Posted by Jim Berkowitz

Here’s an excellent post from the folks at Leftbrain Marketing Automation, a Marketbright Partner, 5 Common Myths About Marketing Automation:

Myth # 1 – It’s Easy
Marketing automation has numerous components, including strategy, program messaging, design and execution (work inside the application), integration with other systems, layout and design, and reporting. Depending on your particular background and skill set, some of these requirements may be more or less challenging, but none of it is “easy.”Sure, pushing a button that spits out click-thrus and opens for your most recent email blast isn’t tough. However, figuring out the precise data you need to make significant business decisions and then building a customized report to capture it involves a fair amount of work.

Automation is unique because unlike most areas of marketing where you can parlay past experiences, marketing automation requires subject-matter expertise. Lead nurturing, the backbone of marketing automation, is not an activity that most B2B marketers have done in the past?and if they have, it’s been at an extremely rudimentary level. The concept isn’t too difficult to grasp, but taking that high-level concept and determining how many touches, what frequency, and which collateral is far from obvious.

Put it this way … you find me just one example of enterprise-level software that qualifies as “easy,” and I’ll consult for you for free.

Myth # 2 – It’s Set It And Forget It
At the risk of appearing schizophrenic, I can assure you that marketing automation is not rocket science either. When you begin the process, the challenging part is acquiring enough foundational experience so that you can apply the knowledge to your specific situation. Unfortunately, comprehending the concepts?what I like to call “white paper knowledge”? is not especially helpful when it comes to building a program. It’s kind of like reading books on surgery and then trying to do heart transplant. If you’re willing to sacrifice a few patients, knock yourself out!

That’s why the learning process is so critical. Unless you’re working with a consultant, you’ll need time to engage in some trial and error. And regardless of how thorough and comprehensive your analysis process, when you begin you’ll be forced to make assumptions about content, number of touches, lead scoring values, and other key components. Some of your educated guesses will pan out, while others won’t. If you give yourself some runway to experiment and learn, you’ll eventually discover the “secret sauce” for your marketing process.

Myth # 3 – Complicated is Better
Part and parcel with the idea that you need time to experiment is the idea that you need to start simple and build to the complex. Marketing automation is not like a new motorcycle or some other toy, and after installation it’s time to “see what this puppy can do.” The reason for starting simple is that you probably don’t know what you don’t know, and that will force you to make many assumptions. By putting together a program that has multiple moving parts, you’ll likely make it more difficult to identify what’s working and what’s not. There’s no shame in starting simple; ever heard the phrase “walk before you run” or are you familiar with KISS? No, not the band, the principle … Keep It Simple Stupid.

Another important reason for starting simple is that it gives you a way to serve up wins to your team and sales counterpart. For example, sales alerts that notify your sales team when a hot prospect is on your site are a relatively easy functionality to implement. However, done properly your sales team will be ecstatic at having the additional visibility. Done improperly, you’ll overwhelm them with too much information. Take time to understand what your system can do and then have a conversation to ensure you’re executing the appropriate functionality at the right level.

Myth # 4 – One Person Can Do it All
I can’t tell you how many marketing execs approach me about how to find a marketing person that can work inside the application and provide strategic direction. Keep dreaming. I’m looking for a nine year old who obeys his dad’s every word and brings me a cold beer when I get home. It ain’t happening. The fact is that there are not a lot of people who can both work inside the application (meaning, they enjoy doing it), and have the experience to make a strategic contribution.

Maybe it’s a right brain vs. left brain kind of deal; or, maybe, it has to do with people having different professional experiences (tactical versus strategic). The bottom line is that in almost all cases you’ll need two separate people because the tasks require completely different abilities and aptitudes.

Myth # 5 – It’s Just Like Salesforce.com
No. Not. Never.

Salesforce.com is a sales enablement tool that is largely plug-n-play. Sure, you can “customize” it, but that’s a relatively technical project that requires little strategic planning. By contrast, marketing automation is a long journey that will enable the adopter to become a more effective, analytical marketer.

Like Salesforce.com, it’s a tool, but the similarities end there. If you still need convincing, ask anyone who’s used marketing automation before, and they’ll explain why.

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About the Author: Jim Berkowitz is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of professional services and project management experience related to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Financial Management (Accounting & ERP) software solutions for small, mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies. As a Sales Force Automation and CRM Consultant, Jim has assisted more then 100 companies with the design and implementation of custom CRM solutions.Mr. Berkowitz is the founder and President of CRM Mastery, Inc.; a company dedicated to serving small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) by offering affordable tools and guidance to help them plan for and succeed with their CRM initiatives.