The processes and people behind the utilization of automation in conjunction with other marketing efforts are just as important as the automation technology itself.
So how are marketers finding the right balance to improve performance?
TTo help answer this question, Ascend2 and our Research Partners fielded The State of Marketing
Automation 2022 survey. We thank the 393 marketers who responded to this survey between
February 15, 2022 and February 23, 2022.
Research highlights:
- How much is too much? Less than 1/3 of marketers report that their customer journeys are mostly or entirely automated.
- Last year, we asked marketers in which areas they utilize automation... Comparing those answers from 2021 to the answers collected from marketers in 2022 gives insight into trends in automation use.
- A truly dynamic duo. Adding AI to automation can help to further improve the customer experience. We found out how marketers are using AI right now.
ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATION
The capabilities of marketing automation solutions cover every stage of the marketing funnel, but what do marketers feel are the benefits of using automation? 43% of marketers say that improving the customer experience is a most important advantage gained from utilizing automation. Enabling staff to make better use of their time and improving data and decision-making also rank high on this list according to 38% and 35% of those surveyed, respectively.
REPORTING STRATEGIC SUCCESS
Marketing automation is only as effective as the resources dedicated to utilizing and optimizing it to the
fullest potential, and this isn’t easy work. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of marketing professionals report that their marketing automation is somewhat successful at helping them to achieve their most important
goals. Another 22% report best-in-class success, compared to the competition.
MEASURING SUCCESS
The good news is that a 70% majority of marketers feel that measuring the success of marketing automation at achieving important objectives is easy to some extent. Most of this group describe measuring performance as “somewhat easy.” Another 30% of those surveyed consider automation to be difficult to measure the success of
AUTOMATION OF CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Most organizations orchestrate customer journeys that combine real human interactions with automated
interactions to create a personalized experience. A 69% majority of marketers consider their overall
customer journey to be partially or mostly automated. Only 9% are operating with fully automated
journeys and 22% of those surveyed say that their journey includes little to no automation.
TRENDS IN USE OF AUTOMATION
Last year, we asked marketers in which areas they utilize automation. Comparing those answers from 2021 to the answers collected from marketers in 2022 gives insight into trends in automation use. While many areas remained consistent, here was a significant jump in the use of automation in email marketing from 2021 to 2022, as well as in SMS marketing. We also see a slight decline in the use of automation in paid advertising as well as lead scoring from last year to this year.
PURCHASE FORECAST
As use-cases for automation continues to grow, will organizations be evaluating new solutions in the next
12 months? Nearly one-third (31%) of marketing professionals responding to this survey report that they
will be shopping for a marketing automation solution in the year ahead. Over one-quarter (26%) of those
surveyed say they will not be looking for a new marketing automation tool this year.
FACTORS DRIVING AUTOMATION PURCHASE
With about one-third of marketers reporting that their organizations will be shopping for a marketing
automation solution in the coming year, it is important to identify which factors are most important when
evaluating these tools. Price and ease of use top the list of drivers behind this purchase decision according to 58% and 54% of marketers surveyed, respectively.
AUTOMATION AND AI
While marketing automation streamlines and lessens the burden of manual work, adding artificial
intelligence (AI) to automation can help to further improve the customer experience. Nearly one-third
(32%) of those surveyed report that they are currently using AI in combination with marketing automationfor paid advertising and personalizing email messages and offers.
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