We’ve started all to hear and read about marketing automation. But what does it mean for ecommerce?
Ecommerce marketing automation is a solution capable of dealing with repetitive tasks which otherwise would be done manually by a human. Think about social media, customer support, email marketing, conversion rate optimization, retargeting which can be set and forget using an automation software.
E-Commerce/Marketing automation can relate to a lot of different things. And there are many definitions out there. All might be true, based on the experience of the creator and the industry he is in.
Is marketing automation worth it?
Essentially, marketing automation is about eliminating the need for you to do much of the manual marketing tasks, thanks to technology. So again, technology takes our jobs.
For larger companies is a must, because it increases efficiency without employing more people. For smaller companies, it’s worth it, because it saves you time and various costs for different solutions. Other times, it may be a waste of money, if you don’t implement it correctly.
There are thousands of marketing automation experts, but let’s be honest: not everybody can be considered an expert in this area, because the tools are just a few years old and the technology is under improvements.
How ecommerce marketing automation works?
The vast majority of online retailers marketers deal with the same tasks, needs in a repetitive way. Manual tasks are being automated, helping maximize your efficiency in so many ways. However this trends also make people who don’t keep up with it loose jobs.
Any solution works in just a few ways, from a technical point of view.
Track user activity or non-activity and based on some conditions things happen. Campaigns start to run, emails are being sent, push notifications, messages are displayed onsite and/or mobile, banners are being changed onsite and so on.
What should marketing automation include for your online business?
In order to get your shop marketing ready for the next round of automation, there are 2 steps you need to consider:
- Make a list with your daily, weekly or any other repetitive tasks
- Find out all tools you are currently using for your marketing: Google analytics, Email marketing, Ad retargeting, landing page builder, social media
Having these 2 lists start looking for a marketing automation solution that includes all these features that you are currently using (or tasks you repetitively do).
Read reviews of such tools and also have a look on the pricing. Some solutions count the database size, others the monthly traffic or numbers of emails sent during a specific period. Invest wisely and as appropriate.
You can use MARA to run you marketing easier with automation. Get in touch if you’re not sure how it will fit your existing business.