The Silver Bullet Syndrome: Why Marketing Automation Is Not Enough

Sending the right message to the right people, at the right time, and in the right way is the bedrock of good digital marketing. Unless your prospects value what you say, any attempt to engage and convert them is likely to fail.

Segmenting your prospects using the right variables allows small business owners to target their audience with relevant messages. The more targeted your message is, the more likely you are to see an increase in conversion rates.

That is why many entrepreneurs use marketing automation to manage and nurture their leads with the right messages at the right points in the buyer’s journey. But, even though marketing automation is a great tool that can help you with many different aspects of your online strategy, the reality is that it’s not the only tool you will ever need. Small business owners in particular often make the mistake of thinking that marketing automation is a silver bullet that will fix all of their problems.

To quote American software engineer, Grady Booch, “a fool with a tool is still a fool.” In other words, it doesn’t matter how technologically advanced your marketing automation software is. If you don’t implement it incorrectly, you won’t be able to access all its benefits.

More than that, automation is just part of the digital marketing toolkit. While you marketing automation software can help you nurture leads, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the best tool for the job.

Here are some gaps to keep in mind that marketing automation can’t cover.

1. TOFU Optimization

When new visitors land on your small business’s website, they are at the top of the funnel. They are typically trying to solve a problem or fulfill a need, so they are looking for information that can help them figure out the best solution.

These visitors, also known as unqualified leads, are rarely ready to buy immediately and, the best way to scare them away is to overwhelm them with sales-heavy messages.

The most marketing automation software can help you boost your online visibility and get found faster by potential buyers. However, their TOFU nurturing capabilities are limited and focus more on MOFU (middle of the funnel) and BOFU (bottom of the funnel.) In other words, marketing automation can’t really help you at the top of the funnel, where the bounce rate is the highest and most of your visitors walk away soon after landing on your page.

So, how can you optimize TOFU if marketing automation doesn’t seem to do such a great job?

One of the most important things you need to do is understand your audience and their behavior. Most small business owners today know where their traffic comes from and who converted into leads, but they know almost nothing about the visitors that bounced. Once you understand what they need and what they are looking for, you can optimize your landing page to attract and convert more TOFU leads.

2. TOFU Customization

So, you’ve done your research and acquired a clear understanding of your TOFU audience and their needs. Now, what?

The first thing you should do is provide each TOFU visitor with the most relevant content and call to action to persuade them to move down the funnel.

Here’s an example.

A prospect, let’s call him Tim, has a problem. He wants to replace a broken part from his computer. He reached out to his friends, and someone recommended him your company. Tim decided to visit your website and learn more about you. He read the product description you have on your site and scrolls through the page. The next day, Tim returns to your website to continue his research. He’s still a TOFU visitor; he hasn’t signed up for your newsletter or clicked on any of the CTAs, so the page he is seeing is the same as yesterday.

That right there is a missed opportunity to convert an anonymous visitor into a valuable lead. So, what should you do to engage Tim? Read on to find out.

3. Engaging Bouncing Visitors

Most small business owners believe that once a visitor decided to leave their website, there’s nothing they can do to stop them.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. However, the reality is that there’s nothing you can do with marketing automation software.

The best way to engage with bouncing visitors is to offer them an alternative to trying to entice and convince them to give your business another chance.

4. Provide Great Content

Remember, the best way to turn TOFU visitors into leads is to maintain their interest. Top of the funnel content should be engaging and educational. It should answer all of your visitors’ questions and convince them to move to the next stage of the funnel. You can use visual content, such as videos or infographics to make your proposal more engaging.

However, while great content is essential, it’s not enough to generate leads. You also need to create an exceptional content experience, from the design to the structure.

While marketing automation can help you streamline your content needs, their capabilities are limited when it comes to managing the user experience. Instead, you should use a specialized content marketing platform that integrates with your automation software. That way, you can tailor the best experience for your TOFU visitors and move them down the funnel.

Marketing automation can help you create targeted campaigns, but it’s not the silver bullet many small business owners think it is. Instead, you need to mix your automation software with other tools to provide the best experience to your audience.