Automation is hot. It’s new, exciting and it’s sexy. And let’s be real for a second, everyone loves it when their job gets just a little bit easier. Every day, new tools are added and implemented into the modern marketing stack, and personalization tools and chatbots are being used with more and more regularity But how can we optimize those tools even more? What does the optimal marketing tool look like?

“The most overlooked thing is people forget that people are human. They use automation to make a bunch of robots, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like hanging out with robots, I like hanging out with people. And if your marketing makes me feel like I’m a human and I’m interacting with a human, I’m usually going to be much, much more engaged.”

Dan McGaw is the founder and CEO of McGaw.io, a company that focuses on helping marketers get the most out of their technology stack. On this episode of Marketing Trends, Dan details how marketing tools can and should become more human, and he explains the key obstacle that prevents marketers from having a clean revenue-generating funnel. Plus he reveals the one big tweak every marketer should make to their SMS channels to drive better results.

Main Takeaways:

• No End in Sight: It’s hard to define what inning we are in when it comes to analyzing the marketing stack because new software and tools are constantly being built. This constant evolution of technology means you need to strategize on how and what you’ll implement in your own stack. Don’t jump the gun and rush to use  the newest tools that likely still have a lot of flaws to workout. Instead, focus on integrating the tools you already have to make sure they work as a cohesive unit before adding something new.
• Can You Profile the Subject?: Personalization has never been more important than it is today. But as a marketer, you have to make sure that the people who give you their information are being profiled correctly so that when they sign up for your email list, the information and content that you are sending them directly relates to their needs.
• Mr. Robot: Your SMS strategy needs to toe a fine line between  effectively relaying your message and content to the consumer, but also making sure that you are speaking directly to them as a person. If your text content makes it feel as if the customer is interacting with an actual person and not a chatbot, you are more likely to see engagement.

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