Marketing Operations - Technology or Marketing Automation

Technology or Marketing Automation

In some companies, usually larger companies, Marketing Operations can include responsibility for Marketing Automation and in others, Marketing Automation is managed by functions such as Demand Generation. Marketing automation is the name given to software platforms designed to simplify processes for marketing organizations by automating repetitive tasks. Forrester and Gartner have marketing automation research practices. Each looks at the market differently but expansively. Over time, Gartner has used 9 categories to refer to marketing automation technology. They are: Quality management evolution

• CRM Multichannel Campaign Management
• Data Quality Tools
• Marketing Resource Management
• Enterprise Marketing Management
• Enterprise Content Management
• Web Content Management
• Email Systems
• E-Services Suites
• CRM Customer Service Contact Centers

Forrester has, over time, referenced 13 categories in their effort to apply patterns to the evolution of this unwieldy market. The Forrester categories are:

• Brand Monitoring Solutions
• Cross-Channel Campaign Management
• Database Marketing Service Provider
• Enterprise Content Management
• Enterprise Marketing Platforms
• Interactive Marketing Agencies
• Listening Platforms
• Marketing Asset Management
• Search Marketing Agencies
• Web Analytics
• Web Content Management
• B2B Lead Management Automation
• Document Output for Customer Communications Management
• Email Marketing Service Providers

In fact, there are 116 companies that have found their way onto either a Gartner Magic Quadrant or a Forrester Wave for marketing automation. It is easier to understand this chaos when you start with a simple picture of the parts of marketing that can benefit from automation. Let’s break it down. Technology can help marketers manage assets, generate demand, and measure results. Within this framework, almost every new marketing automation technology can be typecast according to this simple view of the world.

• Managing the Development and Distribution and Assets: including budgets, plans, templates, videos, images, logos, etc.
• Generating Demand: Segmenting the total market to identify logical targets for your product and service, engaging in a meaningful exchange of information with your target, providing them with enticing offers, sustaining their interest, and shepherding the ‘ready’ to sales.
• Measuring Results: Measuring the component of every element of the process: the images, offers, campaigns, products, regions, etc..