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OPTIMIZINGMARKETINGAUTOMATIONSurvey Summary ReportResearch Series Conducted in Partnership withLeading Marketing Technology Companies,Media and Agencies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS3. Optimizing Marketing AutomationMethodology4. Top Priorities for Marketing AutomationAscend2 benchmarks theperformance of marketingstrategies, tactics and thetechnology that drivesthem with a standardizedonline questionnaire anda proprietary 3-MinuteSurvey format.5. Rating Strategic Optimization Success6. Challenging Barriers to Success7. How Content Personalization is Changing8. Strategic Priorities Versus Barriers9. Effective Tactics Used for Optimization10. How Tactical Effectiveness is Changing11. Difficult Tactics Used for Optimization12. Resources Used to Implement TacticsThis survey was fielded toa panel of marketinginfluencers and researchsubscribers during theweek of May 27, 2018.13. Tactical Effectiveness Versus Difficulty14. About Ascend2 Research-Based Marketing15. Ascend2 Research Partner Programs2
OPTIMIZING MARKETING AUTOMATIONMarketing automation is “very important” to the overallperformance of marketing, according to 94% of the best-inclass marketers participating in a recent Ascend2 survey.Survey RespondentsN 250But how do you optimize marketing automation tocontinually increase performance?Number of EmployeesMore than 50050 to 500Fewer than 50To answer this question, Ascend2 and our Research Partnersfielded the Optimizing Marketing Automation Survey. We thankthe marketing influencers responding to this survey for sharingtheir valuable insights with us, and you.This Survey Summary Report, titled Optimizing MarketingAutomation, represents the opinions of all the market segmentsresponding to the survey. Specific market segments from thesurvey are reported on separately and exclusively by ourparticipating Research Partners.43%41%16%Role in the CompanyOwner / Partner / CXO 32%VP / Director / Manager 51%Non-Mgmt Professional 17%Primary Marketing ChannelBusiness-to-Business40%Business-to-Consumer 33%B2B and B2C Equally27%This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work inyour own marketing strategy. Clip the charts and write aboutthem in your blog or post them on social media. Please sharethis research credited as published.3
TOP PRIORITIES FOR MARKETING AUTOMATIONTo successfully optimize marketing automation, you need a sound plan. And for nearly two-thirdsof marketing influencers (64%), creating a successful strategy is a top priority for optimizingmarketing automation.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20184
RATING STRATEGIC OPTIMIZATION SUCCESSNine-out-of-ten marketing influencers in total say a marketing automation optimization strategyis successful to some extent at achieving top priorities, with slightly more than half of those (46%)describing the success as best-in-class when compared to competitors.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20185
CHALLENGING BARRIERS TO SUCCESSDelivering personalized content and integrating all marketing systems are the most challengingbarriers to marketing automation success for 44% and 43% of marketing influencers respectively.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20186
HOW CONTENT PERSONALIZATION IS CHANGINGA total of 94% of marketing influencers say content personalization driven by marketingautomation is improving to some extent, with 45% describing the improvement as significant.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20187
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES VERSUS BARRIERSAnalyzing the importance of top priorities in comparison to the most challenging barriers tosuccess provides a valuable perspective for developing a balanced and successful strategy foroptimizing marketing automation.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20188
EFFECTIVE TACTICS USED FOR OPTIMIZATIONMapping the customer experience and utilizing personalized/dynamic content are consideredeffective tactics for optimizing marketing automation by 53% and 51% of marketing influencersrespectively.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 20189
HOW TACTICAL EFFECTIVENESS IS CHANGINGThe effectiveness of tactics used to optimize marketing automation is increasing to some extentfor 93% of marketing influencers, with 42% describing the increase as significant.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 201810
DIFFICULT TACTICS USED FOR OPTIMIZATIONTactics for optimizing marketing automation like content personalization, artificial intelligenceand predictive modeling, and customer experience mapping are especially difficult to employ for46%, 45% and 43% of marketing influencers respectively.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 201811
RESOURCES USED TO IMPLEMENT TACTICSA 57% majority of marketing influencers believe a collaboration between outsourced and inhouse resources is the best way to implement tactics for optimizing marketing automation.However, 31% outsource tactics entirely to specialized resources.Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 201812
TACTICAL EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS DIFFICULTYTactics that are more effective than difficult to perform (customer experience mapping, forexample) are more likely to be included in a marketing automation optimization strategy than aless effective tactic that is difficult to perform (AI and predictive modeling, for example).Optimizing Marketing Automation Surveyby Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June 201813
Marketing technology companies and digital marketingagencies partner with Ascend2 to supplement their marketingcontent, generate leads and engage prospects to drive demandthrough the middle of the funnel. Learn more about theresearch-based marketing innovations from Ascend2.com.Below are just a few of the leading marketing solution providersthat partner with us on research-based marketing programs.As a marketingtechnology company,media or agency, yourprospective customers aremarketing influencerswith an interest in thefacts about improvingmarketing performance.Research-BasedMarketing is a process wedeveloped to generateleads using factualcontent of interest to yourtarget customers, andnurture those leads to themiddle of the funnel in thename of your brand.14
Research Partner ProgramsResearch Partner Programs rapidly deliver content of interest tomarketers, and a guaranteed number of leads and prospects tomarketing solution providers, in these two simple steps:1. Choose marketing topics of interest to your audience. A new marketing topic is surveyed every month2. Choose an exclusive survey data segment for each topic. Successful Strategy Benchmarks Leadership Benchmarks B2B Benchmarks B2C Benchmarks Enterprise Benchmarks SMB Benchmarks Agency Benchmarks And more!Learn more about Ascend2 Research-Based Marketing bycalling 800-762-1595 extension 703 or visit Ascend2.com.This Survey SummaryReport is part of a seriesconducted in partnershipwith our participatingResearch Partners.You may adapt, copy,distribute and transmitthis work. However, youmust attribute the workas produced by Ascend2and its Research Partners,but not in any way thatsuggests that theyendorse you or your useof the work.When you share thiscontent, please provide alink back tohttp://ascend2.com15
TOP PRIORITIES FOR MARKETING AUTOMATION To successfully optimize marketing automation, you need a sound plan. And for nearly two-thirds of marketing influencers (64%), creating a successful strategy is a top priority for optimizing marketing automation. Optimizing Marketing Automation Survey by Ascend2 and our Research Partners, Published June .
