In line with a 2021 HubSpot Weblog Advertising Tendencies Report, 69% of entrepreneurs surveyed say they use automation of their advertising function.

Whether or not automation is a brand new or commonplace apply in your organization, we need to make it easier to keep away from frequent traps entrepreneurs typically fall into.

On this submit, we’ll talk about them and alternate options that remedy these challenges.

1. You’ve got soiled knowledge.

In a 2021 state of selling automation report, 58% of B2B professionals say the primary tactic that almost all amplifies the success of their advertising automation software is high quality knowledge.

Soiled knowledge can value manufacturers not solely cash but additionally time, as they take actions based mostly on inaccurate info.

This may be something from duplicate information and naming inconsistencies to outdated contact info and incorrect attribution.

A easy instance of soiled knowledge is an e-mail record that is by no means been cleaned. Your record seemingly has disengaged customers, spam addresses, and duplicate emails that threaten the integrity of your knowledge.

This may result in low engagement numbers, injury to your IP repute, excessive e-mail advertising prices, and a lack of leads.

In your automation to perform correctly, it is important that you simply work with clear knowledge to make sure your work will probably be well worth the effort you are placing in.

2. You picked the unsuitable automation software.

A HubSpot Weblog analysis report on media and content material planning revealed that discovering the appropriate software is a roadblock for a lot of entrepreneurs.

In truth, 45.9% of these surveyed who do not depend on advertising automation say the most important impediment they face is that they can not discover platforms with the capabilities they want.

As well as, 59% of B2B professionals say they do not really feel they’re using their advertising automation instruments to their fullest potential, in response to the state of selling automation report.

So, not solely are entrepreneurs scuffling with selecting instruments, additionally they battle to make use of them.

Choosing the right advertising automation software is crucial, as it’ll decide how profitable your technique is. Listed below are the highest options to search for in advertising automation software program:

• Person-friendly, intuitive interface
• Superior analytics and reporting
• Data base and buyer assist instruments
• Integrations
• Scalable choices

Take a look at this text on the high advertising automation instruments out there in the marketplace.

3. Your advertising and gross sales groups aren’t aligned.

The worst factor you are able to do with advertising automation is working in a silo. On the finish of the day, advertising is a perform designed to assist gross sales, merchandise, and different enterprise sectors.

As such, it is crucial that your advertising crew herald all needed stakeholders to construct workflows that align with groups past your personal.

That is notably necessary with advertising and gross sales groups who work hand-in-hand to show leads into marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) then sales-qualified leads (SQLs) and eventually prospects.

Have you considered what processes would profit your gross sales crew? This might appear to be an automatic e-mail from a gross sales rep as soon as a lead has accomplished a high-intent conduct.

In fact, to outline what that conduct is, it’s a must to outline that with the gross sales crew.

Advertising automation software program can allow gross sales reps to concentrate on changing leads as a substitute of tedious duties.

4. You do not practice your crew.

In line with the state of selling automation report, 31% of B2B professionals say probably the most vital barrier to utilizing advertising automation instruments is lack of coaching, the most well-liked reply after lack of assets.

Automation instruments are highly effective however nugatory in case your crew would not know how you can use them.

Holding coaching periods will be certain that key stakeholders know your software’s capabilities, are conscious of present workflows and perceive the processes to create new ones.

Listed below are a couple of ideas for coaching your crew:

• Curate your coaching to the crew – Data overload is a really actual factor. To stop this from occurring and preserve your periods productive, solely educate what’s related to that crew.
• Invite service supplier reps to take part – Nobody will know the software program higher than its reps. Attain out to your supplier and see if they supply coaching periods.
• Maintain a multi-step coaching course of – One session seemingly will not be sufficient to effectively practice your crew. Be sure you maintain a number of periods, utilizing a mix of assorted studying methods to advertise studying.

5. You set and neglect.

Though automation does recommend a set-and-forget method, the truth is it is very hands-on.

The distinction is that your consideration goes to one thing else. As a substitute of specializing in output, you’ll be able to direct your consideration to assessing efficiency and optimizing.

6. You solely leverage just one kind of automation technique.

Too typically, entrepreneurs begin utilizing advertising automation, get conversant in one set of duties, then concentrate on that. By no means increasing past what they already use.

That is the way you miss out on alternatives to enhance your model. Reap the benefits of the entire options your software program provides to maximise effectivity.

There are most likely loads of little duties over the course of your work day that do not appear time-consuming individually. Nevertheless, should you add up the entire time you spend posting on social media, updating contact info, and different duties, you find yourself with a big chunk of your day spent on issues that may most likely be automated.

Poke round your advertising automation to see which processes you may make extra environment friendly. For instance, within the HubSpot software program, customers can bulk replace lead contact info as a substitute of clicking into every report and altering particulars there.

The extra processes you automate, the extra time you will have every day to strategize along with your crew about content material, lead technology, and lead nurturing techniques to maintain attracting high quality results in your website.

Listed below are automation methods you’ll be able to leverage:

• Chatbots
• Activity administration
• Lead scoring
• Lead nurturing
• Contract/quote automation
• Lead rotation
• Drip campaigns

7. Your automation software program would not combine along with your CRM.

A advertising automation system is meant to make advertising simpler. A CRM system is meant to make managing leads and prospects simpler.

If your automation software program and CRM do not discuss to one another, then you make much more work for your self.

Earlier than deciding on advertising automation and CRM platforms, be sure they will combine with each other, and be sure you have the finances to make it occur.

8. You do not have a objective.

Reap the benefits of the benefit of use advertising automation software program supplies and make investments time and efforts into figuring out your objectives first. After getting them, you will need to assign these objectives to every automated effort – social media, e-mail workflows, and so forth – to make sure it is easy to trace progress.

In any case, entrepreneurs want a approach to measure success on the subject of advertising automation, and one technique of doing so is by evaluating objective attainment. For instance, right here at HubSpot, the Visible Workflows software helps you to set a particular objective for every automated workflow.

A objective could be a brand new lead transitioning right into a marketing-qualified lead based mostly on sure behaviors, resembling downloading a particular variety of content material provides.

HubSpot Visible Workflows additionally means that you can monitor the share of contacts in every workflow that obtain the objective, which is one other nice approach to measure the success and ROI of your advertising automation.

9. You do not phase your e-mail record.

You’ve got a database filled with certified leads, however you are utilizing advertising automation software program to blast out tons of emails that are not personalized in any respect. In consequence, your leads are churning as a result of your emails aren’t helpful to them.

The answer? Develop a lead nurturing technique that features e-mail record segmentation so that you’re sending particular emails to particular individuals that they are extra prone to open.

With the appropriate advertising automation software program, it is easy to execute an e-mail record segmentation technique that delivers robust outcomes. For instance, HubSpot prospects can use the Visible Workflows App to focus on their emails based mostly on dozens of standards, each demographic and behavioral.

Advertising automation is a strong software for any firm – the trick is figuring out how you can optimize it and which pitfalls to keep away from. By conserving these in thoughts, you will guarantee your automation is working at its most potential.

Editor’s Notice: This submit was initially revealed in Nov. 2016 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness