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The automation of digital marketing processes will remain. Thanks to the mass disruption, data protection regulations, walled gardens and technological complexity accelerated by the pandemic, only those brands and publishers who dive headlong into the flexible future of automated marketing processes will be successful.
In fact, 77% of marketers see an increase in conversions after implementing automation. Standardized automated marketing processes are no longer optional; they are essential for business success.
Here are a few tips to help B2B business marketers develop a smart strategy for their automated marketing processes as brands around the world prepare for the flexible future of marketing in a post-pandemic era.
Why automated marketing processes are a must for the B2B corporate community
As the number of channels grows and audiences become difficult to reach, the ability to balance human and machine processes while scaling through automation has become a competitive imperative.
Most everyday business processes can be automated: order-to-cash (O2C), ROI, email marketing, social media posting, creative processes and more.
B2B brands can no longer afford to forego revenue due to internal knowledge gaps or time constraints in a team. Automated marketing processes are essential to close internal knowledge gaps, save teams time, reduce error rates and keep pace with competitors.
But marketing automation isn’t just about the right technologies; It’s also about developing the right strategy based on what automation means for your brand. To develop a successful automation strategy, companies need to know beforehand what will work for them.
Before a company can implement a meaningful automation strategy, it must establish a clearly defined and achievable set of goals and objectives for the entire company. Organizations need to start with strategic planning and goals with the goal in mind.
The next step is to determine which technology basket will help achieve this goal. The end goal could be employee retraining, scaling of marketing tasks, or ROI, among other things.
Once goals and objectives are set, companies must also consider factors such as current skills, an aptitude test of skills that affect retraining and upgrading, and the career path of employees.
Organizations also need to consider future savings over a one-, two-, and three-year horizon. You need to consider the technology licensing budget, the impact of customer-centric pricing and its impact on overall ROI, as well as the overall impact on a company’s ongoing operating model based on marketing process automation initiatives.
It’s also important to ensure that people across the company are aligned with the automation journey to maintain efficiency and keep the human element intact.
How to keep marketing automation human
Some elements of campaign workflows work well for automation, but others require human creativity and ingenuity to be successful.
As the cost of automation technologies like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Intelligent Business Process Management (iBPM) has become mainstream and accessible, many have learned to use these technologies to improve efficiency, Accelerate business growth and increase sales faster than ever before.
But when a company changes from a purely human-driven organization to one that uses both human and machine-based methods, automation will also affect the change in the company’s operational processes and business model, which inevitably affects the customer experience as well .
Creating a clear structure of three internal teams is critical to streamlining your company’s start into a successful automation journey. The internal communication of the automated marketing strategy is the key to the flexible future of marketing automation. If the internal communication of the automated marketing strategy is not prioritized, an automation approach will create uncertainty in the teams.
Open communication is essential for the internal and external success of marketing process automation. Explain why people benefit from automation strategies, how these automated marketing processes and tools are used, the career path that automation offers, and what happens if automation could eventually take over their position.
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Marketing automation is achievable when companies set clear goals and examine potential factors involved in implementing it, including the budget for new technology, consistent news, and employee training.
Any marketing organization that chooses the automation journey is likely to encounter initial resistance and rejection from the company. But don’t let workforce uncertainties slow down your marketing process automation implementation – it’s there, it’s making an impact, and there’s no time to waste.
More resources on automated marketing processes
Use automation for spectacular B2B campaigns | MarketingProfs webinar
Three tips to automate your content and campaigns, but not to alienate customers and brand fans
Automation in Measure: Amanda Holmes on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]
