know at which stage of the interaction with the client which trigger to use.
For this, unique algorithms must be used. Also, triggers should be used with repeat customers and target audiences. But don’t overdo it with spam words like “Buy”, “Click”, “Mega-discounts”, and more.
- Continuously Collect and Structure Feedback from Customers
Make sure your customers share their opinions and help you improve the product. Send an email with a short survey form to customers after they purchase or use the services. Personalize your message. Half or more users will share their opinion on the quality of the product or service in the survey and indicate how to improve the service. Use automation tools to structure your data. Such solutions are no longer new. For example, the Parsey service provides the ability to set up automation and data structuring for your company’s marketing department.
- Create and Share Quality Content
This method for successful automation may seem too simple and obvious, but few people use it correctly. In new advertising trends, it is essential not only to offer users unique and interesting content but also to personalize it. Dynamic content means that each target customer or subscriber receives a different material that is useful to him. It is important not to make mistakes and post the image of poor quality or poorly retouched. You should carefully check the photos that you post on the website and in social networks. You can perform retouching yourself or use photo processing services.
Imagine that you own a workshop. You cannot send all of your customers an article on maintenance rules, as everyone has different machines. Someone has a cargo truck, and someone has a hybrid. The simple mailing will be ineffective. Create several categories of articles related to different brands or categories of cars (in this case). Clients will receive the material they need. Use this example in other areas of the business as well.
To promote your content on your website or blog, you can also use LinksManagement, a multifuse guest blogging service, to automate guest posting on interest.
- Always Inform Your Customers and Reduce the Load on the Call Center
Almost any business implies constant interaction with a consumer who already uses the company’s products or services. As practice has shown, it is possible to significantly reduce the call center’s load or customer support managers using some automation processes.
For example, one of the well-known barbershop chains used a new method of re-attracting customers. They used automatic SMS or emails to remind them to update their haircut. The time after which this letter comes after the haircut is calculated individually based on the information specified in advance by the barber who cut the client’s hair. In an e-mail or SMS message, attach a form or link for a convenient booking of an appointment online.
The same appeal is necessarily personalized. Thus, it was possible to increase the record by 20%, but at the same time to reduce the workload of managers, since clients signed up themselves as soon as they received a reminder.
Similar techniques work for various businesses, including dentistry, sales of goods, cosmetic services, legal services, etc.
Marie Barnes is a writer for gearyoda. She is an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs.
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