Let’s face it: It can be overwhelming to keep up with new digital-marketing strategies, social media, drip campaigns and all the other emerging opportunities in the world of marketing technology. There’s so much to choose from, it now has its own blended term — martech.
While the world’s biggest corporations dedicate entire teams to social-media monitoring and feedback, startup leaders must run much tighter ships. The Chief Marketing Officer often is the same person as the CEO and the CFO. Those challenges make it more difficult to stay on trend when it comes to marketing outreach — much less effectively adopt and implement these strategies.
Still, martech holds tremendous growth potential for startups whose leaders can make time to explore it. The only caveat: People choose small businesses for a reason. Don’t begin to rely so heavily on marketing automation that you lose your personal touch.
In the bigger picture, the time startups invest in marketing automation will streamline operations and help companies grow faster (and often in profound ways). Here are a few reasons to consider making the move to integrate automation in your marketing plan.
1. It levels the playing field.
New startups often feel like minnows trying to outswim and outsmart sharks in a game of survival. Reports reveal that nearly half of small-business owners manage marketing efforts on their own, all while carrying out other duties from human resources to sales. Marketing automation helps bring some balance by offering incredibly savvy and sophisticated tools that also are incredibly easy to use and set.
Don’t know much about analytics or “lead-nurturing?” That’s OK. Companies such as GetResponse and Act-On do, and they can help reach out, clear out and make marketing decisions for you. Best of all? Those decisions happen automatically, based on specifications you set during your onboarding process. That can add hours to your day, not to mention thousands (or millions) in sales when well-utilized.
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