How Slack Is Accelerating Digital Marketing

August 20, 2019DIGITAL STRATEGY, INTEGRATION, MARKETING AUTOMATION, REPORTING AND OPTIMIZATION, TECH STACK ANALYSIS

Since its inception in 2013, Slack has quickly become a staple in many offices and workspaces around the world. As of this year, the platform boasts 10 million users per day, and a whopping 43% of Fortune 100 companies use it in one way or another.

At first glance, a simple instant messaging tool for teams doesn’t seem very revolutionary, albeit convenient & lighthearted. (Slack’s loading screens greet users with witty banter like, “The Elders of the Internet are contemplating your request..”) Slack’s interface is impressively clean and simple too, which doesn’t sufficiently reveal the vast capabilities hiding within the platform either. But Slack is more than just another tab in your browser or another platform you have to remember a login and password for. If used to its fullest capacity, it’s a robust command center for marketers and marketing teams to execute each of their tasks. Let’s briefly review some of Slack’s capabilities and features.

A Marketer’s Dream Command Center

Digital Marketing – Teams can manage entire campaigns from channels within Slack and keep data separate. It can also be integrated with other popular marketing platforms like MailChimp. Manage your editorial calendar, content marketing strategy, analytics, and even finances and invoices. You can also set campaign reminders and get help at any time from your personal assistant, Slackbot.

Statistics – All team members can access performance statistics and share relevant content on the designated channel. You can also monitor social media marketing budgets, respond to customer feedback, and share results from email campaigns. With Slack, teams can pinpoint KPIs and ensure they are met.

Content Sharing – Teams can share links, documents, videos, and screencasts with a simple copy and paste.

So what are the implications of such a diverse, multi-faceted, and widely-used platform?

Email on the Backburner

Image result for email is dead

For several years now, some marketing experts have harped on the idea that email is dead – or will be soon. Yet, many professionals haven’t seen a hint of evidence of that. Many still spend their days plowing through emails, trying desperately to organize the influx of information in their inboxes. But for those that still insist the end is near for email, Slack would be just the platform to deliver that final crushing blow. It’s a team communication tool that is more direct than email – Simply click the name of the person you want to speak to. It’s also more conversational, which saves time by cutting the fluff and formalities you’d often find in an email.

Seamless Integration & Automation

The biggest gamechanger Slack introduces for digital marketers is simple automation. Social media apps many teams are already using like Hubspot and Hootsuite can be integrated with Slack, along with automation tools like Zapier and Marketo. Users can create tasks in Hubspot for every Slack message they need to take action on. Hootsuite users can send specific social media posts to Slack and add comments or solicit feedback from team members. Zapier can help with tasks like automatically sending all Facebook posts to one Slack channel. In this way, teams are virtually limitless in how they can customize Slack to meet their unique marketing needs.

By learning to navigate Slack using quick keyboard commands, users no longer need to switch between their own email, social media, data platforms, and email marketing platforms as often. All information is gathered in a central hub where every team member has instant access. Not to mention, teams can say goodbye to silos. Something as complex as launching a product can be simplified with custom Slackbot reminders and integration with Google calendar. For data, tools like Statsbot can pull information from Google Analytics right into Slack. Surveys from SurveyMonkey can be brought in as well. For organization, tools your team already uses like Trello and Asana can be integrated. There’s no limit to the amount of data teams can review together.

Global Knowledge

1 online geniuses slack

Not only is Slack uniting and simplifying communication on teams, but in entire industries. Marketing professionals worldwide are joining Slack channels like Online Geniuses and Open Strategy, which is where thousands of digital marketers now go to learn, share information, and ask questions. Some channels even interview well-known entrepreneurs and open the floor for questions. These channels serve as hubs of expertise in the latest marketing trends. Startups can also create channels for its userbase or membership to raise questions, report issues, and even celebrate the brand. Channels can be unique in that they invite users into direct, informal communication with the company itself.

 

 

Marketing and data automation is one of the fastest-changing industries thanks to ongoing advancements in technology. Keeping up can be a serious challenge, especially for smaller teams with more limited budgets. In this sense, Slack is leveling the playing field with an accessible, affordable platform that provides access to all the essentials – marketing, data, and collaboration.

Digital marketing can quickly become a monstrous job that takes up too many team members’ time and energy. With Slack’s help in automating tedious tasks, teams are spared both the mental and digital clutter of doing everything manually. That’s more time spent on the important stuff, less time wasted on busywork.

 

If you’d like to learn more about how you could leverage Slack to maximize the use of data and automation in your marketing flows, feel free to contact us, we just might be able to help!

 

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