Marketers need to adopt a new definition for marketing automation, one that includes both the automated components and that recognizes that marketing automation is a process that marketers must manually initiate.

Advanced/ Digest...

Marketing automation refers to the process in which artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are used to automatically deliver and manage custom advertisements or communications to the person most likely to take a marketer's desired action.

Breakthroughs in three key areas are leading us to a point where this new definition moves beyond concept and into action.

1. Artificial Intelligence: Seamless integration of customer data, data warehouses, and data augmentation providers are enabling knowledge extraction through advanced data mining. This allows marketers to not only leverage their existing data but quickly take action on new data. 
2. Predictive Analysis: By implementing machine-learning, marketers are presented with preset audiences that combine propensity to complete desired actions with core attributes of optimal channels, products, and ads/content. This preset audience is then paired with an advertisement or piece of content and awaits deployment based on the opportunity to reach the person at the optimal time. Programmatic buying platforms activate this approach for search marketing, social media, display advertising, video advertising, and mobile advertising. 
3. Deployment and Management: This is becoming the "high-frequency trading" of the marketing world. As algorithms and automation enable marketers to reach target audiences with speed and precision, competition drives the race for the most relevant ads and content at the optimal time. This leads to further emphasis on the prediction of trends and forecasting of results. The marketers who "win" will be the fastest moving, most precise, with an ability to shoot where the target will be, not where it is. 

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Digest...

Marketing automation offers such powerful functionality – but what is most useful? I have asked a few of my favorite marketing automation gurus for their go-to functionality that powers their program and helps them market more strategically:

1. Segmentation / predefined audience criteria:

It helps you filter reports and get to key groups of people efficiently. It then serves as the basis for dynamic content, which is also a pretty cool and powers sophisticated programs.

2. Progressive profiling:

This enables you to capture prospects with a short form, entice them to get more information and then drop them into a conversion track or buyer persona to maximize effectiveness.  This feature is powerful, but often underutilized. 

3. Dynamic distribution lists:

This advanced filtering functionality enables you to build contact groups/distribution lists based on titles, behaviors or actions in addition to demographic data, or traditional BANT criteria.  

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Marketing Automation: The Numbers, The Challenges, and How to be Successful in B2B Marketing Automation

Excerpt...

Like all marketing approaches, marketing automation must be rooted in evidence and tailored to your company’s needs in order to be successful. There are a number of challenges apart from a mere lack of resources which marketers face when implementing these new strategies.

Fear of lack of relevancy is another issue that many marketers consider when deciding whether to implement or nurture marketing automation programs. Marketing automation done poorly can result in simply bombarding potential leads, regardless of the timing or appropriateness. Relevancy is key for data and B2B marketing automation success, and can be achieved by backing up all marketing automation campaigns with the application of timely market and demographic data, using steps like:

- Identifying behavioral data by tracking potential leads’ digital footprint

- Personalizing campaign approaches to different points in the buying cycle

- Identifying customers’ wants and needs based on this information

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