An extensive 13-page research report, The Agency Marketer’s Perspective on The State of Marketing Automation, by the research firm Ascend2, takes a deep dive into what agencies need from their marketing automation to help them perform at a higher level.  For this report, Ascend2 surveyed 95 marketing professionals at marketing agencies, using multiple third-party survey panels, and the survey was fielded in July 2021. The research was commissioned by SharpSpring to discover how marketing professionals at agencies use marketing automation to increase performance and overcome challenges for their clients. Download the report, clip the charts for client presentations, and adapt it to support your marketing efforts. Why are agency marketers seeking out marketing automation tools to implement into their technology stack? The most important reason is the success achieved as a result of marketing automation. An overwhelming 98% achieve some success as a result of marketing automation. But the downside is that only 27% of agency marketers consider their achievements very successful (best-in-class). So what would help agency marketers be best-in-class? The first step is to be laser-focused on the top reasons for implementing marketing automation. 43% of those surveyed listed streamlining marketing and sales efforts as the top reason for automation implementation. This aligns with the ability to provide clients with an integrated and efficient end-to-end experience.

What are the top reasons for implementing marketing automation? 

Put the research into action. Download the report and clip this chart. The research identifies specific problems that marketing professionals wrestle with each day and provides insight on solutions to those problems. Take the next steps with the research by applying the findings to your overall marketing strategy and the implementation of the strategy. The Problem When marketing and sales technology aren’t aligned and agency marketers can’t see the full customer lifecycle, it becomes difficult to attribute dollars back to efforts. What is working? What isn’t working? Having multiple sources for data and connections is making clean attribution a problem for many businesses. That data can be used to inform budgets and drive dollars into campaigns you know are converting. The bottom line is that marketers need to streamline marketing and sales efforts. But how? The Solution Here are three areas you can focus on to achieve streamlined marketing and sales efforts.

Consolidate tools. Having one tool for your marketing automation and CRM allows you to take control of your data so you can streamline the marketing and sales efforts. In the survey, only 13% of agencies described their marketing automation as extremely integrated with the rest of their technology stack. That leaves a lot of room for improvement. 

Align marketing and sales. The biggest frustration with separate technologies is that the marketing and sales departments get siloed from each other and it becomes difficult to align goals, measure success, and optimize the user experience. A single source of data is a critical piece of the puzzle when aligning marketing and sales.

Measure for success. Successful agency marketers are able to measure metrics that matter to both marketing and sales. This gives both teams insights into the full customer journey and the ability to quickly identify opportunities and threats to revenue growth.

Learn more! Download the 13-page research report, The Agency Marketer’s Perspective on The State of Marketing Automation. Ascend2 research is regularly featured by MarketingProfs, eMarketer, MediaPost, MarketingCharts, Forbes, Inc, Marketing Land, Adweek, and Convince & Convert.

About Ascend2

Ascend2 is an independent research agency that has conducted hundreds of research studies on marketing and sales topics. Topics include email marketing, ABM, demand generation, data-driven marketing, content marketing, social media, SEO, marketing technology, customer experience, intent data, performance marketing, and more. Companies that have commissioned Ascend2 to perform independent research studies include Oracle, Adobe, Dun & Bradstreet, HubSpot, RollWorks, Vidyard, Uberflip, Informatica, Stirista, Act-On, Marketo, Acronym, and more.