Technology can be scary topic for some. Technology brings change and complicated concepts, which can be challenging even for the tech-savvy. Implementing foreign concepts may seem overwhelming, and can scare off marketers.
However, one sect of technology sets itself apart from the rest because of its usefulness and potential assets. Marketing automation can be a marketer’s best friend when implemented into a marketing strategy.
And, despite its technological ties, automation can be easy for marketers using the right software and the right data to create content.
Software
The first step in keeping automation easy is choosing the right automation software. Each platform has different tools. With that in mind, it’s important to make sure the software you choose corresponds with your company’s marketing goals.
Establishing what an automation software can do for your company is important. Some software provides a few automation commands, while others offer dozens of different options. Marketing automation is best known for sending automated emails. However, this is just the tip of the automation software iceberg. Marketers can also use automation software to conduct A/B testing, lead generation, customer segmentation, and content organization. Depending on what you’re using your automation for, choose a software that coincides best with your automation goals.
Your automation software must also be easy to operate. Software that is too difficult to understand can lead to an automation nightmare. Instead of saving a company time, a confusing platform may actually cost extra time, money and other resources. Before fully committing to a particular software, marketers should make sure they understand how to operate the platform… or have access to someone else that can!
We encourage marketers to consider marketing automation systems like nectarOM’s.
Data
After determining which automation platform is best, marketers can begin to develop content. The key to drafting automation content easily is in the data. 
A common misconception is that automation generates content that is cold, robotic and impersonal. However, customer data helps marketers develop personalized, targeted messages for consumers. Generally, customers prefer this personalized content. When marketers correctly use data, coming up with content for automation messages can be relevant and efficient.
So here’s the problem:
If marketers are using bad data, developing content may take an unnecessarily long time. And – what’s more – the content may not even be effective. To prevent any data mishaps, marketers should eliminate bad data from their data pool.
Bad data consists of data that is too old, irrelevant, or simply wrong. To avoid falling into the dirty data trap, marketers must weed out this bad data from their data pool.
To prevent collection of more bad data, marketers should consider the following precautions.
- Marketers should collect data from a variety of outlets, incorporating data from 1st and 3rd parties.
- Additionally, marketers should not hesitate to ask shoppers for personal information. The more relevant information a company has about a customer, the better a personalized experience will be.
- Lastly, marketers should evaluate specific metrics to determine whether the automation is working successfully. Figuring out what works and what doesn’t work can be a huge help for marketers.
Equipped with good software and good data, marketers can easily draft a positive automation experience for customers. Intrigued about implementing automation into your marketing strategy? Learn more about how to manage multiple channels with automation.