5 Marketing Automation Tips for Beginners

As a novice marketer, the first thing you’ll probably notice about the processes involved is that they’re usually much more challenging than you might expect on the surface. From a simplified perspective, going into the project you might feel as though success is only a matter of a time, and indeed that is true. However, in the business world, time wasted obviously equates to money lost, and with deadlines, milestones, and brand reputation to consider, most marketers don’t really have the luxury of taking a slow and steady approach when they’ve been tasked with the responsibility of promoting a client. Producing commendable results within a reasonable time frame when you don’t have much experience can be difficult, but automation can be an excellent assistant for a beginner, particularly if the following 5 tips are heeded:

1. Utilize Enterprise Marketing Automation Services

A marketer who finds themselves suddenly managing more than one marketing campaign at a time can quickly feel as though they’re in over their head, and rightfully so – many times there aren’t enough hours in the day for a single person to get the job done manually. In some cases you may need to hire a team, but many times the most tedious and time-consuming tasks can be automated via an enterprise marketing automation solution.

2. Outsource Whenever Possible

Allocating tasks to someone else can feel wrong at first when you’re trying to add a personal touch, but after you’ve gotten past the initial momentum building stage, you’ll need to set aside your pride and meticulous perfection for the greater good of getting the job done. Finding a good personal assistant is something that every busy marketer should try to do. Freelancing sites are great sources for finding experienced and knowledgeable assistants, writers, developers, and other key puzzle pieces that will keep you from having to do it all yourself.

3. Have Custom Scripts and Processes Developed

Once you’ve started working with developers directly, it will be easier to recommend automation ideas to see what solutions they can provide. Aside from the freelancer approach, enterprise automation companies can help you develop tailored solutions to automation problems as well.

4. Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Speed

Maintaining quality output and results should always be your highest priority as the manager of a marketing campaign. Thus, you should never try to cut corners by obtaining cheap content or marketing materials, as those components will be the face of your project.

5. Learn to Identify When Something Can and Should Be Automated

Finally, although many tasks can be automated, you should take the initiative to reserve some duties for yourself. The way you separate tasks that should be automated from those that you should be doing yourself is by asking yourself two questions about the task:

1. Can a software or service do this without sacrificing quality or budget?
2. Will I be wasting more time and money by focusing on automating the task instead of just doing it myself?

If you answered “Yes” to the first question and “No” to the second, then you should probably look into automating the task in consideration.

The Importance of Eliminating Time Wasting Tasks

Time-wasting tasks don’t just consume a portion of your day unnecessarily, they also throw a wrench into your workflow and thought process, thereby stifling creativity and innovation. Furthermore, on a customer/client service and solicitation level, if you’re bogged down by repetitive digital tasks then you won’t have as much time to focus on keeping existing clients happy while also trying to facilitate expansion. In essence, the only way to scale up a marketing agency is to learn how to automate the mundane yet crucial tasks that weigh productivity down.