by Sarah K Perlman | Sep 10, 2023 | Campaigns, Content Creation, Customer Experience, Email Marketing, Marketing, Printing, Social Media
It seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone is touting the benefits of AI. Artificial intelligence can now be used to write content, create images, even develop entire ad campaigns. The issue is that using AI requires lots of trial and error on the inputs you provide as well as oversight and fact-checking of the results you receive. Not everyone is going to be a whiz at using AI for marketing purposes.
But take a step back from the computer overlords, and marketing automation is a tool that any marketer can use. Yes, it still involves a basic understanding of technology. But marketing automation tools generally require less oversight once they are set up. And today’s tools are often user-friendly and intuitive to use.
What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation uses technology to make various tasks and processes run by themselves. You set up rules, triggers, and guidelines for the tools you’re using, and the tools follow them. These tools are typically software applications that integrate with your existing marketing software.
And leveraging automation for mundane and repetitive tasks has massive ROI. According to a report by McKinsey, automation can save marketers up to 20% of their work time, allowing them to perform human-centric strategic work. Marketing automation can also ensure a better customer experience due to its ability to deliver personalized communications.
5 Ways to Use Marketing Automation
What marketing tasks can be automated? There are a ton of things you can automate, but they all fall within one of these five categories:
1. Database Management
It’s critical to have a “clean” database to use any marketing automation tools. On the plus side, these same tools can actually help you practice good list hygiene!
You can automate lead capture by incorporating forms on your website and in your paid advertising. From there, your leads enter your database and all information is entered into separate fields. Automated processes can document any interactions these leads have with your brand, from web page views to engagement to purchases.
Later, you can automate targeted content delivery based on these fields. You can also use automation to score your leads, prioritizing contact with those who are most likely to convert into customers. The benefits of using marketing automation this way are massive. A Forrester study found that companies automating their lead nurturing workflows see a 451% increase in qualified leads.
2. Personalized Messaging and Content
The automation benefits don’t stop once leads become customers. Both groups can be segmented and sent personalized communications that increase conversion rates. Any field in your database can be used to segment your list, so keep this in mind when you’re building your forms! From demographics to behavior and purchase history, the possibilities are huge.
Marketing automation allows users to create and deliver personalized communications that would take ages to craft by humans. Not only can you automate content sourcing by audience segment, you can also implement triggers within your database to deliver specific pieces of content per field or entry type.
For example, let’s say you have a field in your database that tracks purchases by product. You can automate sending a promotional email to all customers who have purchased a specific product before so that they can save money on a repeat purchase. Even direct mail can be tied to your database by using triggers to assign variable content to be printed—even images!
Beyond database triggers, you can also set up workflows and sequences that trigger off each other. A series of touches can be set up for specific audience segments, leading them through a sales funnel, onboarding sequence, or other process. Your entire content strategy can set up in advance, and once leads or customers enter your database they can begin your specified workflows.
And this boosts conversions. An Epsilon study shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to buy when brands provide personalized experiences. Automation enables targeted messaging, tailored content, and customized offers, resulting in better engagement and customer satisfaction.
3. Social Media Posting and Tracking
One of the most common uses for marketing automation tools is for social media management. Specifically, scheduling posts in advance. This allows marketers to batch their content creation and posting, creating efficient workflows that save time. This is especially helpful for companies with multiple channels for various aspects of their business.
Automation tools also monitor your engagement by channel. You can receive suggestions for the best time to post on each channel to achieve the most engagement from your audience. Many even have the capability to allow you to respond to comments and mentions directly from the tool, reducing response time and improving the customer experience.
Beyond scheduling and monitoring, you can also automate your analytics tracking and KPI reporting. With a few clicks, you can set up a dashboard that constantly updates with the latest data on the metrics you care about most.
4. Advertising and Campaign Management
One of the coolest capabilities (I think) of automation tools is A/B testing. When you create ad copy and select images, there’s always an element of uncertainty that you’ve nailed your strategy. With A/B testing, you can create variables in your content and test which elements lead to the most engagement.
Marketing automation tools eliminate the need for you to sort contacts into test groups, constantly watch the analytics for results, and optimize your content for maximum performance. This testing can be done in traditional digital display ads, social media advertising, and even in email marketing.
Aside from A/B testing, automated processes can help optimize your ad bidding strategy and adjust your audience targeting. All these processes maximize efficiency and performance and ultimately improve your conversion rates. And higher conversion rates means lower customer acquisition costs and higher return on investment.
5. Analytics and Reporting
By now, you know that marketing automation can track analytics and create reports for your social media channels and ad campaigns in their native platforms. But you can also automate data collection and reporting from other sources.
Automation tools can collect data from website analytics platforms (like Google Analytics), email marketing campaigns, and the above-mentioned social media channels and ad campaigns. All your data can be collected in a central location—and then automation can help you make sense of it all!
These tools can provide insights into the performance of all aspects of your marketing activities, helping you make data-driven decisions for optimization and, ultimately, conversion. After all, it always comes down to the bottom line.
Ready to Get Started?
There are a ton of reasons to incorporate marketing automation tools into your processes and workflows. Yes, there will be an investment to use these tools, but the payoffs will be massive! Your marketing department will be more efficient, better informed, and overall more effective.
If you need recommendations for marketing automation tools for beginners or need help implementing those tools, reach out to me. I’m happy to talk you through strategies for automating your marketing tasks and share my experience with you!
by Sarah K Perlman | Feb 10, 2022 | Printing
As a Graphic Communications major at Clemson, I became familiar with the Pantone Matching System (PMS) and its cult status among designers and printers alike. When I landed my first job at a printing company, I was gifted my very own PMS swatchbook. It felt like winning the lottery – probably because those swatchbooks cost hundreds of dollars! I felt validated as a “real” member of the industry.
Cut to December 2021, when Adobe announced that as of March 2022, the Pantone Color Libraries will be removed from future software updates. This includes Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe Color, and Adobe Capture. To say that I (and millions of designers and printers across the world) was shocked is an understatement! I couldn’t believe that these two industry giants would part ways and leave people hanging.
For more than 30 years, Pantone has been a critical element in print workflows. Across all printing categories – from screen printing to offset to large format – Pantone has been a touchstone that connects designers and printers, keeping everyone on the same page. (See what I did there?)
Along with the announcement, Adobe stated that they were working on alternative solutions. It appears that they have some workarounds in place for users, but why is this change taking affect in the first place? And what does it mean for those of us who rely on the integration of Pantone into Adobe products?
Why is Adobe Booting Pantone?
Marcie Foster, director of brand management and marketing communication at Pantone, stated that the libraries in Adobe’s programs are outdated and missing many newer colors. There was a limited number of PMS swatches available in Adobe products to begin with. Only around 2/3 of the 15,000 PMS colors were included, and none of the fashion or home and interior colors. Foster emphasized that this move will provide a better user experience.
Yet industry experts speculate that Pantone’s exorbitant licensing fees likely have to do with the split. Pantone recently launched its own digital platform for designers called Pantone Connect. This platform aims to streamline users’ decision-making process when selecting colors for projects. It is being marketed as the singular access point for all PMS colors across all systems and is available as a mobile app as well as desktop. To use Pantone libraries with Adobe Creative Cloud, users will need the Pantone Connect plug-in.
What Are the Implications for Designers and Printers?
As outrageous as this situation seemed at first glance, the reality isn’t that bad. The Pantone Connect app and extension are free if you create an account! The free version includes all 15,000 colors, measurement tools with PMS reference numbers, and creation and storage of 10 palettes. I signed up for a free account in about 3 minutes with minimal personal information – basically just my email address. I’m sure it will be just as simple to add the extension in my Adobe Creative Cloud programs.
If the free version isn’t enough, users can upgrade to Premium for $7.99/month or $59.99/year. The Premium version includes more tools and unlimited palette creation. Most working professionals spend more than that on far more trivial purchases. If relying on PMS colors is your livelihood, it seems like a small price to pay for an optional upgrade.
Despite the ease of use and a robust free option, the average user rating is hovering at 1.86 stars out of 5 right now. People are NOT pleased, and they are letting everyone know. But what I don’t understand is why? Are they just salty because it’s going to require 10 minutes of setup? Have they not done any research of their own? Is outrage just that contagious?
How Useful Is Pantone Anymore Anyway?
I think it’s a nonissue to just get a free Pantone Connect account, but this whole discussion brings up a larger point. It might sound sacrilegious to many designers and print industry experts, but maybe it’s time to rethink our reliance on Pantone. As digital printing continues to evolve, technology is removing the need for spot inks. Sure, PMS colors are useful for viewing premixed swatches and dialing in on a specific color value, but we have the capability to build infinite colors. It’s not as though we are limited in our ability to measure and define color! CMYK, RGB, and Lab values translate just as well.
Before you come after me with pitchforks and torches, I accept that this would be a massive change. It’s not something that would happen overnight! But I’d be willing to bet that even branding giants like Coca-Cola don’t simply use PMS colors anymore – there’s just too much digital printing to rely on a single, non-scientific system. As technology advances and the printing industry evolves, we need to think outside the box – and the swatch.
What do YOU think? Is everyone overreacting, or am I delusional to think that it’s so easy to get the extension? Let me know!
by Sarah K Perlman | Sep 29, 2021 | Printing
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many workers have proven themselves as being productive when working at home. Now, they are pushing for flexible work arrangements to continue. Fortunately, most employers have no plans to completely end remote work. Recent surveys show that nearly 60% of companies are planning to adopt some form of hybrid workplace. So what does this mean for marketers who incorporate direct mail into their mix?
Plan Early and Build in Time
Hybrid work means people will be splitting their time between work and home. At the very least, this affects your direct mail timeline because you’ll have fewer chances to reach people at their offices. For example, if someone only works in the office Monday through Wednesday and your mail piece lands on a Thursday, you’ve lost that week. If you’re marketing a conference, a sale, or anything else with a deadline, be sure to start planning early! You’ll want to allow more time to develop the mail piece and more time for it to sit on desks before being seen.
Where and How to Send Direct Mail
Are people more likely to open their mail at the office or at home? Given that the average American household receives 454 pieces of marketing mail per year, it’s probably easier to reach people in the office. Most people don’t have store circulars and bills to contend with at the office. In fact, if your prospect list includes entry-level workers, you might make their day by sending mail to them!
Of course, if your main audience is filled with movers and shakers, you’ll need to make your mail piece stand out even at the office. Oversized envelopes have the highest response rate of any marketing mail (an average of 5%). There’s recently been an uptick in these types of campaigns, where a letter and catalog or large (8.5 x 11 size) brochure are mailed in a 9 x 12 envelope. Even when your prospect knows it’s direct mail, they want to open it and find out what’s inside. Remember: Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails.
Don’t Skimp on Copywriting and Design
Once your direct mail is opened, it’s time for the copy and graphics to do their job. Talk about leaving an impression (printing pun!)—75% of people can recall a brand immediately after seeing a direct mail piece. That’s compared to only 44% who viewed a digital ad. Make sure your piece is branded well and uses copy to entice your audience to learn more.
Do you use direct mail in your marketing mix? Did you know I graduated with a degree in Graphic Communications, and learned to run presses? Let’s discuss!
