When it comes to technology, and even marketing automation solutions, the term “ease of use” mainly refers to the UI of an application. It does not refer to the underlying knowledge of how to operate the technology, or the knowledge of how to succeed in a modern marketing environment.
“Ease of use” specifically refers to the fact that a tool is easy to operate. However, does that mean that you are going to know how to use it correctly? In other words, “ease of use” does not mean “no work required.”
When you’re moving into marketing automation, you need to invest a heavy amount of time in learning modern marketing techniques. If you don’t do that, you’re never going to see the promised results.
It’s easy for you to push the Send button on an email, but are you going to get the desired results? Are you going to see lead nurturing become a driver of leads? Are you going to see web conversions increase? If you don’t know how to do it, it doesn’t matter what tool you’re using, the answer is always no. If you don’t take the time to understand what you’re automating, you’re going to end up automating bad marketing.
Here’s how to ensure marketing automation success.
1. Learn the basics
Before you dive into marketing automation, you need to understand the fundamentals. To do this:
- Read books such as my book, Marketing Automation for Dummies (shameless plug).
- Read guides such as The Newcomer’s Guide to Marketing Automation.
- Find a mentor online or offline to follow and learn from.
Soak in everything you can about marketing automation before you go any further.
2. Know that change is inevitable
Constant evolution is a best practice. Be aware and ready for your marketing automation programs to be tweaked and changed on daily basis.
3. You can always improve
A friend of mine always says there is no such thing as “best practices” — they are “better practices.” “Best” assumes that you’ve reached the end, however, “better” always assumes that you need to be searching for the next best thing. It’s always a constant evolution, and you need that mindset with marketing automation.
4. Become an expert on your marketing automation platform
Watch every video that your tool produces on best practices. Get training. Every tool is going to have specific use cases, so make sure you know how to use your specific marketing automation technology correctly.
If you don’t have this basic understanding, no marketing automation solution will be easy to use.
Get more marketing automation tips in this free ebook.
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This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: 4 Steps To Make Sure Your Marketing Automation Is Easy To Use
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