Disclaimer: Although I kind of slate Pooch and Mutt throughout this newsletter, I would 100% recommend them. The best dog food product around. Period. I just really dislike their email automations. So to compensate for my disgruntled comments regarding their emails, here is a photo of Lady, who adores Pooch & Mutt and 100% eye rolls when I talk about it.
Luscious locks, courtesy of a great Pooch and Mutt diet.
Marketing automation is a great tool for businesses who want to increase their reach and streamline their marketing processes. However, as with any tool, there are pros and cons that come along with it.
I was prompted to write this when I received my billionth email from Pooch and Mutt and it started to change my sentiment towards to brand. I was close to cancelling my subscription and purchasing the dog food weekly from Pets at Home after a year of weekly deliveries.
Each week I have the same item delivered, on the same day. Yet each week I receive...
- Order update
- Shipping update
- Shipping update again
- Review/ feedback request
Then I get the usual Marketing emails between.
So why did this trigger me so much? And is it triggering anyone else?!
With subscriptions models becoming more and more common, there has to be a better way to communicate with customers.
Maybe an app with push notifications where I can visually track orders if I want and only email me when something has gone wrong.
How would you communicate with subscription customers? Sound off in the comments!
It made me think about the real Pros and Cons of marketing automation. Not just email. As marketeers we use automation everyday, whether to schedule a LinkedIn post (thanks LinkedIn for that godly new feature 🙌) or to send complex flows of emails to segments based on behaviour. In a panic to make managing millions of channels, platforms and reporting easier for the 1 man band marketing 'departments', we rely heavily on tech for a helping hand.
Pros of Marketing Automation
The biggest advantage of marketing automation is that it can save you time and money. By automating certain repetitive tasks, such as sending out emails or scheduling social media posts, you free up valuable resources that can be used elsewhere in your business. Like convincing the CFO to give you budget for community management.
Additionally, marketing automation allows you to make sure all of your campaigns are consistent across multiple channels. This helps build brand recognition and trust among your customers.
Finally, automated systems can also help you create more targeted campaigns that are tailored to different customer segments.
HOWEVER...
Cons of Marketing Automation
On the flip side, there are some drawbacks to using marketing automation tools as well. For starters, these tools require a significant investment in terms of both time and money in order to set up properly.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that automated systems aren’t perfect; they sometimes make mistakes or don’t quite understand the nuances of human language or behaviour.
If something goes wrong with an automated campaign, it can be difficult—and costly—to fix it quickly enough to avoid any damage to your brand reputation or customer relationships.
And this is where my thoughts on Pooch and Mutt developed... but i'm over it now.
So should you use marketing automation? That depends on your individual business needs and goals. If you have the resources available and are looking for a way to streamline your marketing processes while increasing efficiency and reach, then yes—automation may be right for you. But if you need hands-on control over every aspect of your campaigns or don’t have the time or budget necessary for setting up an automated system properly, then maybe not. Ultimately, it’s up to you.