Marketing Automation Doesn't Belong Here

2 Areas Of Your Business You Shouldn't Automate

This will seem awfully strange coming from a 'Tech Based Marketer'. After spending a considerable amount of money on marketing automation, I find many of them to be too automated, automate the wrong things or just plain abusing great technology. It's good that you want to free up more of your time and make you use of available technology to help you but there are some things you just cannot automate and you shouldn't make your computer do.

Marketing or Business Strategy

The best technology ever invented is the brain and only your brain can think of ideas, can make plans and draw your road map to success. So many software claim they can create great business plans. It's true, they can help jumpstart and organize your thought process into something that make sense but it cannot and should not write your marketing plan for you. Plain old pen and paper and you of course is best.

Writing

When I was working in the corporate world, I was already being known as the techie marketer. So one day, my colleague walked into my cubicle (yuck), he was surprised to see me drawing up a letter to our wholesalers on pen and paper. Even when my computer is right in front of me.

You see, there's something magical that happens when you put pen to paper. Your brain (remember the greatest technology) actually starts to work. How about that? And when you write as a human, thinking like a real person, that will transfer to your writing be it articles, copy, sales letters, newsletters. Many top copywriters will tell you it's about getting in touch with the real person within the buyer. Touching their sensitive spots, appealing to their emotions, fears, joys and all that makes us human.

No marketing automation system can do that for you. Software can only piece together snippets from old stuff, rearrange and mix things up. It may be able to trick search engines for now but it won't forever and always remember, it's people who you want to read, it's people who have credit cards and buy from you. People will know your content is not fresh and see that you have nothing new to offer them. So in some ways you're training them to ignore you. Don't waste time and more importantly your money on article creation or sales letter software. Invest that money into paying someone to write something good for you that will serve you for years to come.

The Proper Way To View Marketing Automation

Instead of looking at it as marketing automation, think of it as a helper. Something that helps you accomplish a task not do it for you.

Technology does repetitive things very well like taking and transfering orders, sending information from one place to another, uploading, downloading, backing up, sorting organize, run a process at certain times of the day. So look at the repetitive stuff you do.

Are you having to answer the same questions over and over again? Then write a downloadable report or make a video and send people there. This is a great marketing automation tool because it gives you a chance to capture their information too.

Are you constantly asked if you're available for a public speaking engagement? Then set up a web based booking system. People can search for dates and times you make available and it's all self service, hands off to you.

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