Marketing Automation: The will is there, but the knowledge is missing
A good third of Swiss marketers surveyed want to use marketing automation, according to a recent study. But most of them lack the know-how.
Many companies in Switzerland have spent the last few years focusing mainly on automating supply chains. Now that this process has been completed in many places, the automation of marketing and sales is imminent. In the area of marketing automation, however, there is still a need to catch up in Switzerland. This is the result of a recent survey. Alexander Wicki, Senior Digital Marketing & Sales Advisor and member of the Executive Board of Atedo, surveyed 90 marketers and managing directors as part of his master's thesis at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Need to catch up in the area of marketing automation
According to the survey, 34.3 percent of respondents plan to introduce marketing automation in the next one to two years. In addition, more than 40 percent have not yet decided or have not yet dealt with the topic sufficiently. "It is striking that the topic of marketing automation is still a big question mark for many respondents. It is the task of us consultants to inform our customers about the possibilities and potentials," says Alexander Wicki.
The survey shows that a lack of know-how, limited personnel resources and a focus on other marketing areas are the main reasons why companies have not used marketing automation to date. When know-how is lacking, many companies today turn to the knowledge of external marketing automation consultants. "For SMEs, it is not mandatory that the expertise is built up within the company. Small companies in particular need to be able to deploy their marketing resources in a very targeted manner," Alexander Wicki elaborates. Due to the low penetration, companies can still gain a competitive advantage today by means of marketing automation.
Targets achieved
The interviewees, who already use automated marketing and sales processes in their
processes are very satisfied with the results. For example, the introduction of automated processes has increased lead generation, expanded marketing activities and generated a lot of valuable data to optimize the customer journey. This, in turn, has led to a reduction in marketing costs and an increase in sales.
Atedo recommends not making the decision for or against marketing automation dependent on a tool. The various automation solutions are merely a tool for achieving the goal of automating marketing and sales processes. "Companies should ask themselves which goals they want to achieve and how, and which steps of the process can be made more efficient through automation," advises Alexander Wicki. The thirteen-strong consultancy for creative business management is already successfully using automation tools for its clients.
