Roadmap to Marketing Automation

Marketing automation, like content marketing, is one of the big buzzwords nowadays. In many cases, the perception is shortened to software solutions. Thus, the scope and relevance of marketing automation is often underestimated. Accordingly, many companies approach the implementation of marketing automation tools naively. This chapter is intended to give you an insight into how you can approach the topic sensibly and successfully introduce and operate marketing automation. This article presents seven steps and the most important milestones on the way to marketing automation. Right at the outset, it is important to dispel widespread misperceptions: 1. Marketing Automation is not a software project. Rather, in view of the far-reaching implications for all market-oriented areas, especially for marketing and sales, it is primarily a strategy project. 2. Marketing automation is not a question of technology. It is not primarily about the use of technology in marketing, but rather about a changed mindset that is supported by technology. Marketing automation brings together content, data, and technology to create a new approach to marketing (see Fig. 1). 3. Marketing automation can neither be successfully implemented on the side with existing resources and employees nor with the support of established, traditionally oriented service providers (traditional and digital). Instead, it requires sufficient know-how, budget, and management sponsorship.