Marketing automation is far from a silver bullet. Marketers who go into it without clear objectives risk encountering difficulties. Here are five major obstacles to marketing automation and the solutions to overcome them.
Digital channels, audiences and communication styles are multiplying rapidly. This is why marketing automation has become a must-have for marketers .
It allows you to program machines to maintain relationships on behalf of your brand. However, some challenges may arise when implementing this strategy.
1 – Lack of effective strategy
A classic mistake, but still made by many companies, is not clearly defining marketing . For a marketing automation system to be effective, it is essential to define a strategy adapted to these objectives , to your sector of activity and to your company.
Incorporate standards for the buying process , sales funnel, lead scoring, and qualified lead (MQL) conversion in your industry into your strategy.
Also consider customer segments and your personas , also determine the content strategy suited to each persona as well as the timing and degree of personalization required.
2 – A marketing automation system that is too complex
It's common for marketers to turn to automation to solve a specific problem , without realizing that their chosen solution offers much more than they need.
So, before you decide which marketing automation solution to choose, ask yourself: do you really need a complete marketing automation platform ?
There are point solutions on the market that may be more appropriate and less expensive for your pain point.
If you are looking for a solution that is easy to use, but at the same time integrates all the functions necessary to generate qualified leads, there is Magileads .
3 – Insufficient quality of prospecting data
The data you use in marketing automation is crucial to its success. However, using incorrect or inconsistent data can harm your results. Just like in gastronomy, the quality of the ingredients determines the quality of the results.
good data collection and use strategy in place . Indeed, you must define a process for capturing, aggregating and retaining information. The fact is that the diversity of data collection tools often means differences in data capture and retention . And that can skew how you segment, target, personalize, and report on that data.
To avoid this problem, you simply need to normalize your data sources .
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4 – Lack of employee skills
To effectively use a marketing automation platform, specific technical skills are necessary. The most complex systems require training in computer science as well as data development and architecture.
You can overcome this challenge by hiring a Chief Marketing Technology Officer (CMTO) full time. He will be able to manage the martech stack, hire technical talent and act as a link between marketing and IT. Another option is to use agencies specializing inmarketing automation For continuously manage and optimize platforms.
These two alternatives are not mutually exclusive. If you have a CMTO in your organization, he or she will be able to manage the relationship with the agency and represent the needs of your organization.
5 – Lack of relevance of content
High-quality content can be ineffective if it's not relevant to your target audience. So avoid producing industrial, soulless content by understanding that your prospects may be at different stages of their buying journey . Offer content tailored to each step of the process, taking into account the context and their specific needs.
To succeed with marketing automation, it is essential to invest in a deep understanding of your business's specific challenges before choosing a solution. A marketing automation tool can be powerful in solving many problems. However, it requires a solid strategy and quality data to effectively reflect the objectives and specifics of your brand . By overcoming the five obstacles mentioned, you will be better prepared to realize the full benefits of marketing automation for your business.
