If you're a little confused about marketing automation in professional services, you're not alone. There are literally thousands of products with overlapping capabilities, complex features, and ever-changing features. It's no wonder that many companies struggle to implement expensive systems, only to be disappointed with the results. In this article, we will try to clear up some of the confusion and chart the path to success. Let's start with what Professional Services Marketing Automation (MA) means. Download the Marketing Planning Guide: Third Edition Marketing Automation buy email list Defined Marketing automation is the use of sophisticated software platforms to automate routine and complex marketing processes, reducing costs and improving efficiency.
It allows businesses to simultaneously personalize and adapt their marketing programs. The feature sets of marketing automation platforms vary widely. Some of the most common features include:Advertising by e-mail Forms and landing pages Database of leads, prospects and customers (CRM) Campaign management and cross-platform integration Lead buy email list scoring and management Social Media Marketing Help with search engine optimization Content Marketing Analytic The world of marketing automation is changing rapidly. Let's review some of the trends driving these changes. This information should help you anticipate emerging opportunities and inform your planning. Marketing Automation Trends Adoption of marketing automation is growing rapidly. The B2B marketing automation market has grown rapidly in recent years. As shown in Figure 1, it is reasonable to expect this trend to continue. This growth is clearly having an impact on professional services.
Our most recent High Growth study buy email list shows that 84% of professional services firms consider marketing automation part of their strategy. Additionally, 22% of companies consider MA to be one of their top priorities for this year. Figure 1. Global marketing automation software market, by company size, 2014 – 2025 (USD million)Global-Marketing-Automation Source: Grand View Research This trend is not surprising given the importance of nurturing relationships and building trust in the professional services business development process. Increasing the visibility of one's expertise is an essential way to develop leads and win new customers