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Automation in digital marketing for B2B offers efficiency and scalability, but it comes with risks that need to be addressed strategically and proactively. In this article, we shed light on the main challenges of automation and how to implement it without causing chaos throughout the sales process.
Common risks of automation in B2B digital marketing
Automation in B2B strategies might seem like a magical solution to optimize processes and improve results. However, it’s crucial to be aware of the risks involved. Let’s take a look at the main ones.
Failed or inaccurate personalization
One of the primary risks of automation in B2B digital marketing is the loss of personalization. Automated tools can generate generic messages that don’t resonate with the target audience if they aren’t customized according to predefined variables
Recommedations:
- Implement B2B digital marketing strategies that are operationally simple to personalize based on your technical capabilities. For instance, if you lack a robust database with properly filled custom fields, the customer will likely not receive personalized communications. Before launching any automated workflow, verify how the recipient will perceive that experience.
- Use profiling data and behavioral insights from your database contacts to create more targeted and relevant campaigns. In this regard, setting up lead scoring thresholds can be very useful.
Dependence on technology costs
The appeal of automation technology can lead to excessive reliance on it, which can cause problems if the tools fail or aren’t properly updated. When choosing a tool, ensure you have the necessary resources to implement, operate, and keep it updated.
Recommendations:
- Include contingency plans in your B2B digital marketing strategies, such as backup systems in case the technological tools fail or are no longer available.
- Allocate resources for updating and maintaining these tools, and ensure that your team members (or the specialized B2B digital marketing agency you work with) have the know-how to do so. One option is to assign the task of updating tools, particularly the commercial database, as a daily responsibility for the sales team. However, be aware that this can often lead to resistance within the team.
Lack of system integration
The lack of integration between different systems and platforms can result in fragmented data or duplications, leading to inefficient processes and easily avoidable mistakes.
Recommendations:
- Support your B2B digital marketing strategies with platforms that ensure a continuous and accurate data flow. This is key to developing optimal B2B digital marketing.
- Ensure you have the appropriate team with operational know-how. Whether you have an in-house team or work with a B2B digital marketing agency, make sure your team works with well-integrated tools and always up-to-date data. Only then can you deploy truly efficient B2B digital marketing strategies.
Dehumanization of communication
Automation can lead to communication becoming impersonal or perceived as too robotic, which can be a fatal flaw in B2B environments where business relationships are built on trust and human connections.
Recommendations:
- Maintain a balance between automation and the human touch. B2B digital marketing strategies should include personalized and authentic interactions to create and maintain a real connection with customers.
- Use automated responses for frequent queries and the initial stages of your sales funnel, but ensure that interactions in the more advanced stages of your sales process are handled by your team members.
In summary, while automating digital marketing for B2B can present several risks, these can be mitigated by proper segmentation and personalization, ensuring well-integrated systems, and keeping data up to date. By doing so, you can fully leverage the benefits of automation. Remember, these tasks can be handled more professionally, safely, and effectively by a reputable B2B digital marketing agency.
Best practices to mitigate the risks of automation in B2B digital marketing
Fortunately, it’s possible to implement effective practices to mitigate these risks and maximize the benefits. Here are some of those practices.
Advanced personalization
To prevent the loss of personalization in B2B digital marketing, it’s essential to use tools that enable detailed segmentation and the creation of customized messages.
Recommendations:
- Implement B2B strategies that leverage profiling and behavioral data from both buyer personas and ICPs to maximize the personalization of every marketing and sales action.
- Use automation tools that offer integrations enabling advanced segmentation and personalization, such as HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Salesforce.
Technological contingency plans
Having contingency plans that include routine preventive actions is a best practice that doesn’t necessarily require high costs. These plans ensure a backup in case of unforeseen events and allow issues to be resolved before they escalate into major problems affecting the company’s performance.
Recommendations:
- Develop B2B digital marketing strategies with robust contingency plans, including training the team not only in automation but also in the logic behind it.
- Document all operational processes and regularly update them. Make this a routine task for the team.
- Have backup tools that can be quickly activated in case of failures or unforeseen events.
System integration
To avoid the pitfalls of poor integration between systems used in B2B digital marketing, it’s vital to choose platforms that support seamless, preferably native, integrations without issues.
Recommendations:
- Select tools that offer robust integration capabilities and, whenever possible, native or easily integrable options.
- Ensure that all systems are efficiently connected and provide the necessary data to fully unleash the potential of your B2B digital marketing automation.
- Ensure you have specific expertise, whether in-house or through a B2B digital marketing agency with solid experience in the technology used, to develop strategies tailored to your needs.
Balance between automation and the human touch
Due to the heavy workloads they manage, many marketing teams turn to communication automation, which has become indispensable for most companies. While this is a powerful tool that saves significant resources, the need for personalization and sensitivity towards the recipients of communications and commercial actions cannot be overlooked. As mentioned in another article: the more personalized the approach, the better the results of marketing actions.
Recommendations:
- Develop B2B digital marketing strategies that include continuous review processes to address any potential shortcomings in your automated communications.
- Strive to add a human touch to your commercial communications, as this can be crucial in improving their effectiveness.
- Personalize automated marketing actions in the early stages of the sales cycle and include manual interactions in the later stages to maintain an authentic connection with customers.
- Consider whether all customers are truly suitable for automation, or if some segments would benefit more from a personalized, manual B2B marketing experience.
To successfully implement digital marketing strategies in B2B, it’s essential to focus on advanced personalization, robust technological contingency plans, proper system integration, and a balanced approach between automation and personalization.
Key points
In conclusion, while B2C marketing targets end consumers with easily distinguishable segmentation through recognizable channels, automating digital marketing in B2B carries inherent risks due to the complexity of this environment. Challenges such as mapping all buyer personas, the sometimes limited personalization capabilities of automated tools, and the bureaucracy within corporate purchasing committees contribute to this complexity.
These factors, combined with long buying cycles and the difficulty of measuring ROI, can lead to inaccurate or overlapping segmentations, confusing messages, and a fragmented customer experience if a strategic approach is not implemented that considers the specific characteristics of each lead and their stage in the sales cycle.
