Marketing automation boosts sales by Fergus Gloster, MD EMEA, Marketo on 27-Mar-2013

Technology and innovation continue to move at a rapid pace. Whilst still a relatively new area, marketing automation technology is making leaps and bounds in bringing marketing (and marketers) into the twenty-first century and getting marketers and sales into the same room. In essence, marketing automation is the technology that allows companies to streamline, automate and measure marketing tasks and workflows so they can increase operational efficiency and grow revenue faster.

As this industry becomes more crowded and competitive, innovation and functionality will become richer. That’s why it’s important to understand what marketing automation is (and isn’t) and what it can do for your organisation and revenue targets.

Our new Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation from Marketo is a comprehensive, new eBook that explains what marketing automation is, why it is becoming a ‘must-have technology’ and offers expert advice, tips and worksheets for how companies of all sizes can align their people, processes and content to achieve maximum success.

Beyond the time-saving and efficiency benefits of automation, marketing automation enables modern business processes that are essential to any modern marketing department. For B2B (buseinss to business) companies, this includes lead nurturing, lead scoring and lead lifecycle management. For B2C (business to consumer) companies, it includes cross-sell, up-sell and retention. And for all companies, it includes marketing ROI (return on investment) analytics.

According to SiriusDecisions, on average, only 20% of leads are sales-ready when they first come in. This means you need a disciplined process – known as lead nurturing – to develop qualified leads until they are sales-ready. Done well, nurturing can result in 50% more sales leads at 33% lower cost per lead.

Buyers today are using the abundance of online and offline information available to seize control of the purchasing process. This requires companies to fundamentally change how they engage with prospects and customers, nurturing relationships with each one over time. This is simply not possible at scale without technology and that’s why marketing automation is becoming a ‘must-have’ for companies of all sizes. The Guide provides a single, comprehensive resource for any company that is thinking about investing in this transformational technology.

In a recent blog post, Lori Wizdo, principal analyst at Forrester Research, explained the value of the technology, as well as the process and operation challenges that companies must face to use it well. "Marketing automation can transform a company’s marketing operations. These solutions deliver scalability, root out excess cost, improve marketing execution and provide the basis for continuous incremental process improvement. Still many marketing execs hold back on investing in marketing automation. They fear the concurrent assimilation of new tactics, processes, and automation will unduly stress their marketing organization. But, the transformation is necessary and the stress unavoidable. Marketing execs need to proactively address the ‘people part’ of their lead-to-revenue transformation."

The Guide is designed to assuage these fears. It answers the question 'what is marketing automation?', shows companies how to build a business case and select the right system and explains what investments and organisational changes are required for success. The guide is also packed with worksheets used to discern whether companies are ready for marketing automation and how it will help increase revenue and attain business goals.

To learn how to increase operational efficiencies and achieve higher revenue and faster growth, you can download a free copy of: Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation here

Fergus Gloster is Managing Director EMEA for Marketo, the leading provider of cloud-based marketing automation software. He can be contacted via: uk.marketo.com

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