Not Just Email Automation: MYOB's Dean Hamilton on Building for the Future

MYOB is a leading business management platform with a core purpose of helping more businesses in Australia and New Zealand start, survive and succeed. When it comes to its marketing team, it’s all about efficiency. From AI to upskilling, the company’s Marketing Operations Manager, Dean Hamilton, explains how his team is preparing for the future.
 

When I started my working career, I didn’t think I’d spend more than three years in any role. I’m happy to say that hasn’t been the case, and I’m currently looking at 14 and a half years at MYOB.

I first joined the company as a segment manager, before moving into the retention side of the marketing business. Fast forward to six months ago, and I took on the role of Marketing Operations Manager. 

People may think marketing operations are just automation and email systems, but there’s a lot of opportunity there. We’re broadening our remit to look closely at capability across the wider marketing function.

Strengthening the link between operations and marketing to create a more robust department has become my passion - and there are a few things I’m keeping an eye on.

1. You don't know what you don't know (yet)

In today’s environment, we’re asking traditional marketers to do a lot more and have a broader skill set than they have in the past. If I take a look back to even five years ago, it was pretty straightforward for the average channel marketer to get a campaign to market. But right now, we’re asking these same marketers to understand and interpret data at a deeper level than they have before.

This is where upskilling - and the services that ADMA offers - are so important. Marketers need to constantly improve their knowledge of data paths and skills. These are really valuable tools that will only increase a business’ capabilities over time. In the past, I’ve primarily used ADMA for networking opportunities, but in my new role, I’ve really been able to dig into some of its training courses and seminars that they offer.

These have proven to me, more than ever, that there are so many technical tools that marketers haven’t had to use in the past, that they’re now required to use every day. It just goes to show how fast-paced our industry is. That’s why it's wise to look beyond the challenges and instead to the opportunity of upskilling where your marketers really need it.

I know it’s easier said than done to implement a robust training program, whilst expecting your team to complete their day to day work. But think about the fact that you’re not building a skill set for today - you’re building expertise for two, three, even five years in advance. 
 

2. Let the machines do the grunt work

Look, we’ve all seen The Matrix - and I’m sure it’s not a future any of us would welcome. But there’s definitely a time and place for machine learning and AI. Marketers who utilise these services effectively will be ahead of the curve.

The real opportunity in AI is to automate lower value interactions. This will allow marketers to actually focus on high value activity, which is what they can uniquely offer.

We spend a lot of time with our data at the moment, defining what a journey might look like and how we want to interact with clients throughout the journey. So using AI to do the groundwork and connect data points correctly is undoubtedly the most important thing marketers can do to get started.

Of course, the larger issue at hand is the massive amounts of data we’re now expecting marketers to work through. Businesses currently have access to a really rich amount of data, and they don’t always know how to use it. I'm really passionate about using data in the right way, and making sure we’re presenting the right message at the right time. So using AI to take some of the work off our hands, so that we can perform higher-level analysis, is crucial for efficiency.
 

3. Putting a new spin on personalisation

The businesses that will thrive over the next five years are those that will have delivered on the finicky promise of personalisation to their consumers.

Even though we’ve been talking about it for some time, there are still a few misconceptions we have to battle for this strategy to take off. For example, I think a lot of people still think personalisation is getting someone’s first name in the email. If you’re one of these people, you’re going to fall behind.

There truly is so much in personalisation that marketers can use to evolve consumer journeys and interactions with clients. It’s about having interactions with the client where you’re really presenting them with the right information. You have to make the most of the data you have at hand, and ensure every interaction you have with a client is customised.

This, along with upskilling and effective use of AI, will set you apart from your competitors. You have to build for a long-term future, and leaning into the right training and tools can help you be proactive about achieving this goal.