Content Marketing Automation: What To Know Before You Invest
It's 11 p.m., and you're still scheduling next week's social posts, manually sending follow-up emails to newsletter subscribers, and juggling spreadsheets to track which blog post goes live and when. That’s not even to mention that your to-do list keeps growing, but your hours remain finite.
Sound painfully familiar?
If so, you've probably considered content marketing automation. We don’t blame you.
The promise is enticing: software that handles your repetitive marketing tasks while you focus on strategy and creativity. But before investing in automation tools, there are a few things to consider, such as what marketing automation can and can’t do and how to prepare your team and resources.
What Can (and Can't) Marketing Automation Do for You?
Content marketing automation uses software to perform repetitive marketing tasks without human assistance (outside of scheduling and building workflows). It handles the repetitive tasks while you focus on strategy.
Here are three ways it makes your life easier:
First, it handles content distribution. No more hours spent scheduling posts across different platforms. Automation handles that, plus it’ll time your posts for peak engagement and even test variations to see what works best.
Then, there's audience management. Automation tools send personalized emails based on how people interact with your content. They'll segment your audience, track engagement, and keep your social media humming along.
Last, you get a front-row seat to what's working. Automation tools track everything in real time, from engagement metrics to conversion rates. You’ll see which content is crushing it and be able to calculate the return on your marketing efforts.
But automation doesn’t do it all. For instance, it can’t:
Create high-quality or thought leadership content
Build genuine relationships with your audience
Make strategic decisions about your content
Replace human creativity and judgment
Fix a broken content strategy
Excited about marketing automation's possibilities but worried about its limits? Here’s a look at what you need before integrating automation into your workflows.
Getting Ready: Your Pre-Automation Checklist
Let's break down what you need to do before investing in content marketing automation tools.
Prepare Your Content Strategy
Would you spend your budget on expensive software without knowing how your team will use it? Highly unlikely. The same goes for automation — you need a solid content plan before investing in any tools.
Start with crystal-clear goals. Forget vague targets like "increase engagement." Instead, aim for something measurable, like bumping your email open rates from 15% to 25% in three months.
Do the same for your corporate blogging workflow, which may look something like this:
Topic ideation
SEO research
Writing the first draft
Internal review
Adding images
Final approval
Publishing
Social media promotion
Finally, nail down and document your brand voice guidelines (aka: your content's personality profile). Maybe you're going for "professional but friendly, no jargon, and lots of real-world examples."
Calculate Your Budget
Automation is pricey…right? Well, it depends on the tools you adopt. Here's what a basic automation setup may cost for a small- to medium-sized business:
Software costs: Entry-level marketing automation platforms start around $10 to $2000+/month
Integration costs: Plan for 10 to 20% of your software budget for connecting tools
Training: Set aside about $500 to $1,000 per team member for initial training
Content creation: Budget for creating automated email sequences, social posts, and content writing (typically $2,000 to $10,000 for initial setup)
Note: Brands can save time and money by partnering with a content marketing agency that’s equipped with automation tools. By doing so, you benefit from their tech stack (without the headache of putting one together on your own).
Prepare Your Team
You wouldn't put a new driver behind the wheel before they learn the basics. The same goes for your team and automation.
Your team needs to know its way around tools like HubSpot or Mailchimp before diving in. For example, Sarah keeps the content calendar running smoothly, John makes sure social posts go out at the right time, and Lisa gives the final thumbs-up on automated email sequences.
Give your team breathing room to learn. Set aside four to six hours weekly in that first month.
Choose Your Automation Tools Wisely
Before investing in automation tools, consider how they'll fit into your existing workflow. The wrong choice can lead to nightmare scenarios like manually copying data between platforms or losing track of leads — all because your pieces of tech don’t “talk” to one another.
So, prioritize:
Integration capabilities with your current tech stack
Data privacy features and compliance requirements
Scalability as your content needs grow
A user-friendly interface for your team
Customer support and training resources
The price vs. features you'll actually use
Here are ideas for a starter tech stack:
WordPress website (CMS): Your content headquarters that plays nice with other tools to automatically publish and share your blog posts.
HubSpot (CRM and automation): Your smart assistant that watches how people interact with your website and automatically sends relevant content based on their interests.
Google Analytics (tracking): Your report card that shows which content works (and which doesn’t), so you can make better automation decisions.
Mailchimp (email marketing): Your email helper that automatically sends the right emails to the right people at the right time, and keeps all your contact info updated.
AI writing tools (like ChatGPT or Jasper): Your virtual brainstorming buddy that generates first drafts, creates variations, and speeds up your content writing process — just remember to review and edit the output to match your brand voice. (Fun fact: 58% of marketers use AI for social media posts).
If your platforms don't play well together (e.g., a custom-built website with limited integration capabilities), expect to pay more for development or platform changes.
Protect Your Data (And Your Reputation)
As marketers, we love data — it helps us make better decisions and create relevant content. But with automation collecting more data than ever, we have a responsibility to protect both our business and our audience.
Why Privacy Matters
One privacy mistake can cost you more than money. According to recent studies, 94% of consumers say they won't do business with a company that mishandles their data. That means mishandling data won’t just lose customers — it will damage trust that takes years to rebuild.
What To Watch For
Before automating your data collection:
Know exactly what data you're gathering and why you need it
Understand where your data lives (including third-party tools)
Set up proper consent management (those cookie notices aren't just for show)
Create clear data retention policies (and stick to them)
Review how your automation tools share data
Protecting Your Business
Smart data practices are good ethics and business, so:
Document all your data collection and usage
Regularly review privacy regulations in your markets
Train your team on data handling best practices
Plan for potential data breaches
Make privacy part of your brand promise
When in doubt, collect less data and be transparent in its use.
Your Next Move: A Simple Start With Automation
Ready to start automating marketing tasks? List your most time-consuming manual tasks, then pick just one to automate. Then, research a couple of tools, test a free trial, and document what works.
Many marketers try to automate too much too soon, leading to wasted money, team overwhelm, and abandoned automation tools. So, start with one process, master it, and then expand.
Need expert guidance along the way?
Comma is a content agency that believes great content works hard for you (not the other way around). If you want to make automation part of your content strategy, let's discuss how to do it right. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team today.
