For firms that have not yet implemented marketing automation, the following table highlights which obstacles might delay or prevent the adoption of marketing automation:
| Response Percent | ||
| Cost |
|
44.7% |
| Lack Marketing Automation Experience |
|
30.7% |
| Lack resources to set up and operate it |
|
35.2% |
| Political – Team not conviced you need it |
|
22.1% |
| Have higher priorities |
|
40.2% |
| Not sure |
|
15.6% |
System cost is the top barrier to adoption, especially for smaller firms. Having Higher Priorities is also a popular reason to delay marketing automation.
People who are pushing for the adoption of marketing automation within their firms will likely be more successful if their company’s needs match up with top marketing automation benefits (i.e., those trying to address lead quality and lead quantity short-comings or who are seeking a better understanding of prospect behavior).
Several years ago, marketing automation solutions typically cost several thousand dollars per month. Today, there are a greater number of marketing automation solutions on the market and, depending on marketing automation requirements, systems can be licensed for several hundred dollars per month or even for free.
Conclusions
This survey indicates that marketing automation solutions are becoming widely adopted (67% using or planning to use starting in 2011). Chief benefits of marketing automation systems are better lead quality and more leads.
Marketing automation is fairly consistently perceived by respondents. Except for minor differences, the rankings of marketing automation benefits, priorities and adoption barriers by respondents did not vary based on role, company size or business model.
If you are already using a marketing automation system, this report can help you determine where your gauge your progress relative to other marketing automation adopters. If you have not implemented marketing automation, this report can help you make the case to begin practicing marketing automation, overcome objections to it and hopefully benefit from it as others have.
