Oh, you thought we were done recapping the April 9th edition of #SMTLive? Nope, we were just getting started when it comes to marketing automation tools. Here’s a look at what those of you on Twitter had to say about the future of marketing automation and what it means for social media marketers.
Pros and cons galore
A double edged (and easily intimidating) sword, marketing automation tools can both hurt and help your business. #SMTLive participants give us some insight into the specific pros and cons of these tools today.
A2: Obviously automation is great for creating efficiencies, but with too much or automating the wrong areas, brands risk losing personal connections. Automation can also be a downfall in times of crisis, when brands need to be extremely in control of messaging, etc. #SMTLive
— Christine Delaney (@ChrstineDelaney) April 9, 2019
It seems like a real person might be able to handle a crisis better than an automated system could.
Pros for today’s #MarketingAutomation are:
— Julian Foster #SMMSociety (@DigitalMentor72) April 9, 2019
* Improved efficiencies
* Easier to measure ROI
* Audience research/segmentation
* Opportunity to deliver a more personalised and relevant customer experience
* Able to refine ads based on data driven decisions#SMTLive
But check out this abundance of time-saving pros…
Pros:
— SocialAnimal (@SocialAnimal_io) April 9, 2019
???? Saves time
???? Reach more people easily
Cons:
???? Makes the brand less human
???? Insults genuine people#SMTLive
#SMTLive users seem to think these tools are ideal for certain problems, but less of a solution for others.
Containing multitudes
Marketing automation tools can offer a lot to certain companies. Additionally, depending on the size and function of your company, these tools can be used in a variety of different ways.
A4: I rely greatly on @SproutSocial @Mailchimp and @facebook advertising. They help me get my content scheduled out when I have time so I'm not in a scramble the day of a campaign launch or post date. They generally have great support teams as well whenever I need help. #SMTLive
— Taryn Grisham (@taryn_grisham) April 9, 2019
For instance, this user highlighted Mailchimp’s content calendar and support team.
We use @Mailchimp to automate our event and important organization messages and @hootsuite to streamline our content. We believe that social media should still have a social aspect to it. #SMTLive
— Social Media Dallas (@SM_Dallas) April 9, 2019
But this company highlighted something completely different about Mailchimp. This just goes to show that these tools will have different benefits depending on your organization, such as if you’re just one person, a social media manager for a brand, or a B2B company.
Make a wish!
How great would it be if all these tools were just perfect already? Here’s what #SMTLive chatters want from their marketing automation tools ASAP.
Making suggestions on your content strategy based on what you have been posting... #SMTLive
— Social Media Dallas (@SM_Dallas) April 9, 2019
This one is too real. How awesome would it be if there was a tool intuitive enough to provide you with content suggestions that were actually insightful and usable?
Agree. It would be good if social platforms for businesses were more intuitive and could provide suggestions (which you could implement or ignore), rather than just stating the facts, which you then have to analyse and come up with next steps... #SMTLive
— Elizabeth Harmon (@Liz_Harmon) April 9, 2019
Yes yes yes.
There’s still a real need for #MarketingAutomation tools with built-in #AI and #MachineIntelligence to give clearer insight into what content people are genuinely finding useful - beyond the usual vanity metrics. The tool could then use that intel to make suggestions #SMTLive
— Julian Foster #SMMSociety (@DigitalMentor72) April 9, 2019
If this is what the future holds, I’m going to start working harder on my time machine idea.
Let’s get real
Ok, but how many of those wishes for better automation will actually come true? Maybe a few of them, and even better innovations in these tools, according to #SMTLive.
Exciting times ahead for #MarketingAutomation. But only for those who don’t forget Social is all about authentic engagement and giving customers the most relevant experience possible. It’s going to an art and a science. Bring it on! #SMTLive
— Julian Foster #SMMSociety (@DigitalMentor72) April 9, 2019
An art and a science… we’re game for a liberal arts inspired social media landscape if you are.
They're going to have to do the following:
— Social Media Dallas (@SM_Dallas) April 9, 2019
-Find a healthy balance of when to automate
-Understand the org's goals to know if this is an automated opportunity or something that needs live engagement
-Embrace trial and error until you find what works best#SMTLive
It looks like we still have some work ahead of us.
via GIPHY
Want more where this came from? Be sure to check out our State of Marketing Automation 2019 Survey Report here. Thanks so much for recapping #SMTLive with us this week. Be sure to join in next time around, and don’t forget to RSVP here. Looking forward to seeing you there!