Marketing automation is crucial to your success – here’s why

Marketing automation is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for B2B marketers to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. The B2B State of Marketing Automation report, a joint venture between Act-On and Ascend2, provides invaluable insights for B2B marketers to increase their return on marketing automation investments. This comprehensive research reveals critical trends, challenges and best practices, empowering marketers to choose the marketing automation platform (MAP) that helps them achieve their business goals.

 

 

 

The report underscores the resounding success of marketing automation within the B2B sector, with a staggering 96 per cent of respondents reporting positive outcomes. This success is driving significant investment, with 75 per cent of companies planning to increase their marketing automation budgets. This investment is not misplaced: the report demonstrates that marketing automation is crucial for driving revenue growth, improving lead quality and enhancing customer experiences.

 

Key findings

• Near-unanimous automation success: 96 per cent of B2B marketers report successful marketing automation efforts, with 34 per cent achieving “very successful” or “best-in-class” results
• Budgetary boost: 75 per cent of companies plan to increase their marketing automation budgets, reflecting a strong commitment to this critical technology
• Data quality is king: Improving data quality emerges as the top priority for marketers, emphasising the need for accurate and reliable data to fuel effective campaigns
• Email reigns supreme: Email marketing remains the most widely used application of marketing automation, followed by social media management and content management
• Customer journey orchestration: While most companies use some form of customer journey automation, significant opportunities exist to fully automate journeys and enhance customer experiences
• AI is the future: AI is poised to revolutionise marketing automation, with key applications including audience targeting, analytics and personalisation

Challenges and opportunities

 

While the report highlights significant successes, it also acknowledges key challenges. Creating a cohesive marketing automation strategy, collecting and managing high-quality data and integrating various technologies within the martech stack continue to be significant hurdles.

 

 

However, these challenges also present exciting opportunities for growth and innovation, through:

• Prioritising data quality: Implementing robust data cleaning and enrichment processes
• Leveraging AI: Using AI-powered tools for audience segmentation, personalisation and predictive analytics
• Focusing on customer journey orchestration: Automating key touchpoints and delivering personalised experiences across all channels
• Streamlining martech stacks: Consolidating tools and choosing a cost-effective marketing automation platform

 

Today’s B2B marketers expect more from marketing automation than just efficient productivity. They want intelligence to help them scale. Advanced MAPs such as Act-On bring together the power of data, AI and customer-centric strategies, unlocking automated personalised journeys that drive engagement and accelerate revenue growth. It’s all about building connections between brands and customers, says Jeff Day, CMO at Act-On Software 

 

B2B marketers can unlock the full potential of their marketing automation investments and achieve even greater success. The report serves as an invaluable resource for B2B marketers seeking to:

• Gain insights into industry trends and best practices
• Identify areas for improvement within their own marketing automation programs
• Develop a robust and data-driven marketing automation strategy
• Stay ahead of the curve by embracing emerging technologies such as AI

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Download the full B2B State of Marketing Automation report today to learn more and discover how to leverage the power of marketing automation to drive your business forward.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on the report summary and aims to provide a compelling overview. For the most accurate and comprehensive information, please refer to the full report.