Marketing Automation And Its Evolution

The topic of marketing automation has always been hot, and for a good reason. Ever since businesses understood how important marketing is to promote their products and services they have used the potential of marketing and technology which gave rise to modern martech. Marketers implemented competitive ways to reach their potential audience through various marketing mediums like television, radio, and the internet, and hence the struggle to enhance the ever-expanding customer base was streamlined with marketing automation. Marketers reached out to people through continually increasing media channels and if we take a look at marketing automation, we can trace the origin of when CRM came into existence…

CRM or Customer Relationship Management helped in collating the personal information of the clients, employees ad prospects into a central database which became a must-have for any business.

The integration of CRM and marketing automation is essential for unlocking an organization’s full potential. While some may argue that these platforms serve different purposes – with CRM being sales-oriented and marketing automation being marketing-oriented – seamless integration is necessary for both departments to function effectively. By integrating these platforms, organizations can improve their efficiency and gain valuable insights. When CRM and marketing automation works together seamlessly, an organization can experience a significant boost in performance.

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Evolution of Marketing Automation:

Marketing automation has come a long way since its inception in the early 1990s. From the days of simple email marketing to the current state-of-the-art software platforms that can handle complex marketing tasks, marketing automation has evolved to become a key component of modern marketing strategies. In this article, we will take a closer look at the evolution of marketing automation and how it has revolutionized the way businesses market their products and services.

1. Early Stages of Marketing Automation

The early days of marketing automation can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s when businesses started using email to communicate with customers. The concept of automated email campaigns was introduced in the mid-1990s when companies began using email software to send personalized messages to customers. The software was rudimentary and lacked the sophistication of modern marketing automation platforms. Nevertheless, it was an effective way to automate the process of sending emails to customers.

2. The Emergence of CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems emerged in the late 1990s, which allowed companies to manage customer interactions and data more efficiently. CRM systems provided a centralized location for customer data, allowing businesses to better understand their customers’ needs and preferences. As CRM systems evolved, they began to incorporate marketing automation features such as lead scoring and automated workflows, which helped businesses streamline their marketing efforts.

3. The Rise of Social Media

The emergence of social media in the mid-2000s was a game-changer for marketing automation. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allowed businesses to engage with customers on a more personal level and create targeted campaigns based on customer interests and behavior. Marketing automation platforms started integrating with social media platforms, allowing businesses to manage social media campaigns alongside other marketing efforts.

4. Marketing Automation Today

Marketing automation has come a long way since the early days of email marketing. Today’s marketing automation platforms are sophisticated and offer a wide range of features to help businesses streamline their marketing efforts. Modern marketing automation platforms offer features such as lead generation, lead nurturing, lead scoring, email marketing, social media marketing, and analytics.

One of the biggest advantages of marketing automation is that it allows businesses to create personalized campaigns that target specific customer segments based on behavior, preferences, and demographics. This results in higher engagement rates and better conversion rates. In addition, marketing automation platforms provide valuable insights into customer behavior and campaign performance, allowing businesses to optimize their marketing efforts and achieve better ROI.

Statistics on the Adoption of Marketing Automation

According to data on marketing automation and related technology may help you dominate your niche by cutting down on or even getting rid of tedious duties. Every marketer’s success depends on getting the correct message to the appropriate person at the opportune time, yet many people in the industry still hold this as a dear ideal. This compilation of carefully chosen statistics and information is a wonderful place to start if you are unfamiliar with this amazing new technology. Let’s start now!

• Marketing technology, which accounts for the second-largest share of businesses’ marketing spending and has a market value of $344.8 billion, includes marketing automation (Martech Alliance, 2021).
• 61% of firms want to even boost expenditure on marketing technology during the following 12 months (Martech Alliance, 2021). This increases the likelihood that additional marketing automation systems will be incorporated into the marketing software suites of more firms.
• According to the most recent figures on marketing automation, the worldwide market is expected to increase from $4,438.7 million in 2020 to $14,180.6 million in 2030. (Research and Markets, 2021).
• By the end of 2023, the market for marketing automation technology is anticipated to grow to $25.1 billion. (Statista)
• Ninety percent of marketers consistently employ many types of marketing automation tools.(Learning Hub)
• The market for marketing automation software is anticipated to reach $19.66 billion by 2026. (Intelligence from Mordor)
• Marketing automation is used by 61% of marketers to increase lead generation. (Funnel Overload)
• Marketing automation is credited as being the main factor in about 80% of marketers’ success. (Marketo)
• Marketing automation increases productivity by 20% for companies. (Funnel Overload)

The Top Rated Marketing Automation Tools

Are you curious about the most widely used marketing automation systems and tools? Let’s investigate.

• The market for marketing automation software is dominated by HubSpot. It is the top supplier of marketing automation solutions with a market share of 29.51%.
• The second-placed Adobe Experience Cloud has a market share of 12.11 percent.
• Other industry leaders are Salesforce Pardot (4.89%), Active Campaign (8.01%), and Oracle Marketing Cloud (8.63%).

Statistics on the Use of Marketing Automation

Automation is being embraced by businesses in many business lines, but marketing is the one where it is most prevalent. The automated capabilities in present software, such as those in online marketing, handling social media, and content marketing, among others, not just make pertinent duties simpler but also contribute to improved outcomes.

• 32% of marketing professionals use AI and marketing automation to personalize messaging and offers for paid advertising (Ascend2 and Research Partners, 2022).
• For product/content suggestions and personalized email subject lines, 22% of marketing professionals use AI and marketing automation (Ascend2 and Research Partners, 2022).
• Additional applications of coupled AI and marketing automation include predictive analytics (18%), account identification (18%), chatbots (16%), campaign send/deployment timing (16%), and segmentation (12%). (Ascend2 and Research Partners, 2022).
• From 18% in 2021 to 25% in 2022, more marketers will use automation for SMS marketing (Ascend2 and Research Partners, 2022).
• From 16% of marketers employing them in 2021 to 20% in 2022, push notifications are becoming a more common use of automation (Ascend2 and Research Partners, 2022).

Predictions – Market Automation Software:

According to statistics from marketing automation software, the $6.87 billion market for marketing automation software in 2010 is projected to grow to an astounding $19.66 billion in 2026. 19.2% is the reported CAGR from 2021 to 2026. Marketing automation adoption is on the rise undoubtedly as a result of the increasing significance of marketing in generating sales pipelines and maintaining client relations. In actuality, one of the fastest-growing industries is software for marketing automation. (source: Mordor Intelligence)

Most Significant KPIs for Marketing Automation

How do you assess if your marketing automation initiatives are successful? Obviously, by examining your key performance indicators! According to data, the following KPIs are crucial for marketing automation:

• Conversion rate is seen by 48% of marketing professionals as the most crucial Metric for gauging the success of marketing automation.
• The second most popular KPI was sales-qualified leads (SQL), which 43% of marketers deemed to be the most valuable indicator.
• The total number of leads produced (43%) open/click rates (31%), revenue (29%), and customer satisfaction (27%) are additional common KPIs for gauging the effectiveness of marketing automation.(Pedalix)

Merits of Market Automation

1. Lead qualification increases by 451% with marketing automation

One of the most sought-after outcomes of marketing automation has always been lead creation. According to sales automation statistics, organizations that use software for marketing automation are twice as successful at generating leads as those that only use blast email software. By using sales marketing automation software, you can provide potential customers with the knowledge they require to go through the sales process and make a purchase. Hence, the sales cycle is shortened.

(Moosend)

2. By automating lead management, you may improve income by more than 10% in just 6 to 9 months

By using an automated marketing system to handle leads, firms see a 10+% gain in income within 6–9 months of implementation, according to marketing automation ROI data. Every 1,000 leads, on average, may be classified by a single marketing platform instead of ten full-time workers doing it manually.

(Online Automation)

What are market automation platforms, and what do they do?

When it comes to automating your marketing efforts, it’s important to choose the right platform. There are a number of different automation platforms on the market, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your business.

Market automation platforms are software tools that allow businesses to automate their marketing and sales processes. They can help you to manage your leads, create and send marketing emails, and track your sales results. In addition, many market automation platforms offer integrations with other software tools, such as CRMs and accounting systems, making it easy to manage all of your business processes in one place.

What are the different types of market automation platforms?

There are a number of different types of market automation platforms. The most common are algorithmic trading platforms and execution management systems. Other types of market automation platforms include order management systems, smart order routers, and dark pools.

How do you choose the right market automation platform for your business?

When it comes to choosing the right market automation platform for your business, it’s important to consider a few key factors. First, you’ll need to think about the size and scale of your business. Is your company just starting out, or is it already well-established?

You’ll also need to think about your business’s specific needs. What features and functionality are you looking for in a market automation platform? How important is it to you that the platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate?

Finally, you’ll need to do your research and compare different market automation platforms to find the one that best suits your business. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to market automation, so it’s important to find the platform that’s right for you.

What are the benefits of using a market automation platform?

• Increased accuracy and efficiency in your marketing efforts.
• Increased visibility into your marketing campaigns and their performance.
• Easier management and execution of complex marketing campaigns.
• Increased ability to target and reach your desired customer base.
• Greater insights into how your customers interact with your marketing campaigns.

By considering the factors mentioned in this blog post, you should be able to choose the right automation platform for your business. Remember to evaluate your needs and the features of each platform to find the one that best suits your needs.

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Best Market Automation Platforms in 2023

Marketing automation platforms are necessary for businesses that want to improve their marketing efficiency, personalize their campaigns, manage leads effectively, integrate with other tools, and achieve better ROI. By leveraging marketing automation, businesses can achieve better results with less effort, making it an essential component of modern marketing strategies. Let’s look at some of the best marketing automation platforms discussed below:

1. Marketo

Maybe the most well-known marketing automation tool is Marketo, and for a valid cause. It’s one of the most sophisticated tools available, with a comprehensive feature set that not only assists marketers in managing marketing emails but also offers top-notch capabilities for sales teams. LaunchPoint, another marketplace run by Marketo, features a large number of connectors.

Marketo is excellent for businesses who want to utilize the tool’s numerous capabilities beyond simple marketing automation. It isn’t the most affordable tool, but it’s also not the most costly either. If you do not intend to use the system’s sophisticated features, you can get the same effects using one of the less expensive tools. To avoid having to migrate all of your data and campaigns later on, it could be a smart idea to start with a product like Marketo if you want to start with the fundamentals and progress into more complex features in the near future.

2. Eloqua

Eloqua is completely equipped, offers a high caliber of service, and has a price tag to match. The time Eloqua invests in educating and assisting its clients in making the most of the platform is one of its main differentiators. Eloqua, like Marketo, offers a fantastic marketplace with many connectors with outside providers.

If you aren’t genuinely interested in enterprise applications and don’t have the money for it, don’t look at Eloqua. Eloqua is a fantastic choice if you do, especially if you enjoy getting plenty of advice from your IT providers. Eloqua should be taken into account as well if precise CRM connectivity is crucial to you.

3. Customer.io

We adore Customer.io mostly because of its adaptability. This is a platform that will enable you to effectively achieve your goals. You can really tailor your Customer.io experience if you’re prepared to invest some developer effort, even if it’s not entirely out of the box. This tool’s lightweight user interface and quick, attentive customer service are both fantastic features.

One of the newest companies, Customer.io, is expanding swiftly and is a firm to keep an eye on. Customer.io, in contrast to most earlier solutions, is designed to send emails in response to events rather than merely pageviews.

Customer.io is excellent for two types of uses:

• Businesses looking to start using marketing automation who value a lightweight user interface (i.e., not your typical enterprise software); and
• Businesses seeking additional advanced functionality where flexibility and customization is a prerequisite and are prepared to commit the developer time and money to accomplish it.

4. Constant Contact

A well-known email marketing platform for small companies is Constant Contact. It performs a fantastic job of offering fundamental functions in a way that even non-technical people can utilize. Its main selling points are how simple it is to use and how reasonably priced it is.

The owner of a company who wants to manage their email marketing swiftly and doesn’t foresee having any future requirements for sophisticated features can choose Constant Contact. If you meet this criterion, the product is a terrific solution for you; but, if you want to increase your marketing automation operations soon, a different tool is required.

5. HubSpot

The system performs a light touch of just about everything, but it doesn’t specialize in any one area at a deep level, which is both its benefit and drawback. As “inbound marketing software,” which it identifies itself as, HubSpot provides a wide range of functions, including marketing automation.

This all-inclusive strategy can be quite useful. Both HubSpot and Constant Contact are excellent for small business owners, but HubSpot surpasses Constant Contact in terms of the additional capabilities it offers in addition to email marketing. HubSpot is an excellent choice if you’re searching for a “all-in-one” platform that provides you with the most fundamental features of multiple distinct marketing systems.

6. Exact Target

ExactTarget is notable for its capacity to target messaging across a variety of channels. ExactTarget goes beyond the typical email-centric emphasis of marketing automation systems by allowing you to target mobile app notifications or even messaging to a customer’s car’s dashboard..

ExactTarget is for the business that wants to push the boundaries of marketing automation and has the funds to do it. It’s for the business that is truly interested in the development of marketing automation and desires to interact with its clients through a variety of channels.

7. UserFox

Another recent entrant in the marketing automation sector, Userfox, was purchased by AdRoll. Hopes are high for the future of their product as a result of the combined strength of the AdRoll and userfox teams. The userfox team is quite talented.

If you work in the technology sector, you’ll be in an excellent company because Userfox primarily works with IT businesses. If that’s essential to you, userfox is an excellent option because it has a lightweight UI and is made to send emails according to occurrences, similar to Customer.io. If you already use AdRoll, you could also think about switching to userfox as there will probably be close future integration between the two platforms as a result of the acquisition.

8. ManyChat

Email is simply one aspect of marketing automation. Suppose you could automate some of the most routine interactions you have with your clients on other platforms. In Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct Messages, WhatsApp, and SMS, ManyChat performs the same role as a chatbot.

Using ManyChat’s templates and simple UI, a bot can be created in a matter of minutes. Moreover, your CRM and other tools may be synchronized with the data you discover about your users.

9. Moosend

A platform for email marketing automation called Moosend serves a variety of markets, notably e-commerce, and SaaS.

The automation tool makes use of sophisticated website monitoring and triggers to enable you to deliver the appropriate email campaign to contacts who have expressed interest in a certain good or service. To target potential consumers who abandoned their trolley carts without buying anything, for instance, you may build up a trolley abandonment series.

Customer data management and collection might be useful for creating product suggestion campaigns based on product views. With this information, you may also produce thorough reports on the campaign’s development and user behavior to enhance the potency of your advertising messaging.

10. EngageBay

Another marketing automation tool created exclusively for small- to medium-sized organizations is EngageBay.

This programme has a lot of functions, such as website chat, social media management, and email marketing.

Drag-and-drop builders for emails and landing pages, A/B testing, SMS marketing, push notifications, abandoned cart retrieval and reminders, autoresponders, prepared answers, and more are among the other excellent features.

Software for marketing automation comes in a wide variety. The key is picking the appropriate one based on your technical know-how, financial constraints, and company needs.

Want something that is infinite and immensely powerful? Learning might wind up being more expensive and time-consuming. The scope of the less expensive solutions could have been too constrained. In the end, there is a trade-off.

Conclusion

Nowadays, marketing automation is not just a cutting-edge strategy—it is a need for all firms, large and small. It’s now simpler than ever to implement an automation platform that will increase your sales and increase your productivity.

Marketing automation has come a long way since its early days. From simple email marketing to sophisticated software platforms, marketing automation has revolutionized the way businesses market their products and services. Today’s marketing automation platforms offer a wide range of features that allow businesses to create personalized campaigns and target specific customer segments. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect marketing automation to become even more sophisticated, helping businesses achieve greater success in their marketing efforts.

**The primary author of this article is our contractual staff writer – Sakshi John.