2 min read

Automating the Moving Parts with Program Management

Mark Parent September 28, 2017 5:18:00 PM EDT

Lead Generation/Nurturing Content Marketing Marketing Automation Business Development & Growth

Automating the Moving Parts with Program Management

Man working while sitting at desk Automated program management can help you manage
all the moving parts of your business more effectively.

Your business consists of an almost endless array of moving parts, with different departments, vendors, clients, and more. This level of complexity remains the same from the top to the bottom. When you scale down to departments, there's just as much going on.

Your marketing department is a prime example. It consists of myriad functions that must operate both individually and cooperatively — and with so much going on, marketing managers often struggle to stay on top of it all.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to prioritize one element over another. It's all integral to your business' marketing machine, so how do you remain up-to-date while still contributing high-quality content and campaigns to the process?

Automated program management is the most sophisticated and effective solution.

There Are Good and Bad Ways to Approach Program Management

Automation can sometimes have a negative connotation among business owners and marketing managers — and not undeservedly so.

Some forms of marketing automation are the corporate equivalent of a get-rich-quick scheme. They seem like a great way to generate results in a short period of time, but they ultimately fail because they're based on a shortcut rather than a pragmatic solution.

HubSpot compares good and bad marketing automation using gardening as a metaphor.

When you use healthy, automated program management, you provide your plant with the water and nutrients it needs to thrive — perhaps using an automated irrigation and fertilization system. The alternative (and less expensive) approach involves using poisonous chemicals and formulas. This latter method may lead to quicker growth, but it's unsustainable.

The former method results in a full, healthy, and beautiful plant. The latter method can lead to wilted leaves and desiccated roots.

Effective Program Management Means Employing Comprehensive Tools

You have hundreds of options for automating single elements of your marketing and advertising needs.

Email automation, for instance, allows you to schedule emails in advance and have them sent in a particular order and on a specific schedule. It's a handy tool, but it only solves one problem.

A better solution is to use comprehensive tools to create an automated program management system. Businesses aren't just interested in gaining new leads. They also want automation systems that improve lead nurturing capabilities.

Ideally, your program management solution will provide helpful data to inform future campaigns while removing the repetitive tasks that drown your team in paperwork and time-consuming to-do lists. This allows you to refocus your energy on making changes and improvements — and, of course, on serving your customers.

Set It and Forget It

With program management, your team remains innovative and forward-thinking,
but without as many restrictions on their time.

Automated program management doesn't take away creative control. You still set up your marketing campaigns to generate leads, convert prospects, close customers, and delight your audience.

However, you can "set it" once and let it work for you as you move on to other tasks.

Later, after you've collected data, you can tweak the automated and manual elements of your campaign based on your findings. Automation doesn't strip away your creativity or control. It simply allows you to get more done each day without extending your time in the office.

The more you automate repetitive tasks in your marketing strategy, the better your ROI becomes. To learn about more ways to leverage inbound marketing for your business, get a free inbound marketing assessment from Inbound 281.