• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 20, 2014

According to Software Advice, 91% of buyers are evaluating marketing automation software for the first time, with lead nurturing topping the list of desired capabilities among buyers, ahead of marketing analytics and lead scoring.

David Raab, publisher of the B2B Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Tool, provides further analysis of the study, and says “… today… there is more data available for buyer segmentation… higher expectations among buyers and prospects… an increasing need for a marketing automation solution… to manage these challenges…”

79% of the buyers were already using some type of software to manage marketing operations, however, only 9% of buyers had a marketing automation system in place. Other systems in use included:

• 48%% used some form of CRM software (either an integrated suite or a best-of-breed application, such as sales force automation);
• 7% used an email marketing program, and;
• 6%  used proprietary (i.e. home-grown) software.

21% of buyers used no software at all, instead relying on manual methods such as pen and paper, spreadsheets or one-off emails.

Buyers’ Current Method of Managing Marketing Activities
Method of Managing	% of Respondents
CRM software	48%
Marketing automation	9
Email marketing software	7
Industry specific software	3
Proprietary software	6
Manual methods	21
Other	6
Source: Software Advice, February 2014

40% of buyers cited lead management as their company’s primary motivation to improve lead management nurturing buyers until they’re sales ready, and 30% of buyers cited the need to automate processes, such as sending triggered email messages based on customer behavior on their website.

Top Reasons for Evaluating Marketing Automation Software
Reason	% of Respondents (rounded)
Improve lead management	40%
Need to automate process	30.5
Need more/better features	18
Unhappy with current system	10.5
Need better integration	8
Time to update/upgrade	5
Company growth/transition	4.5
Improve service to customers	2
Source: Software Advice, February 2014

Consulting companies voiced a need to improve the services they provide to customers, wanting the ability to manage their client’s email marketing campaigns as well as their lead scoring and nurturing strategy. Buyers were also seeking software to improve their ability to track which marketing campaigns and channels are most effective in order to demonstrate their ROI.

The top features buyers requested are consistent with their desire to improve lead management. 81% of buyers required lead management features, while 64% requested lead scoring.

Most Requested Marketing Automation Features
Feature	% of Respondents (Rounded)
Lead nurturing	81%
Reporting/analytics	68.5
Lead scoring	64
Email marketing	47
Drip marketing	43
Inbound marketing	25
Campaign marketing	14.5
Social media marketing	7
Source: Software Advice, February 2014

Reporting and analytics was also a major focus, with 70% of buyers requesting these features in a marketing automation system. Buyers are seeking basic reporting features to track response rates across email campaigns and attribute revenue to a particular campaign, says the analysis. A small portion of buyers also evaluate these features to track campaign ROI, optimize spend and create fractional attribution models.

Email marketing was a highly desired feature, with 47% of buyers citing the need for this capability. On the other hand, although many marketing automation vendors now include social media marketing features within their platform, only 6% of buyers requested social media features.

High tech topped the industry respondents in the study, as the industry is known as an early adopter of marketing automation software, making up 23% of the buyers surveyed. Consulting and manufacturing were also among the top industries evaluating marketing automation, representing 11% and 8% of the sample.

85% of manufacturers in the sample cited the need to nurture leads due to relatively long sales cycles associated with their product. Several manufacturers also mentioned wanting to create a marketing branch within their organization in order to begin marketing their products online.

Company sizes in the sample varied, ranging from two to thousands of employees. 50% of buyers had fewer than 50 employees, but 15% had 500 or more. The prevalence of small companies in the sample is somewhat surprising, says the report, given that mid-size and large companies have more aggressively adopted marketing automation systems. However, many vendors are now focusing on selling to the small and mid-size business market.

The largest portion of buyers in the sample were small and mid-size companies. 76% generated under $50 million in annual revenue, while 18% generated $100 million or more. However, a greater percentage of large companies are replacing marketing automation software rather than buying for the first time. Considering only companies replacing the software, the portion of companies generating more than $100 million in annual revenues jumped to 30%, a 12% increase.

As the market continues to mature, Raab forecasts “… continued strong growth in marketing automation… over the next few years… as marketers become more familiar with how to use these systems… “

For additional information about the study, please go here.