Marketing automation stands out among the latest marketing trends and strategies, letting business owners offload time-consuming tasks and improve productivity. That’s not all — it also increases leads and conversions, reduces overheads, and grows your business with fewer resources. Want more proof? We have put together essential marketing automation statistics to help you understand how you can use the technology to boost your business and increase ROI.
Marketing Automation Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- 56% of companies are now using marketing automation. (Emailmonday)
- Marketing automation is one of the fastest-growing software industries. (Marketo)
- 40% of marketers believe automation has a positive effect on business performance. (ResearchGate)
- 80% of companies saw an increase in leads through marketing automation. (Invesp)
- 48.6% of businesses find the lack of expertise as one of the main challenges of marketing automation. (Liana Technologies)
- 77% of marketers using marketing automation tools reported an increase in conversions. (Invesp)
- Email automation is the most popular type of marketing automation. (GetResponse)
General Marketing Automation Stats & Facts
1. 63% of marketers want to increase their marketing automation budgets.
Nearly two-thirds of businesses plan to increase their marketing budgets to make room for marketing automation tools and software in their strategies in 2022.
(Invesp)
2. 56% of companies are now using marketing automation.
On average, just over half of companies are now taking advantage of marketing automation, underscoring the growing popularity of such tools over just a few years. In addition, automation statistics show that 40% of B2B companies plan to implement this particular technology in the future.
(Emailmonday)
3. 86.1% of professionals are familiar with marketing automation.
Liana Technologies’ regularly conducted surveys identified an increase in market automation awareness: 13.9% of the respondents aren’t familiar with the concept of marketing automation; however, the company’s latest report suggests that the number of marketers planning to invest in automation stands at 29.7%.
(Liana Technologies)
4. Marketing automation is one of the fastest-growing software industries.
According to marketing automation software stats, the market reached a whopping $15.6 billion in 2019. What’s more, it is forecast to hit $25.1 billion by the end of 2023, further highlighting the adoption rate of such tools.
(Marketo, Statista)
Stats on Benefits of Marketing Automation
6. Marketers see lead generation as the top goal of marketing automation.
Marketing automation stats show that nearly two-thirds of marketers (61%) believe the most important goal of the technology is lead generation. A further 57% cited lead nurturing, while others pointed to sales revenue (47%), improving customer engagement (36%), marketing productivity (29%), and improving campaign measurability (28%) as the top goals of marketing automation.
(Avada)
7. Nearly 60% of marketers see upselling as one of the most important goals of marketing automation.
With the help of marketing automation, marketers are enjoying increased upselling opportunities through automated marketing campaigns. Upselling is the common marketing tactic used to get customers to make additional purchases based on their purchase history and interests. 58% of marketers now believe that upselling is one of the most important marketing automation benefits.
(Moosend)
8. Social media post scheduling is considered the most suitable use of marketing automation.
Social media marketing automation statistics suggest that most marketers find technology the most suitable for post scheduling. SMM stats confirmed that 83% of marketers felt this way, while other digital marketing elements considered suitable for marketing automation include:
- Email marketing – 75%
- Social media advertising – 58%
- Messaging/chatbots – 53%
- Sales prospecting/alerts – 39%
- Social media engagement – 36%
- Social media post creation – 29%
- PR outreach/brand promotion – 23%.
(AdvertisingReports)
9. Email automation is regarded as the most popular type of marketing automation.
Social media marketing may be the most practical use of marketing automation, but automated email marketing is the most popular, according to 64% of marketers. It was also found that profiling and targeting (26%) and personalization through content (23%) are top contenders.
(GetResponse)
Marketing Automation ROI Statistics
10. 77% of marketers using automation reported an increase in digital engagement.
One in five companies generates 30% to 40% of their sales digitally. Digital marketing statistics further indicate a significant shift towards the digital medium as the primary source of sales as per the changing market dynamics and customer behavior, which favors digital experiences.
(Business Insider)
11. 80% of companies saw an increase in leads through marketing automation.
There seems to be a reason why lead generation is considered the top marketing automation strategy goal. 80% of companies enjoyed an increase in leads through marketing automation software.
(Invesp)
12. 80% of marketers attribute their success to marketing automation.
Marketing automation statistics show that 80% of marketers reckon the tool is one of the most significant contributors to their success. Based on the statistics alone, it is clear that marketing automation is essential for business growth and success.
(Startup Bonsai)
13. 45% of marketers reported lead qualification and scoring as core functions of marketing automation.
Scoring and qualification are crucial for a sustainable and profitable lead generation process, constituting an integral part of targeted sales. It is conducted by leveraging various datasets regarding the digital presence, and almost half of the marketers rely on marketing automation to streamline the complicated procedure.
(ZHAW digitalcollection)
14. 40% of marketers believe automation has a positive effect on business performance.
Besides direct effects on lead generation and conversion rates, marketing automation facts point to numerous other benefits that indirectly drive ROI. Respondents noted that automation leads to longer campaign lifecycles, higher customer retention rates, and a broader scope of the campaigns—thereby diversifying audiences and clientele alike.
(ResearchGate)
15. Nearly 80% of marketers reported an increase in conversions as a result of automation.
Marketing automation doesn’t just improve leads. 77% of companies saw a rise in conversions through automated lead nurturing.
(Invesp)
Marketing Automation Trends & Challenges
16. Improving campaign effectiveness is the #1 objective for marketers.
More effective campaigns and better alignment of marketing and sales are the prime objectives of professionals who implement automation in their marketing efforts, at 57% and 53%, respectively. Nearly half of respondents (49%) cited improving quality leads as a top priority.
(Ascend2)
17. 15% of professionals find producing high-quality content to be a stumbling block.
In the 2017 survey, as much as 40% of respondents had trouble with producing top-notch content—the latest figures demonstrate an increase of expertise in content creation within marketing automation. Whether they rely on their in-house content marketing teams or work with the leading content marketing companies, most businesses have found a way to produce high-quality content.
(Liana Technologies)
18. 48.6% of marketing and communication professionals cited the lack of know-how as their biggest challenge.
While many digital marketing firms have adopted marketing automation technologies, others have not done so for several reasons. Marketing automation facts and figures obtained by Liana Technologies further show that a lack of expertise holds almost half of the respondents back. 43.2% have cited a lack of human resources as the reason, while 19% said it was due to a lack of finances.
(Liana Technologies)
19. Creating quality automations is the most common challenge for marketers all around.
Marketing automation industry stats obtained in another study indicate that the most common challenge people face is creating quality automations. In fact, 16% of marketing agencies say this is their number 1 barrier to success. Integrations are the following most-common challenge when it comes to marketing automation, with 14% of respondents struggling with them. This process requires a lot of content creation, which is problematic for 10% of the respondents. Another content-related challenge is engagement, and 8% of respondents find it hard to create high-quality content that people engage with. Segmentation, data management, and optimization is a common problem for 6% of the respondents while finding marketing automation tools, personalization, and lead scoring is challenging for 5% of the respondents. Some of the more barrable issues regarding marketing automation are analytics for 4%, reporting for 3%, and deliverability for 1% of the respondents.
(Automizy)
20. One-third of marketers use automation for chatbots.
While functions such as task management or post scheduling are among the most popular uses of automation tools, sales automation statistics show that chatbots are becoming more widespread. When developed well enough, chatbots can streamline customer service processes by classifying inquiries and direct the right staff or help new clients navigate around the website.
(HubSpot)
Conclusion
The rise of marketing automation shows no signs of slowing down. What is more, while certain challenges are still holding some companies and marketers back from incorporating such tools into their strategy, it seems that the future of marketing automation is set on an upward trajectory. These marketing automation statistics are another testament to that and further demonstrate that while early adopters are already reaping the benefits of these exciting advancements, it is not too late to join the MarTech revolution.
Sources
- Emailmonday
- Marketo
- ResearchGate
- Invesp
- Liana Technologies
- GetResponse
- Statista
- Avada
- Moosend
- AdvertisingReports
- Business Insider
- Startup Bonsai
- ZHAW digitalcollection
- Ascend2
- Automizy
- HubSpot
By Idil Woodall