When we hear the word automation, we immediately think of soulless robots and/or processes. However, if properly mixed, marketing automation and personalization can be “perfectly balanced, as all things should be,” like an infamous villain says. This will help to maximize the business objectives without making common mistakes associated to both areas. But, how to do it? We’re about to find out!
What’s the Problem?
First of all, let’s identify the problems. The first one is that when it comes to automation, many want artificial information (AI) to solve everything, which is not possible. To do that, they would need tons of way more information than the one retrieved by marketers and stronger security measures that block malicious access. For technology that is made to evolve, it’s very difficult to do at this point.
Meanwhile, the second problem is the old-fashioned, personalized communications, which are hard to do in an increasingly digital world. Not everyone wants physical junk mail or phone calls at an inconvenient moment, yet, at the same time, a personal touch is crucial in order to effectively deliver the message to customers and to get good results.
What’s the Solution?
Use data to segment your audience beyond titles and industries. Create a different message for different groups of people. That way, you can make sure that the right content is going to the right audience. After personalizing your communications, use an email automation platform to deliver the targeted messages to suitable recipients.
Also, add small personalization hacks to automated processes. You can do this by going beyond email messages and making requests for calls or social media connections.
Last but not least, make personalized touches throughout automated workflows. Tell salespeople to reach out personally after sending connection requests. The consumer will feel like they are dealing with a human being and not a soulless robot.
To read more details about perfectly balanced marketing automation and personalization, read the full article here.
