Ramp up your marketing game using robotic process automation

FEW TECHNOLOGIES have revolutionized the workforce like robotic process automation (RPA).

A technology that was once feared for widespread worker displacement has now come with waves of optimism. Not only will RPA add value to a business, but it also has the potential to create job opportunities for a workforce with unique skillsets.

Today, RPA is no longer confined to manufacturing industries or repetitive back-office functions such as finance or Human Resources. It can be leveraged in almost all industries and disciplines, including marketing.

Timing is crucial in marketing. Innovation is key in reaching target audiences in an effective and timely manner.

As mentioned, RPA can be leveraged in the marketing industry. It has much to offer, and some of the many ways it can be utilized include operations, customer engagement and customer experience.

# 1 | Marketing operations

Like any business, there is no escaping for marketing practitioners when it comes to documentation, sorting, and analysis of data.

With all the digital marketing tools available, mountains of data are being collected daily. Much needs to be done to derive value from these data.

First, data is sifted, where only relevant data are kept. Then, running analytics will provide actionable insights.

With RPA, siloed data can be connected, where data streaming in from various sources can be cohesively converged into a single data pool.

Due to the ‘panoramic’ view of available data, marketers can make strategic decisions quickly and effectively. This saves time and resources-two things that are valuable in any business.

Further, RPA can also be enlisted for analytics.

Enlisting the help of a robot can reduce the time spent on analyzing competitive measurements. Through automation, resources can be channeled into areas that require it more.

# 2 | Customer engagement

To succeed in the game of marketing, the customer’s heart must be won.

Marketers must ensure that customers feel personally connected to what they are selling. This must go beyond simply communicating to consumers what their product is about.

Customers should feel like they are heard and valued at key touchpoints, and marketers must ensure that this can be provided for customers.

Here’s where RPA can help. It can be used to take care of work that is tedious and does not require human effort.

For example, a large organization, company X, wishes to run a campaign that targets specific customers. With a barrage of customer data, it is near impossible to manually pick out clients that fall into the target customer pool.

However, RPA can do this quickly and efficiently.

It can make the necessary connections between the consumer and marketer seamlessly. Also, it can also scour databases to identify recent touchpoints for each customer.

This allows the marketing team to focus on creating better experiences for customers, and also to look out for other crucial facets of the business such as improving targeted efforts and enhancing data collection processes.

# 3 | Artificial intelligence-driven customer experience

CX is crucial as it can determine if a customer leaves or stay.

With the integration of RPA into the marketing stack, decisions made need not be rules-based anymore. With the AI capabilities that RPA brings along, decisions made can be experience-based over time.

This makes it more intuitive and can provide personalized and unique CX.

One of the examples of AI improving CX is by eliminating the need to be placed ‘on hold’. Chatbots and virtual assistants can help answer simple service questions, providing customers with the answers they need immediately, and effectively.

For businesses to stay abreast, marketing teams needs to be more innovative and strategic in leveraging technology. Automating tasks that take hours to do will free up marketers to do work that requires human effort. For example, to drive sales, increase brand awareness and generate value.

Ultimately, it would direct their focus to where it needs to be, which is on creating lasting relationships and value with customers.

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