Why Marketing Automation Fails

A- Groundwork:

Well, marketing automation has transfigured the world of marketing. Today buyers have very unlimited choices, very well access to a wealth of a lot of research, and they are flooded with numerable marketing messages every day. So, marketers find it difficult to break through the noise. Even the Google searches for marketing automation have reached to the highest and these high search volumes for marketing automation suggest increased interest in awareness of technology.??

But if we see the other side of the story, things are not rosy for everyone. There are companies that implement it but fail to see the tangible results. If marketing automation is not implemented rightly, it could be a costly affair.

?Today buyers have choices in abundance, have access to a wealth of research, and are being bombarded with countless marketing messages every minute day. So it’s no wonder that many marketers are finding it difficult to break through the noise. It has been seen that many businesses devastate and waste quite a lot of investment into marketing automation software in the hope that they will be able to make huge profits using the software and the processes will become a lot easier and streamlined. There are definitely some reasons which are beyond the scope of software and if not implemented correctly can lead to a failure of an extremely powerful marketing tool. Here are listed a few marketing automation software failures which are why the system failed to deliver desired results:

?B- Thoughts to ponder over:

Let us view some common misconceptions in regard to marketing automation which many marketers have and what is the right viewpoint in relation to them.

●??????A common misconception, about marketing automation software, is that it will completely take over your marketing functions.

●??????Marketing automation is designed to enhance the scale of your already existing marketing efforts. It aims to save your time, money, effort, and of course valuable resources.

●??????Whenever the implementation of marketing automation software comes, it is very much important to have a good marketing automation strategy.

●??????A clear and concise strategy is what is required else your marketing efforts will be misguided and wasted.

●??????With the improper strategizing rendering of software completely remains under-utilized and possibly irrelevant.

●??????Many companies miss to consider while switching to automation is to have a strong enough lead base, a platform from which for launching your nurturing campaign down the funnel.

●??????Marketers need to have a steady and strong enough organic lead flow through the marketing funnel in order to have what is necessary to implement marketing automation for optimal success.

●??????Marketing Automation yields productive results when it is worked to improve proven processes.

●??????Automation help organizations to be more effective with digital marketing.

●??????Effectively practiced automation will simplify, speed up and make lead generation lot more transparent and accountable.

●??????It is observed that a very common reason why marketing automation fails because companies are not using top-of-the-funnel channels to drive traffic to their website which they can convert into leads.

Let us know what could be the reasons for marketing automation failure:

C- Failure Reasons Outlined:

Here is some research is done on why marketing automation software most often fails to deliver.?

1- Laying Down Poor Strategy:

If marketing automation is implemented without proper strategizing, which could suit your business's unique goals and market offerings it ought to fail. Putting ahead technology and placing technology above everything else is a common mistake that many organizations make mistakes. Do not place technology in front or do not place them in place of strategy. Organizations commonly face trouble when they go out and invest in fancy, expensive market automation without much indulgence in strategizing things beforehand. Enterprises need to train the staff about the technology and then hand over the marketing automation software.

?2- Not Involving Right People in Decisions: A great marketing automation implementation states there is early involvement of the sales team and quite often in conversation. Since automation helps your business grow revenue by offering you to capture, communicate and track with and prioritize prospects, therefore it is imperative to involve salespeople as a part of the decision to implement marketing automation. Not only salespeople must be involved in important decisions of implementing marketing automation but it is also important to involve their decision which platform is right for them. Involving the sales team in conversation will help in choosing the best system to meet your business and customer needs.

?3- Wrong investment policy: Organizations commonly make the mistake of buying an expensive market automation software without much research and paying due diligence. Ideally, enterprises must first ensure that everything else must be made in sync with technology and place the aptly to make it work. For successfully implementing marketing automation, it is very much important to match it with the current business processes. Also, you must prepare your staff to use such technology. While you are in search of the best marketing automation tools and technologists consider these elements in your vendor evaluation and selection process:

●???????Consider the complete list of requirements from marketing, sales, and IT.

●???????Entire well-defined goals.

●???????Reviews of analysts.

●???????Peer and Customer recommendations.

●???????In-house talent review

?4- Incorrect timing: Typically customer journeys span the following 5 steps which are the discovery phase - where prospects find out about your brand or your product for the very time, the realization of need - where they start realizing that your product will add value to their lives. Another step in consideration of your product-where prospects decide to learn a little more about your product and at this moment they become leads, conversion- the time where actual purchase happens, the retention phase where the first-time buyers repeat this process of becoming regular customers. So here are the actual marketing phases of your brand or product, but for a while stop thinking like a marketer and think like a consumer. Your sales rep must be shooting emails, follow-up calls to tell your prospects to buy, buy, buy. Of course it is very much annoying. The fact is that the pitch is aligned with the wrong stage of the funnel. Rather, a sales-focused message will offer greater impact among audiences who are ready to convert.

?5- Choice of Marketing Channels:

Well, email marketing has lost its influence over the years since the advent of social media. It is once marketing channel option which comes with its own limitations. It limits the number of viewers to your message and this is at times very disappointing. Also, it limits the scope of data that marketers need in order to serve their prospect's wants and needs in a better way. A sound and well-designed marketing system which uses multiple channels is need of an hour. Involving social media in order to reach wider audience helps in a greater way. Quality-rich and precise content work greatly in getting prospects’ attention.

6- Missing Mobiles:

Many organizations are forgetting that 95% of their users are on mobile. Marketers are operating in cross-device and in cross-platform environments, so do not miss or ignore mobile as your marketing platform. Survey says that 48% of emails are opened on mobile devices, but among this percentage, only 11% of emails are optimized for mobile. The drawback is that audiences stop listening and 69% of mobile users delete the emails which are not optimized for the small screens. Therefore, it is advisable to keep the messaging simple and use bullet points for offering key information. Don’t make users scroll a lot and avoid the designs which require re-sizing.

D- Wrapper:

Conclusively, marketing automation will drive tremendous opportunity for your business if the goals are placed rightly. So, if you have already implemented marketing automation and it didn’t go the way you wished to, no need to worry just try following the solutions discussed in the blog above and ask for right questions to the experienced professionals who may help you with strategizing your marketing automation software.??