Marketing Automation Made Simple

Marketing automation made simple is probably a pretty contary statement.

I assume you read these blog posts because you run your own business, or plan to in the future…

So here’s the question. If YOU’RE the business owner. YOU wear all the hats. The buck stops with YOU…

Should you build your own marketing automation campaigns in Keap? (Or in any marketing automation platform?)

It’s a rare type of business owner who can juggle the demands of running a business AND master the nuances of marketing automation. It’s possible, but it’s rare.

You need a base level of systems thinking and technical savvy. You need some degree of time on your hands. If you’re the main service provider in your business, it’s unlikely you’ll ever find that time.

(Not impossible, just unlikely!)

As I see it, there are three roles you need to fill:

1. Business owner (or product owner, in a larger business).

Chances are, that’s you. You’re exceptionally good at what you do. When you’re at work, you’re in the zone. But generally you don’t like getting bogged down in marketing mechanics.

2. Systems builder.

This is the person in your business who REALLY knows Keap, or whatever system you use. They know what tools it integrates with. They know how the integrations work. They aren’t scared of Zapier.

In a larger business, the ‘systems builder’ may exist at a higher level than the person who actually builds campaigns in Keap. A system should exist outside of the tool you hire to automate it. But in most SME's they are the same person.

3. Copywriter.

The person who writes the copy for your emails, letters, sales pages, website, books, blog posts, SMS messages.

The copywriter is the written voice of your business, although the words should come from you as the business owner.

You should be speaking to your copywriter on a regular basis, and your copywriter should convert those conversations into content. (That’s how these emails get written!)

Most copywriters are poor at marketing automation and systems thinking, so generally the copywriter should not be the person building your campaigns, or configuring Zapier. Not if you want Zapier to actually work.

In the early stages of your business, you’ll probably fulfil all three roles yourself. Sometimes the ‘team of 1’ is the best way to get things going. But you don’t want to be a ‘team of 1’ forever. It isn’t scalable or effective.

You become the main bottleneck in getting campaigns live, and you end up doing too many things that don’t play to your strengths. You spend less time in the zone, changing lives, or whatever it is you do.

For the people who need what you do, that's a travesty.

It’s best if the business owner has a high level understanding of what needs doing. But the specifics of implementation should usually be left to other people. You can't take on the world by yourself.

Do you have the right team on board,? If not it’s time to book that free call.