B2B Marketing Automation Stats to Remember in 2018

By Molly Spelts:

Why Automate?

B2B firms are implementing automation into their everyday tasks but the question is, why? The top three reasons: to generate quality leads, increase revenue and align sales and marketing. Companies are adapting their strategies to take advantage of technology. The growth rate of automation is rapidly increasing and doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. According to CMO, the developments in AI in the automation market is predicted to reach sales of $15.3 billion by 2019. If that doesn’t have you convinced why you should integrate automation into your business, take a look below to discover the top expert stats of 2018. Check it out:

Uncover B2B #marketing automation stats in 2018 to see what’s coming up next: Click To Tweet

Activities:

Modern technology could automate 45% of the activities people are paid to perform. This could free up time spent on menial tasks and help your team focus on priority projects.

Sales:

Marketing automation has shown an increase of over 14% in company sales productivity. Who doesn’t love to hear that sales will increase? We are checking this one off as a win for marketing automation.

Top Performing:

79% of top-performing companies have been using marketing automation for two or more years. Want to play with the big dogs in the marketing industry? Maybe automation is something your team should consider for 2018.

Where/How Do You Implement Automation?

Generally, you will see B2B marketers using automation in their email department along with CRM integration and social media. However, that’s just a few of the many areas where automation is beneficial. Take a look below at which automation options are being used the most and when those that don’t use automation solutions, plan to switch:

Email:

73% of companies already use automation within their email process. 26% plan to start using email marketing automation in 2018.

Web:

63% of companies have already implemented web automation into their strategies. 29% plan to start implementing it into their strategies in 2018.

CRM:

47% of companies are already using an automation system in their CRM integrations. 46% plan to use it in their 2018 integrations

Social:

33% of companies have already implemented automation into their social media. 44% plan to start using automation in their social media this year.

As you can tell B2B marketing automation isn’t going anywhere and if your company is hesitant to invest in it, try starting with one area in the company and see where it goes. Once you and your team start to see results, you can build it out in other areas of the company. You will definitely see some major ROI after integrating marketing automation into your everyday tasks, strategies and even time management.

Challenges with Automation

A huge challenge when it comes to automation is choosing the best software solution to use for your company. With over 215+ solutions on the market, it can be tricky determining which one is the “best”. Have no fear though, a lot of the solutions are easy to learn, use and usually always come with a savvy demo to check out before purchasing the whole package. Have a few more questions, concerns or challenges when it comes to marketing automation? Take a look below:

Marketing automation. Have you heard of it? Take a look at these #B2Bmarketing automation stats to remember in 2018: Click To Tweet

Resources:

60% of businesses reported that the resources they have seem to be a significant challenge with marketing automation. No worries, do your research, first internally and then externally, to find what solutions are on the market. Next, figure out how to align your current problem areas with a software that will benefit/improve those issues.

Skilled Experience:

50% of companies reported that the lack of skilled experience within marketing automation seems to be a challenge for them. With Millenials rapidly entering the workforce, skilled experience is one that’s hit or miss. Most will already be familiar with marketing automation or will be able to quickly learn how to use it.

Integration:

37% of businesses reported that the actual act of integrating automation into their softwares and programs seems to be a challenge, as well as their employees learning to adapt to the solutions. Adapting to a new process can be timely, frustrating and overwhelming. Thankfully you are in control of what solution you think will work best with your team and company. Choose one that walks you through the process and is easily teachable. DEMO DEMO DEMO, is usually the go-to for most businesses and trust us it’s extremely helpful.

Budget:

27% of companies reported that adding an automating solution to their marketing plan isn’t within their current budget. Budgeting is a touchy topic in the business realm. As a team, you will want to show your C-suite execs the benefits and potential that your company can have with automation to win over that extra budget.

B2B marketing automation has vastly grown in the past two years and will only continue to grow as companies start adding it to their budgets and marketing techniques. It’s not an exclusive tool for the Fortune 500 companies anymore. Startups to midsize companies are adopting this tool and it’s only getting more complex (in a good way, of course) and customizable to different industries and firms. Technology, like automation, can open up new doors and opportunities for even the smallest of marketing firms. We encourage and highly advise you to discover where automation can take you and your team as we continue to dive into 2018.