Marketing automation software changed the game.

It’s made marketing systems and campaigns much more efficient and effective; it has bridged the gap between sales and marketing teams—it has been a metaphorical bandaid for those needing a helping hand when it comes to efficient and productive marketing practices.

With all that being said, marketing automation software often gets a bad rap—some say it turns traditional marketing communications into something cold and impersonal. “Mechanical” or “robotic” are a few other buzzwords often associated with the negative side of marketing automation software.

We’re here to set the record straight: when used correctly, marketing automation should actually humanize your marketing strategy.

After all, it is the human, not the technology, who provides the intelligence and direction to the software—not the other way around!

If you and your team are worried about the “robotic” nature of automative software, check out our 5 tips down below.

1. Coordinate with Sales

We’re going to consider “not coordinating with Sales” to be a cardinal sin of the marketing automation realm (check out this blog post to understand the importance of marketing automation & your Sales team).

In this instance, failing to coordinate with Sales contributes to a “robotic” presence with your customers. Lack of coordination results in potential customers and leads getting nurtured by both Marketing and Sales—that’s extremely overwhelming and impersonal!

As a general rule, communications between Sales & Marketing should complement one another and it’s important to decide the appropriate time to hand off nurturing the Sales team and/or Marketing team. Failing to do so will result in robotic and impersonal marketing automation practices.

And we can’t have that.

2. Practice mindful segmentation

What’s one of our favorite things about marketing automation? Segmentation!

Take a look at our helpful list of segmentation tactics for data-driven marketers to learn more about the power of segments!

When it comes to humanizing your marketing automation strategy, it’s important to hone your segments and focus on organization and thoughtful communication.

Sending people the right content at the right time is essential for a warm, thoughtful approach.

After all, what screams “robotic, mechanical marketing”? Receiving content that’s not meant for you. Take this into consideration when reviewing, creating, and organizing your segments.

3. Please DO NOT buy your lists

We know, we know—the temptation is everywhere!

However, if you are focused on humanizing and “warming up” your marketing automation approach and strategy, generate your own list of qualified leads—put in a little elbow grease and do it the right way.

Your approach will always feel mechanical and/or robotic if you try and skip steps when it comes to list building. If you’re in need of more reasons why you shouldn’t buy an email list for your marketing efforts, check out this great blog post!

4. Use it correctly

Marketing automation should, at its core, be used primarily as an extension of the human touch. It’s all about service and anticipating the needs and wants of your audience throughout their buying journey.

Marketing automation is thoughtful, considerate, and timely—it’s basically the charming grandma of the software world (can we coin that phrase?).

What’s the best way to showcase the thoughtful, considerate, and timely nature of your marketing automation process? Use it correctly and use it to the best of its abilities.

Need help optimizing your MA software? Check out this great blog post to learn the ropes!

5. Focus on more than email

A huge misconception when it comes to marketing automation software is the idea that it’s only for email communications.

While marketing automation started with email, we’re way past that! Marketing automation software has moved far beyond basic email communications and if you’ve yet to realize that, it’s time for a (subtle) little reality check.

Develop a marketing automation strategy that serves relevant content across all of your channels—from email to website to Sales communications and processes. Doing so will greatly impact the nature of your marketing efforts and take you from “robotic” to “human” in no time at all!

Contrary to popular belief, marketing automation software was made with the intention of humanizing and streamlining a buyer’s journey through the marketing and sales funnel. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding of this useful software, many are under the impression that it will turn your marketing efforts into robotic, disconnected, and impersonal attempts at establishing a faux human connection. We’re working every day to change that!

Hopefully, with these 5 tips, you’ll be able to undo this common stereotype and reinforce the notion of humanity in your company’s everyday Marketing and Sales processes. We know you can do it!

Should you ever be in need of more helpful marketing automation tips & tricks, don’t be shy—schedule a free 20-minute chat with us! We’re always happy to hear from you.

Happy Marketing,

Lexie Robbins

Digital Marketing Specialist

The post 5 Ways to Make Your Marketing Automation Less Robotic appeared first on Net-Results.