I’ve been automating marketing, and sales, for a long time now (almost a decade) and you would think I’ve learned all there is to know (especially with the level of success I’ve been able to achieve with it).
However, I find that I’m always learning not just new things, but revisiting some fundamentals that continue to stand the test of time. These fundamentals appear to be basic but require discipline and intentionality to keep them in the forefront of your mind as you are automating processes.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it is a brief list of the first 3 things that come to mind as lessons learned that have provided the most growth in my automation building skills this year.
Dates are Dominant
Syncing multiple software platforms is the key to achieving the most effective means of automation. It is very rare that all the platforms you use easily integrate and talk to each other. However, I’ve found using date-based automations becomes more and more useful to solve such an issue.
Since dates are absolute (meaning they are true at the same time regardless of the software you’re using) they make for a great syncing method. To pull this off, you’ll need to be able to store dates in custom fields as well as perform math functions on them.
Doing so will allow you to start automated workflows based on particular dates becoming true.
Things Get Extremely Complicated Extremely Easily
The acronym KISS comes to mind (Keep It Simple Stupid) quite frequently as I’m building out automated workflows. Even with my avid whiteboarding habits, I still find myself easily overcomplicating processes…more often than I’d like to admit.
I find this happens more frequently when I’m automating a new process or a process I haven’t tested thoroughly yet. All the untested variables show up as possibilities and each possibility, once implemented, adds complexity.
The solution…keep things simple by automating only what you’ve completed manually. Doing things manually first helps remove the variables and helps you focus on what is necessary.
More Native Automation Please
I used to rely solely on my CRM for marketing and sales automation. Being limited by its native capabilities and expanded capabilities through integrations. Now, I’m excited about the amount of platforms that offer automation within them.
ClickUp, AirTable, and Slack Workflows are examples of a few software platforms I use daily that offer native automation I rely on to get things done more efficiently.
How about you? What are some of the most recent and relevant lessons you’ve learned this year as you approach putting more automation in place for your marketing and sales? Feel free to drop a comment below and let us know.
