Marketing Automation Mistakes to Avoid

You are dedicated to making your e-commerce business a flourishing success.

It is important to learn best practices and tips for making your brand the best it can be.

At the same time, it is key to learn what NOT to do.

Learn from mistakes and all that jazz.

As marketing automation consultants we’ve seen the good, bad, and ugly. We are sharing the top e-commerce marketing automation mistakes to avoid.

After reading this article, you are going to approach marketing automation with a fresh mindset of things to avoid.

Like yellow snow. The 3rd piece of ice cream cake. That ex that did you wrong.

We are sharing how to avoid such e-commerce unpleasantries…before they happen.

What Marketing Automation E-Commerce Mistakes to Avoid

It is vital to know what to do and what NOT to do. For example, you know it is important for your brand to:

• Set up auto-responder emails
• Track sales
• And beyond

Now, let us dive into mistakes to also make sure you run from.

Mistake #1: Not Asking for Customer Feedback

The internet opens us up to more feedback than ever before. This can feel scary but, with the right mindset, really is a great thing.

Find out what people like and problems that you can help solve.

• Maybe there’s a common packaging issue that upsets customers.
• Perhaps people keep expecting one thing…and being disappointed when the actual product is delivered. Address this issue in your marketing and sales pages.
• Maybe boxes keep being delivered late. Find out what’s going on with your distributor.

By knowing these customers’ viewpoints, you can address them and improve the user experience – making for happier customers and better Word of Mouth.

Make feedback an automatic response for all customers.

Set up marketing automation to ask for customer feedback. To encourage feedback, find a way to provide incentive. For example:

• Provide a discount on their next purchase
• Enter them in a drawing to win an item or cash prize

Mistake #2: Not Having a Big Picture Strategy

This may surprise you: According to SmartInsights, almost 50% of business do not have a digital marketing strategy.

To conduct e-commerce marketing automation best, there was must be intention and strategy behind all decisions.

Take the time to map out your business’ goals and objectives. With those in mind, there must be a strategy to ensure these aims are met.

Mistake #3: No Follow Up to Abandoned Shopping Carts

Shopify cites some crazy data on online shopping carts, sharing that approximately 77% of online shopping carts are abandoned.

That means more than ¾ of all online shopping carts are ditched.

Good news: There are tactics to address abandoned shopping carts that help convert them from sad, lonely vessels…into purchases that travel to your customers’ front doors.

A great way to increase shopping cart retention is to email the customer directly.

If an email is linked to their account, send a message that is triggered and follows up with them.

That can be a reminder that they left the cart or how much they really do want it.

Another tactic? (See next “mistake” below.)

Mistake #4: Not Retargeting

We have all been there.

We looked at a product online. Considered it. Re-considered…then clicked away.

Then, the product began popping up on other sides. Surrounding us and haunting us like a horror film. (The Ring, Insidious…)

Seeing the product more made it more familiar and more desirable.

Then, finally, the urge became all too much. You clicked the ad and went to purchase.

That is the power of retargeting.

It is something you were interested in already. Then, you simply set up ads to lovingly follow that interested buyer around the internet.

According to ReTargeter, only about 2% of web traffic will convert on the user’s first visit.

Retargeting helps to address the other 98%.

Mistake #5: Underestimating Your Sales Team

Marketing automation is a great and important way to uplevel your business and its revenue. However, the help of software does not eliminate the need for skilled and talented human minds.

Your sales and marketing team are still highly important. They are the brains that strategize new campaigns and analyze the data brought in by e-commerce marketing automation. When sales and marketing teams have the space to brainstorm and strategize, they can create more campaigns that bring in more revenue.

Mistake #6: Waiting Too Long to Follow Up

A study by the Harvard Business Review presented some stats you will want to hear.

They suggested that a business is as much as 60x more likely to qualify the lead if they follow up within one hour vs. following up a whole 24 hours later.

There can be a fear that you are “bugging” them.

Think of it this way: They just willingly signed up and showed interest. Your product or service is top of mind, and they will indeed be interested to learn more ASAP.

Mistake #6: Saying No to Phone Calls

Nowadays, humans are starting to fear the phone.

We get it. However, there is a customer base that craves phone calls that offer more tangible human interaction.

A quick phone conversation can provide the reassurance that leads to a sale, as well as gives feedback that your team would not get virtually.

Phones do not have to available 24/7. Perhaps your team gives set phone hours in a limited window, such as 12 pm – 3 pm. This gives someone who really wants to chat the opportunity to do so, without inundating your team.

Mistake #7: Using the Wrong Metrics

When it comes to marketing automation for e-commerce, data is important. The question is, though, what is the right data to focus on?

For example, if your goal is to increase revenue, it is not enough to track open rates for emails.

It is important to monitor the correlation between customer acquisition and number of sales.

Mistake #8: Only Trying One Color

There is no one universal color for CTAs and branding that is best for every audience.

Sometimes, it really is the little detail that shifts conversion numbers.

Test out different colors in various marketing automation CTA buttons to see what works for your email marketing, landing pages and so forth. When choosing a color, keep the following in mind:

• Give enough space around the written CTA
• Make sure the font and font color are super easy to read against the button background
• In general, simpler is better

Mistake #9: Forgetting to Do A/B Testing

As marketers, we must never get too comfy with one page, email, or type of ad.

Our business changes. Audiences evolve. It is important to continually conduct A/B testing for your marketing automation ecommerce practices.

Mistake #10: Not Following Best Practices for A/B Testing

So, you are doing A/B testing.

Fantastic.

But, are you maximizing A/B efforts?

Here are common mistakes when it comes to A/B mistakes for marketing automation ecommerce :

• Not using data from a large enough sample size. (Sorry folks, 100 people is not enough to provide a truly accurate understanding.) Conversion XL recommends studying at least 300 – 400 conversions per variation.
• There are even online tools to help decide the sample size needed based on baseline conversion rate. Try this online sample size calculator.
• Running A/B tests on your marketing automation for long enough periods of time. It is key to run it for at least one full week because different days can influence the outcome. (Running A/B tests for a campaign will be very different on a Saturday vs. a Tuesday!) Run tests at least a full week.

Mistake #11: Leaving the Customer Unsure

Make all aspects of your marketing automation as clear as possible. If there’s one thing humans do not like, it is being left in the dark. (Literally and figuratively.)

Here are ideas to use e-commerce marketing automation that provides more clarity:

• Create campaigns with freebies like e-books or videos that give more information on your industry and/or product
• Have an email trigger when their package has been shipped out, so they know it is on the way. In that message, include additional information – such as common questions about your return policy or instructions for using or maintaining the product.

Want to Improve Your E-commerce Marketing Strategy Even More?

Alright, now that we have you feeling a bit better about mistakes to avoid that will empower your marketing automation, let’s talk about the content.

(Yep, one of the very elements of your business that can be automated.)

Continue improving your brand with these tips for content marketing for e-commerce.