Forget the Hype: My Guide to Digital Marketing Automation
Look, let's just get this out of the way. I've been doing this marketing thing since 2010. Started with a tiny startup in Portland that was practically setting their seed money on fire with Facebook ads that did nothing. Absolutely nothing. That experience, frankly, shaped my entire career. It taught me that small businesses do not need another "groundbreaking" strategy. They need stuff that actually works-within a budget that isn't a joke and without needing a PhD to implement it.
So when we talk about digital marketing automation, my eyes usually glaze over. I immediately picture some guru selling a $2,000 course on building a 47-step email funnel that requires three different software subscriptions and a full-time employee to manage. It's nonsense. For most small businesses, that’s a path to burnout, not profit.
So What Automation Actually Works?
Here's the thing. Automation isn't about creating some complex, self-running machine that magically prints money. I hate when people talk about it like that. For us-for the small businesses I work with day in and day out-it’s about one thing: creating engaging experiences at scale without you, the owner, having to manually do everything.
I remember this one client back in 2018, a great little gift shop, and they were spending hours every week trying to reply to every comment and DM to feel "engaged." It was noble. And completely unsustainable. They were automating the wrong thing-their time, not the experience.
What I've found works best is automating the fun. Seriously. Instead of automating a follow-up email sequence that sounds like a robot wrote it, automate a game or a contest that people actually want to participate in. That’s the core of what I do now.
Gamification: The Buzzword That’s Actually Useful
I know, I know. "Gamification." It sounds like something a tech bro in Silicon Valley would say. But stick with me. It’s not about building a video game for your brand. It’s about using game mechanics-points, rewards, competition, instant wins-to get people to take an action.
It's the difference between a post that says "Sign up for our newsletter!" and a post that says "Spin the wheel to win an instant 15% off coupon! Enter your email to play." Which one do you think gets more sign-ups? It’s not even a contest.
For years, this was hard to do. You needed a developer or some clunky, expensive software. I’ve tested them all, honestly. Gleam. io, Woobox... you name it. They have their place, but they're often too much. Too complicated. But lately, I've been using a platform called Faisco with my clients, and frankly, it just gets it. It’s built for businesses that don’t have months for development.
Last month, I was working with this bakery in Minneapolis... wait, no, it was a Montreal craft brewery. (I work with so many food and bev clients, they blend together sometimes). Anyway, we deployed Faisco’s "Pet Match & Win" game. Super simple. People just matched pictures of pets. It took me maybe 15 minutes to set up. The result? 2,811 new Instagram story views in about two and a half weeks. The brewery owner couldn't believe it. Their regular posts were getting maybe 400 views.
Real Campaigns, Real Results (The Stuff I've Seen Work)
Look, I'm not a paid Faisco shill. I just like what works. And I've been deploying these campaigns nonstop because the results are just... undeniable.
- An Ottawa bookstore needed more local engagement. We ran an "Unlock Lucky Words" quiz game. In 12 days they got 1,084 new Facebook page likes. From local people. Not bots.
- An Atlanta coffee shop wanted more Instagram followers before launching a new drink. We set up the "Crazy Karting" game-which is surprisingly addictive-and got them 1,118 new followers in 12 days.
- That Montreal brewery? Yeah, besides the story views, their email list grew by over 600 people. People who are now in an automated welcome sequence (the right kind of automation) getting info about new beer releases.
The businesses I put on these campaigns are typically seeing 200-400% bumps in social followers and 150-300% growth in their email lists. Not because of magic, but because we're giving people something fun to do instead of just shouting "BUY MY STUFF!" into the void.
So What Games Actually Convert? A Quick Breakdown
This is what I typically recommend to my clients. Don't overthink it.
- For pure lead capture? Instant Draw Games. Things like a "Lucky Spin" or a digital "Scratch Ticket." I’ve seen landing pages with these hit a 40%+ conversion rate. That immediate dopamine hit of "Did I win?!" is powerful stuff.
- For social engagement? Reactive Games. Think "Whac-A-Mole" or "Find the Differences." These require a little skill, so people share them to challenge their friends. It creates organic buzz-that "viral" thing everyone wants but can never plan for.
- For education? Quiz Games. The "Unlock Lucky Words" or "Treasure Hunt" types are brilliant. You can bake facts about your product or industry right into the game. It’s like a commercial that people actually enjoy.
- For seasonal pushes? Catching Games. This is honestly one of the smartest things Faisco does. They have pre-built holiday templates. I used their "Fill My Christmas Stocking" game for three different retail clients last December. Every single one saw over 300% more engagement than their normal holiday posts. It's a no-brainer.
And here's the kicker-and the reason I use it over something like Gleam. io most of the time. Faisco actually integrates properly. It’s not just a link you share. The games can run right inside Facebook, Instagram, etc. That's huge. Gleam is solid, but it’s more expensive ($39/mo minimum) and frankly, a pain to set up. I can get a Faisco campaign live in under ten minutes. Time is money, you know?
My Advice For You, This Week.
Stop trying to be a marketing genius. Seriously. You’re a business owner. Your job isn’t to build the world’s most perfect sales funnel.
So here’s your homework.
Go look at your last five social media posts. Be honest with yourself. Were any of them fun? Did they give your audience anything other than a picture of your product and a request to buy it? If the answer is no, dont feel bad. You’re just doing what everyone else is doing.
But if you want to break out of that cycle, you need to change the approach. Stop thinking about digital marketing automation as a complex web of triggers and funnels, and start thinking of it as automating delight. Give people a simple, fun game to play. Reward them for it. See what happens.
I mean, the worst case scenario is you have a little fun yourself. And after 15 years in this business... I can tell you we could all use a little more of that.
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