You've all likely experienced the horror of bad marketing automation. You know the feeling: you open your email inbox only to see a slew of emails not meant for you. Yup, that's what I'm talking about.
Usually these emails don't offer any information you'd be interested in. Instead, it's self-serving and boring. And you probably wonder how the senders even acquired your email address in the first place. What's worse -- you probably received one of those very same messages yesterday. Who are these people?
Some of these thoughts probably run through your mind when you encounter bad marketing automation. There are a ton of things you might hate about it, but here are our top ten:
The good news is, marketing automation doesn't have to be horrific. If your communications are smart, personalized, segmented, and aligned with your inbound marketing strategy, marketing automation can bring great results to your business and delight your community. As we have already mentioned in this blog article, "Any time you are relying on technology to scale communications, you need to be certain that (1) those communications do in fact reflect the interests of your leads, and (2) they are genuinely helpful and not just spam in sheep's clothing."
What are some other things you hate about marketing automation? How can you avoid bad marketing automation in your own inbound marketing?
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
Brent Crandall 10:14 AM on November 04, 2011
This list (and article) is crap and represents a shallow and hollow understanding of marketing automation.
The reality is, marketing automation serves to build long-term relationships, nurture leads and establish mind share. When done correctly, it is the absolute BEST method of effectively accomplishing these tasks.
All faults identified in the top 10 list represent misuse on the part of the person administrating the campaign(s). They are NOT inherent to the concept of marketing automation itself.
Magdalena Georgieva 10:23 AM on November 04, 2011
Thanks for your feedback, Brent. Sorry that the article felt like "crap" to you. While the misuses we have illustrated above might not be inherent to the concept of marketing automation itself, they are present in the practices of many companies. And what happens in practice, not what is conceived in theory, is what "the reality is."
Kevin Jorgensen 12:01 PM on November 04, 2011
Brent, turn down the flames bro. I think most people have had the kind of experience the OP described. While I agree that the concept of marketing automation isn't fundamentally responsible, the limitations of its practice and the hubris of the people implementing automation programs is often responsible for precisely the experiences listed. I like well thought out and tastefully implemented marketing automation but programs with those qualities tend to be the exception rather than the norm... so the points in the article are warranted, if nothing else, as a reminder that we all have a long way to go so give our prospects the kind of experience we ourselves would prefer to enjoy.
Maciej Fita 3:14 PM on November 04, 2011
I think automation works for certain situations online but when it comes to interaction there has to be a human behind the efforts.