Marketing automation is the use of software tools to automate customer-facing communications and optimise related tasks and processes. It promises many benefits – from generating a higher number of leads to increasing the effectiveness of communication measures to boosting sales. However, these benefits do not come solely from implementing one of the many tools available. Companies must always consider and deal with the prerequisites and challenges of marketing automation.

Goals and advantages of the use of marketing automation 

1. Improve efficiency: Marketing automation helps companies automate repetitive tasks in email marketing and lead management, leaving marketers more time for more important tasks such as analysing data and developing strategies. 
2. Generate a higher number of qualified leads: By tracking user behaviour and engagement, companies can improve targeting and engagement with potential prospects and better assess the actual interest of contacts and leads. 
3. Increase revenue and marketing’s contribution to revenue: Identifying interests and purchase intentions and providing relevant, personalised content can increase the likelihood of converting potential customers into new customers, as well as increasing the likelihood of existing customers repurchasing. 

Requirements and challenges in the use of marketing automation 

1. Investment in the implementation and integration of technology: The landscape of available marketing automation tools is large and difficult to manage. Depending on the specific characteristics of the respective company, its business model and its target groups, different technical requirements arise. In order to fully utilise the possibilities of marketing automation, integration with other systems, such as the CRM or the online shop, is usually necessary. 
2. Solid data basis: Intelligent communication management requires a comprehensive and reliable data basis. On the one hand, you need data about the characteristics and behaviour of leads and customers, and on the other hand, information about the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing activities. The requirements for system and data integration arise accordingly. In addition, however, systematic management of data quality is also necessary to use this data as a reliable and meaningful basis for decision-making in marketing activities. 
3. Resources and skills for planning and producing automated actions: The number of possible communication actions along the customer lifecycle is large, so it can be difficult to select and design campaigns, especially for companies with little experience in automated communication. The more personalised the communication, the more extensive and complex the planning and production of personalised content becomes. Accordingly, acquiring the required skills and providing the necessary capacity can be challenging. It is deceptive to equate the potential increase in efficiency through marketing automation with a saving in personnel costs. It is true that time-consuming but low-value activities can be saved. However, to take full advantage of the potential benefits of marketing automation, even more strategic and conceptual work is needed, but it pays off. 
4. Adaptation of processes and organisational learning: If the generated, qualified leads are not processed by sales in a timely and targeted manner, the potential benefits of marketing automation will be lost. Its use always also means change management to achieve a better coordination between marketing and sales and a constant further development of the company’s capabilities. 

Achieving the benefits of marketing automation 

Marketing automation is now widely used to improve the effectiveness of marketing communications and the market continues to grow. To make the most of marketing automation as a business, it is essential to understand and consider the requirements for technology, data, processes and people. It is also essential to understand the current opportunities and constraints within the organisation for the use of marketing automation and to have a strategic roadmap for the ongoing development of capabilities. With the right strategy that considers business and technical aspects, marketing automation can play to its strengths and increase the value contributed by marketing from a business perspective, as well as provide highly relevant, perceived value communication from a customer perspective.