Are automation tools necessery?

This could get some interesting replies...

I think it all depends on where you are up to with your experience and also what your ultimate goals are. I think as a person new to IM it is hard enough just to work out exactly in which area you want to build our business.

Many times things sound so good, and you start to get ahead of yourself, thinking 'yeah that will be useful' so you sign up or buy whatever it is.... and never really get to using it...

I think though, at some point, some automation and outsourcing is pretty much inevitable, because there are so many tasks to do... all at once... it becomes a bit difficult for one person doing everything on their own!

The trick is to know which pieces of the puzzle to automate and at which times in your process of developing your business. For me that is the real question...

Good topic though.... Particularly for those just getting started... Most tempted by all the 'push-button' get rich quick products, and even the very genuine reliable automated tools!

Lynne

I"m wondering the same questions, and I"m ready to start buying a few of these. I might just do that.

I am pro automation. Such a time saver. But you really need to know what can be automated and what can't.

And when to use automation in your business is another crucial aspect.

I automate my linkbuilding as much as I can and I like services like Unique Article Wizard or Seo Link Monster as you only have to do a bit of work and the system takes care of everything else.

Yes automation is a good thing. The trick is only automating things that work.

Automation software such as ScrapeBox, SeNuke, etc should be used properly and not to spam. They should be used to make your job easier. Proper use of these tools is neglected, most will abuse these tools and get them sell into trouble.
For instance I do not use SB to post blog comments, I only use it to scrape blogs using footprints, then weed out the blogs I want and manually comment.
I will also use such tools for account creation, email verifying, and PR checks.
Which can save you hours.

I was considering the price difference between fiverr and buying the tools myself.

So in the long run you don't see much of a difference in price even if I use them often?

No, no, and no. The best automation tool on the internet in my opinion is an autoresponder.

Automation tools aren't necessary but they sure can save a lot of time.

If you go this route, take the time to actually LEARN how to use whatever you buy.

Don't just start spamming the web. Just because something CAN be used to spam, does NOT mean it should be used that way.

You should be using these programs to automate tasks that you'd be doing by hand anyway if you didn't have the tool.

This is true for every software, not just any specific one. You know what they say - 'with great power, comes great responsibility'

Absolutely they are necessary. Or, go the other route: outsource everything. If you're just starting out, I think learning how to do the following:

1)onpage and offpage seo
2)backlinking
3)content production

Will allow you to decide if an automation tool is the right way to go. Me? 500+ sites, over 20 different passive income channels? 100%, unequivocally YES

I knew this post would generate a ton of misguided advice. Automation through outsourcing is a great idea, in fact, it's a must. But automated link building through Scrapebox, SEOnuke, UAW, horrible.

Remember something about this forum, and about the IM niche. The good thing about it is also the bad thing about it. There are hundreds of newbies flocking the the internet every month with dollar signs in their eyes. That means if you know what you're doing, you have a lot of potential customers to serve as an IM coach.

Unfortunately, these same newcomers also try to break into the IM niche by following this advice:

1) You don't have to be an expert to position yourself as one
2) Read and repackage existing content on IM to position yourself as an expert

Can you image the content dilution that could happen because of that ^?

Automated link building used to work really well. If anyone on this thread got started with them, more power to you. But these days, it's a different game. It's about content. When was the last time you bookmarked a site or bought something from a site with spun content or content written by an obvious non-native English speaker?

Marketing is simple once you start asking questions from the viewpoint of a consumer, not a marketer. Give people what YOU expect, give value. The rest will take care of itself.

BTW: for anyone who plans on rebutting me, why not let your automated software program do it? Let's see how well it does.

Are the tools you mentioned needed for success in IM ? Simple answer No! While I will not speak about the tools you mentioned because I have a bias opinion about lame software (how is that for transparency) products, I will speak on the automation part.

Every single business online or offline requires some form of automation unless you have the money to pay 100 monkeys. Imagine selling an ebook and sending out a personal email with a download link to all the people that buy. Many of us used to do just that until automation of emails came into play.

Businesses offline use automation in many different forms just as we do online. Automation is something that is needed to save time, save money, and increase profits. They type of automation you choose to use though could have either amazing results or disastrous results.

There are certain things you do not want to automate - such as customer support, social interaction, and yes even link building to a degree. You must decide what automation is good for your business and how to implement that automation properly to help your business and not hinder it.

I do not use any of these personally. However I would say that some automation sure makes things alot easier. These can be great time savers. Why login to each and every social community when you can post to all of them. That sort of thing can really streamline your day to day tasks.

I agree with others, automation tools are not obligatory to succeed at IM. However, as you progress you might find there are certain tasks which are repetitive and tedious, and that you wish you could get rid of. That is the point at which to look for an automation tool that does exactly what you hate doing.

My experience with automation tools is, sadly, that many of them are annoying, inefficient, and don't do what they claim they will do. So if you do get some kind of tool or software, go with a reputable one with good reviews! The good ones are worth their weight in gold!

But you do learn a lot about the process by doing them manually yourself, first.