We don’t like automation, we love it!
However, only if it helps to improve the customer experience in digital communication channels. And if it creates real added value for the user.
Technically, many things are conceivable and possible today. However, Marketing Automation is still in its infancy. And like any creature in infancy, she can be really annoying. We call this the “dark side of automation” that we find on websites and social media every day. The culprits are mindless software applications, scripts, and bots run by marketers who lack the power of automation. Their weapons: are obtrusive pop-ups, meaningless tweets, and direct messages that drive even interested readers to flee.
We’ll show you how urgent this problem is and how the good side of the force can help you win in your marketing.
Table of Contents
Interrupt marketing sucks
There are countless software solutions and apps¹ for automating marketing communication, be it for SEO, social media, email, or for websites and blogs. Many of these are available free of charge in the basic version and can be started up quickly. The temptation is great to just “automate it straight away” without considering how the little helpers are perceived by the user.
This is a little reminiscent of the early days of Powerpoint presentations when everyone tried to fit as many animation effects as possible into a presentation. A phenomenon that still annoys every listener and probably cost PowerPoint its reputation. This fate could also befall automation if marketers do not succeed in using the technical possibilities in a planned and measured manner.
“As much as I believe in the power of marketing automation, I’m convinced that lazy marketers will screw it up.” – Jason Falls
Less is more – this also applies to the automation of marketing communication. Users who are constantly harassed by pop-ups, automated tweets, and messages will sooner or later resist this type of “interruptible marketing.” Automation then becomes a risk for companies.
The Dark Forces of Automation
Marketing automation is already a daily occurrence on websites, blogs, and social media networks – rarely useful, but often obtrusive and disruptive. Such as Twitter bots and Website pop-ups, which lie in wait for us along the digital path and disturb our surfing. Others work more inconspicuously in the background, controlling content and advertising content on social platforms or bombarding us with emails and direct messages. Let’s take a closer look at two conspicuous representatives.
The Twitter Bot
An estimated 8% of all Twitter accounts are controlled by software, so-called Twitter bots. That’s about 23 million accounts, as Twitter had to admit in 2014. And these bots are projected to be responsible for a quarter of all tweets. In plain language, this means: One in four tweets we read comes from a machine.
This is also the case with a highly valued colleague who has recently been using software that automatically prompts users to follow thanks. In this way, she gives his client thousands of tweets with no value in terms of content. In technical jargon, this is aptly called “social noise”.
Website Popups and Hover Ads
When reading on the screen, the mouse rests, but not the eye. That makes sense to every reader. But not the software: behind every motionless cursor it thinks there is a latent lack of interest or even a tendency to flee, which one can follow has to face a shrill wake-up call in the form of an advertisement.
Surveys have shown that 70% of Internet users are annoyed by pop-ups, especially if they are annoying without it to offer real value.
Quiet reading is sacred in any library, but what does reader well-being matter when the sale can be boosted to 162% by using popups?
On the contrary: The tone and utility make the music. Stumbling blocks on the way into the light
As the example of popups shows, there is also light in the world of marketing automation. And without a doubt, automation can go a long way when it comes to putting the right content in the right place at the right time. So at each touchpoint in Marketing Funnel, use two buzzwords in today’s marketing.
Marketers have high hopes for automation, especially when it comes to lead generation, lead quality, and efficiency, as the Study “State of B2B Marketing Automation” by Regalix in 2015 showed.
With all these enticing advantages and opportunities that automation in marketing offers, however, we must not forget that new tools alone do not bring success.
Automation is a complex subject that requires planning, and knowledge to work properly.
In addition, a machine must be fed with high-quality content in order to do good marketing. It is not for nothing that bad content is one of the most critical stumbling blocks in automation.
The Use of the power of automation properly
Put yourself in the shoes of your readers and critically examine whether pop-ups or Automated messages really add value to them. If you come to the conclusion that they only make your work easier, then you should seriously reconsider using them.
Plan the use of automation carefully and define exactly when, where, for whom, and for what purpose you want to use them. Only then choose the most suitable tools.
Invest enough time to set up the software so that your actions are in line with the needs of your readers stand. This reduces the risk of your efforts being perceived as spam.
Use automation with the same care and creativity with which you personally communicate. Pay special attention to the quality of your content and its relevance to your readers.
Continuously analyze the reaction of your users to the automation in order to optimize if necessary can: Does the number of your followers suddenly decrease? Or is the time spent on your website decreasing? Learn from it and continuously adapt the use of your tools.
Our Verdict on Marketing Automation
Automation in marketing is not an end in itself. It causes nothing other than “noise” if the technical possibilities are not used in a planned and measured manner.
Marketers are well advised to With all the efficiency and ease of work that automation can offer, always ensure that automated pop-ups, tweets, and other hard-working helpers give every customer contact with real added value enrich.
What do you think about that? Do you automate your marketing communications or parts of it? And how do you feel about pop-ups and “content-free” tweets?