Marketing Automation Powers Businesses Post COVID-19 Globally, 2021

The pandemic has been an essential influence for the increase in digital marketing among B-to-B and B-to-C companies. There has been an explosion in advertising on over-the-top (OTT) channels. Companies are embracing organic social media interactions and focusing on the omnichannel approach to the customer journey. With so many people on digital platforms all the time, marketers have an inherent understanding that digital is king. Even after the pandemic, most of their focus should be on online channels. Offline channels are now less important. A marketing automation solution (MAS) comprises platforms that automate marketing and sales activities to drive revenue growth and empower organizations to make data-driven decisions on both online and offline channels. A MAS includes the following 4 functions: lead management, sales enablement, campaign management, and marketing analytics and measurement. MASs either integrate with third-party customer relationship management (CRM) systems or have native CRMs built-in. MASs create campaigns and workflows for social media, email marketing, and websites. MAS use is increasing globally, but companies still face some internal challenges. Organizations are still concerned with security, how effective a MAS will be, the investment decision versus hiring more labor, and the fit that a MAS will have in their IT infrastructure. This report aims to decode the benefits and role of MAS in sales enablement for organizations. The study will also focus on growth opportunities for vendors and offer commentary on some key players in the market. The study also touches upon the correlation between MAS and customer experience. The key technologies (also covered in the report) transforming the MAS market globally include NLP, smart workflows, and robotic process automation. Author: Ankita Singh