Marketing automation is supposed to reduce the amount of time we spend on data management, and silently nurture leads for us. However, when things start going wrong, we end up spending more time trying to fix the mess. When this happens, it’s usually for one of three reasons – poor data hygiene, content that doesn’t nurture leads and getting poor results. As marketing consultants we’ve seen these problems before, so here’s our advice for remedying them.
Problem #1 – Your Data Hygiene Is A Mess
Data hygiene is the state of your data, and it can lose its quality when compiled inconsistently. For example, syncing a new automation software to your existing CRM system could result in data duplication. Marketing automation consultants recommend that you do sufficient research before syncing data to new automation software and follow the guidelines provided by the software vendor. Another tip to consolidate inconsistent data is to apply custom rules and dropdowns to CRM fields. Information is the heart of your entire marketing automation strategy, so if it’s in a mess, it could be your downfall.
Problem #2 – You Don’t Have Content That Nurtures Your Audience
If you’re investing in a marketing automation tool without a volume of high-quality content to feed to your audience, it restricts your nurturing capabilities. Think about it – your leads are interested in what you can provide them. To nurture them into becoming paying customers, they need a steady flow of engaging content. If your content is lacking, your leads will never convert into customers. How do you fix this? Create a content strategy. Make sure that you have enough high-quality content and the abilities, skills or resources to create more, before investing in automation software.
Problem#3 – You’re Not Seeing The Results You Expected
As marketing automation is an expensive investment of time and money, you might be expecting to see a good return almost immediately. There are many reasons why you aren’t getting the results you expected, and relying on the software to do all of the work is the most common one. Remember, a marketing automation program is not a marketer. You need a lead generation and nurturing strategy before you invest in an automation software. Get a plan in place first and only then set up the software which will produce the ROI you desire.
Marketing automation software is a valuable investment towards your marketing efforts but doesn’t always work the way it should. By tackling these three common problems head-on, you’ll immediately improve what you’re getting out of your marketing automation. If you still feel you need a little help, then contact the team at Win More Clients today to guide you through it.