Marketing Automation Report 2021: Analysis

The first edition of the Marketing Automation Report was published in February 2021 and summarizes the results of a study conducted in collaboration with the ZHAW. The survey ran between August and November 2020.

In 2021, we gained exciting insights into B2B marketing and sales automation. 402 companies from the DACH region took part in the study. On almost 40 pages you will find everything about marketing automation.

Simply answer three questions and download the full Marketing Automation Report 2021.

About the Marketing Automation Report 2021

The participants in the study come from various industries, with a significant proportion coming from the B2B sector. This reflects the increasing importance of marketing automation, especially in areas where complex customer relationships and longer sales cycles prevail.

The survey aimed to create a representative database on the prevalence and effectiveness of marketing and sales automation technologies.

The participants were selected with the aim of achieving broad geographical and sectoral coverage in order to represent the diverse applications and strategies in the field of marketing and sales automation.

This methodical approach allowed valuable data to be collected on the actual use, perceived benefits, and challenges of using marketing automation systems in companies of different sizes.

This information provides deep insight into the current landscape of marketing automation and how different organizations are using these technologies to increase their marketing efficiency and improve customer interactions to ultimately close more sales.

Topics of the Marketing Automation Report 2021

Digital Marketing

Use of Technology:

The Marketing Automation Report 2021 shows that digital marketing technologies are used across the board. Social media marketing, email marketing, and search engine marketing are used by almost all companies surveyed, e.g. for lead generation.

In addition, CRM systems and content management systems (CMS) play a central role in companies' digital marketing and sales strategies.

Strategies and Goals:

The main objectives in digital marketing include lead generation, increasing customer engagement and customer loyalty as well as the intention to close more sales.

Companies are increasingly relying on integrated campaigns that use different channels and technologies to achieve these goals.

Challenges in the Field of Digital Marketing: 

Despite advancing digitalization and the increasing integration of marketing automation tools, companies face significant challenges in the field of digital marketing.

The most frequently cited obstacles include the collection of high-quality customer data and the limitations of current systems and know-how.

Marketing Automation

Degree of Utilization and Implementation:

Around 40% of companies use marketing and sales automation tools, with a quarter of this group stating that they have fully integrated these technologies into their processes.

This indicates increasing acceptance and maturity in the use of these systems.

Advantages of Marketing Automation:

The benefits highlighted by users include increased efficiency in marketing processes, improved customer communication through personalized content and campaigns, and higher quality lead generation.

These factors contribute to marketing automation being seen as a key lever for business success.

Implementation Challenges:

Despite the positive effects, many companies report challenges with the implementation of marketing automation.

A third of the companies surveyed stated that they did not have the necessary expertise to fully benefit from automated marketing processes.

Conclusion

The Marketing Automation Report 2021 highlights how crucial marketing automation technologies have become for increasing efficiency and effectiveness in marketing and sales.

With the participation of 402 professionals from the DACH region, the report offers deep insights into the practical use and challenges of these systems.

The results show that companies that integrate marketing and sales automation not only benefit from an improvement in lead quality and conversion rates but also notice a significant increase in the overall efficiency of their marketing operations.

However, many face technical and financial challenges that limit their ability to fully utilize these technologies.

Future strategies should aim to overcome these challenges through targeted investment in technology and expertise.

Given the clear trend towards further digitalization and automation, it is essential for companies to continuously adapt and innovate. This is the only way they can keep up with the market, optimize their business development, and thus also close more sales.