As we have mentioned in this space, marketing automation software is at the forefront of the convergence of marketing and technology. At NextPage, we are excited to offer marketing automation services and feel like it will be a cornerstone of marketing in the near future. Since the technology is relatively new, we thought you might enjoy this study from Software Advice on marketing automation buyer trends.
Software Advice recently analyzed nearly 900 interactions with marketing automation software buyers to discover the top reasons for evaluating, the most requested features and most active buyer sizes and segments. Key findings from the report are summarized below.
Most Buyers Are Evaluating Marketing Automation for the First Time
Only 9 percent of buyers already had a marketing automation system in place. However, 79 percent of buyers used some type of software to manage marketing operations. “The pressures on marketers today keep getting greater and greater as there are more channels to market in, more types of marketing programs to manage, more data available for intelligent buyer segmentation and higher expectations for personalized communication among your buyers and prospects. As a result, there’s an increasing need for a marketing automation solution that can help manage these challenges,” said David Raab, owner of Raab Associates, Inc.
Lead Nurturing and Analytics Top the List of Requested Features
Eighty-one percent of buyers sought lead nurturing features while 64 percent requested lead scoring. Reporting and analytics was requested by 70 percent of buyers. “Our data shows that companies that evaluate marketing automation are most interested in the core functionality of lead nurturing and scoring,” said Derek Singleton, analyst at Software Advice. “As such, vendors should continue to expand lead nurturing features to allow marketers to dynamically personalize their marketing messages and lead scoring capabilities to facilitate a smooth transition between marketing and sales.”
Small to Midsize Companies Are Seeking Out Marketing Automation
Fifty percent of buyers had fewer than 50 employees in their company, and 27 percent had fewer than 20 employees. This shows that smaller companies are seeking out the benefits a marketing automation solution can provide. While marketing automation has been more aggressively adopted by midsize companies and large enterprises, the data suggests that marketing automation vendors have opportunity to grow their customer base with SMB-focused solutions.
About Software Advice
Software Advice™ is a trusted resource for software buyers. The company provides detailed reviews, comparisons and research to help organizations choose the right software.