For those outside the digital environment, the word “automation” may sound a little scary. It brings the idea of replacing the human with the machine, and it is not difficult to imagine gloomy futuristic scenes in which people no longer have their jobs. Popular culture has inserted these thoughts into many of us.
The truth is that things are not quite like that, even in areas that are already actively working with technology. In digital marketing, for example, automation is not only harmless in this sense, but it is also important for the work of the professionals involved.
Data analysis
Since the beginning of digital advertising, huge amounts of data had to be dealt with. They are the raw material for what we do. As time has passed and online has become increasingly essential for the population, data has also grown to the point that it is humanly impossible to analyze it without help.
There are billions, trillions of information gathered from the digital trail that each user leaves during their online journeys: visits to websites, behavior with ads, purchases, dropouts and much more. With all this, it is possible to establish strategies to personalize and meet the needs of each group of consumers.
Help or hinder?
That’s where the secret is: strategy. This can only be done effectively by the right people. Automation exists to make the material available in an accessible way for these professionals.
Simpler activities have been automated for years, practically since digital marketing started to grow and become essential for business. Now, we just need to prepare for more complex situations.
Computational power is becoming greater to support the huge amount of data. At the same time, the algorithms are becoming more sophisticated to identify and act with more specific information. For example, we have Machine Learning, that is, a solution through which the system is responsible for learning on its own and improving its own actions.
It is a path of no return – and that’s fine.
The tools used by digital professionals are strengthening and presenting new possibilities. There is no reason to run. In summary, the idea is that automation works in the operational and organization of data, suggesting paths, but leaving the human being with more strategic functions.
André Palis, a columnist for TecMundo, worked at Google before leaving to undertake. He founded Raccoon in 2013, in São Carlos, an important state technology hub and in eight years with the company he acquired the portfolio of major players in the market such as Vivara, Natura, Leroy Merlin and Centauro. In 2013, he noticed a gap in the digital market, resigned from Google and, alongside Marco Túlio Kehdi, founded Raccoon, a full service agency that acts as a strategic partner throughout the digital chain.
