If you look up the definition of automation, you will find that it is closely related to the word ‘repetition.’ Any task that is executed again and again, without much differentiation, is generally deemed to be repetitive in nature. Some of humankind’s earliest examples of automation include assembly lines, complete with conveyor belts, as well as jobs like envelope stuffing. Unsurprisingly, internet marketing is likely the most well-known, prevalent, modern example of automation.
Typically, marketing automation begins when an internet user clicks on a link that leads to a landing page that either contains a sales letter or an email sign-up. Although internet users are, in fact, interacting with marketers, it is seldom done in real time. Automation is extremely important in these kinds of examples because internet marketers can set the same automated processes going in tandem with thousands of web users simultaneously.
Why Automated Online Marketing Is a Huge Business
Setup a website that funnels users to your sales pages, and your company is going to make money. It makes money no matter what is being sold or even how good your pitch is.
The reason that automation is effective in online marketing is that marketers are able to play the numbers game. As long as you are able to get traffic, it is pretty much a guarantee that you will find buyers. Now, this fact shouldn’t inspire you to produce low-quality landing pages and other automated processes, but it should tell you that there will be a reward for your efforts.
Examples of Automation in Internet Marketing
Autoresponder emails are a pretty good example of automation in the internet marketing world. What they are is a series of emails that are pre-written and automatically sent at precise intervals.
So, if you have a website in which you promise everyone who signs up for your email list seven tricks that will help them learn to code faster, each autoresponders could focus on a different language. For example, your first autoresponder email could be totally about PHP, while the second one might reference CSS.
Each one of these emails would be completely identical, so you wouldn’t have to do any extra work. Consider this type of automation akin to writing a book that you receive royalties on. Stephen King only wrote ‘It,’ once, but he continues to make money off each copy that sells, even years after it was first authored.
Making Marketing Automation Work For Your Business
The kind of automation your company will benefit from the most depends on who you are marketing to and what you are trying to sell.
You might use automation for upselling purposes, sending out an automatic email for a discount on accessories when a customer buys a particular product. You might also partner with other companies or other marketers to cross-sell products and services that you believe would be attractive to a particular client base.
Either way, all of these processes are going to be automated. Some businesses have found that improving their marketing automation workflow is just what they need to grow their customer base over and over again.
How to Add a Personal Touch to Marketing Automation Workflows
Even automated emails can be customized so that consumers feel that your business is speaking directly to them. Using scripts that add in customer names or even send out birthday emails is a nice way to make consumers feel valued. Although automation can replace most interactions that companies have with customers, there is still a place for personalization. You can send out exclusive emails to customers for any reason. The point is to make it so that your automated processes still allow for a level of personalization. It could be in the form of a salutation or even in the form of a silly sign-off on each email. Find out how to make your emails more customized, and consumers will get the big picture.
Online marketing is almost totally automated and has been that way since the beginning. The first email marketers were writing scripts that would allow them to send email blasts to as many customers as possible at one time. Landing pages have been around forever, and sales letters have gone from being typed on typewriters and printed out to be fully digital. Although all of these processes are automatic, they don’t have to feel robotic.
An effective automated marketing campaign is going to elicit feelings and, thus, action from consumers. In fact, customers can thoroughly appreciate why automated processes, in general, are more effective. When they need to have a password reset, they want an instant response. Treat automated marking workflows the same way so your company won’t be disappointed.
