Almost 60 Percent Of Marketing Pros Use Automation, 90 Percent Say It Works

A majority of marketing and business professionals surveyed say their companies currently use marketing automation to some extent, and nearly 90 percent call it a success.

The marketing research firm Ascend2 recently published its latest monthly report, this one covering marketing automation strategies. More than 300 marketing and business professionals took the survey, with 59 percent saying they have either “extensive” or “limited” use of marketing automation tools. Another 34 percent said they don’t use it now, but plan to in the future.

Better news for the automation industry: 86 percent say they believe marketing automation is at least somewhat successful at achieving goals like lead generation and increasing sales. A quarter of respondents called automation “very successful” and 61 percent called it “somewhat successful.”

The two biggest challenges in using marketing automation? Forty-five percent of respondents said “lack of an effective strategy,” while 41 percent said “complexity of marketing automation.” More than half of the professionals surveyed (53 percent) said they expect their marketing automation budget to increase in the next year.

Ascend is offering the report for free, but name and contact information are required.

About The Author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of MarTech Today. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.