Everyone is talking about it. Is this going to be mandatory soon, like having a website? We don’t have all the answers, but with a plethora of platforms (say 5x fast) you can pick the level of complexity and your price point. So lets start at what is it? Here’s a nice working definition from Marketo:
Marketing automation enables companies to streamline, automate, and measure marketing tasks in order to increase revenue and organizational growth.
Revenues for B2B marketing automation systems increased 60% to $1.2 Billion in 2014, compared to a 50% increase the year before. In the last 5 years, the industry has grown 11-fold as corporations continue to find value in the key features that marketing automation has to offer.
As the industry rapidly matures, the foundations of a great marketing automation platform are pretty much agreed upon and best practices for marketing automation implementation also continue to solidify.
Top 5 Benefits of B2B Marketing Automation
- Increased lead generation
- Better prospect and lead insight
- Increase in efficiency
- Enhanced lead scoring, nurturing and distribution process
- Improved lead quality
Only 8% of senior-level B2B marketers stated that their marketing automation efforts were not effective – who is to blame? the solution, or bad implementation and use. These are complex systems with a lot of moving parts that require a great strategy and content to drive them. I think too many companies focus on the sales results the platforms are promoting and don’t focus enough attention on the resources and time it took to get there.
