12 Marketing Automation Myths DebunkedMarketing Automation has tremendous potential to change the way we do things in a business.

Yet, there are some myths floating around that need to be busted.

MYTH #1:

Marketing Automation is just another name for Email Marketing.

Reality:

Email marketing is one of the many things that can be ‘energized’ through automation. Actually, marketing automation can analyze customer behavior, personalize engagement, detect customer preferences – and a whole bunch of things.

MYTH #2:

You need a huge team of professionals to implement a Marketing Automation solution.

Reality:

You can be a one man army and still have this done. In fact, what marketing automation does is that it automates several time consuming activities, freeing up people to do even more with their time!

MYTH #3:

Marketing Automation is a one-time effort.

Reality:

Letting your automation tool do all the work is a mistake. You need to spend time and energy to make sure it falls in line with your strategy.

MYTH #4:

Marketing Automation is the easy way out – it is just for robots!

Reality:

It is easy – but it is not the easy way out. It takes work and brings tremendous results when implemented properly. And you certainly can’t sit back and relax and let the automation do its job. You need to engage with your audience to help achieve sales numbers.

MYTH #5:

Marketing Automation is just spam.

Reality:

Spam is when messages are irrelevant and when you get them without any warning! Not so here – here you now have insights about your customers. What they like and who they are. And when you engage with them powered by such information, each encounter is meaningful.

MYTH #6:

Marketing automation makes messaging cold and impersonal.

Reality:

Far from that, automation frees you up to focus on your messaging, enabling you to add personal touches to it - thanks to the wealth of information you can derive about each of your customers.

MYTH #7:

Marketing automation tools are pricey and we can’t afford it.

Reality:

Nope! There are expensive tools that you can get (like Pardot or Marketo) but there are inexpensive tools as well that will suit any budget.

MYTH #8:

It is just too complicated.

Reality:

Yes, initially this was a very complicated thing. Not so any more. The whole system has matured and have become more user-friendly, all the while adding better and more robust features to it.

MYTH #9:

Marketing Automation is for B2C not B2B.

Reality:

Not at all – it is a tool – and you can make it work which way you want! And it works great for B2B brands - going a long way in nurturing relationships.

MYTH #10:

My sales cycle is too complex for any marketing automation.

Reality:

Then you are the perfect fit! If your cycle is too complex, you probably don’t have the bandwidth to stay connected with each of your customers. Marketing automation can handle a lot of that for you – it can nurture leads until you are ready to build a relationship with them.

MYTH #11:

It is just a fad. A marketing phase.

Reality:

There have been marketing automation tools since the 1990s – and they have only matured and evolved with time.

MYTH #12:

Marketing Automation is just too overwhelming for me and my business.

Reality:

It might be – a little. But you can start with small tasks – and then you can move onto something more complicated, when you are comfortable with this.