Marketing automation can be defined broadly as anything from simple spreadsheet analysis to lead scoring, content management, nurturing and offering triggers, according to BtoB Online. If executed correctly, automation can "strengthen the alignment between marketing and sales significantly," Matt West, senior director of marketing at automation vendor Genius.com, told the news source.

However, according to the recent BtoB report, a mere 44 percent of 276 B2B marketers surveyed have implemented some form of automated marketing, and only 35 percent have return-on-investment metrics in place to measure the performance, the news source notes in a separate article.

"Many vendors are trying to say marketing automation is drop-dead simple and that your first email will be out on the first day," Jeff Ernst principal analyst at Forrester Research, told the media outlet. "But many who do move forward with some form of marketing automation are not ready for it."

Of those who have utilized the automation tactic, 52 percent use it for lead distribution, while 19 percent use it for nurturing, closed-loop automation and sales and marketing alignment.

The biggest barrier to marketing automation for many companies appears to be price, as 44 percent stated budget constraints prevent them from moving forward, while 43 percent cite lack of resources.
 

Bookmark and Share