Why B2B marketing automation matters

Across the global business-to-business landscape, evolving marketing technology continuously reshapes strategies and redefines metrics of success. Within this broad sector, one category of innovation accounts for a rapidly increasing share of B2B martech spend: B2B marketing automation – by which we mean digital tools that automate, streamline, and optimize multiple parts of the enterprise marketing process.

But not every B2B marketer understands the potential of marketing automation software to drive business results, or how to craft a strategy that automates marketing tasks. In this article, we discuss why marketing automation benefits B2B businesses – and how to go about implementing it.

In its overview of the B2B marketing automation space, Gartner defines B2B marketing automation platforms (B2B MAPs) as “software that supports demand generation processes at scale.”

This definition rings true to us. For many Sitecore customers and partners, implementing B2B marketing automation throughout the buying process has ushered in a new era of efficiency, personalization, and scalability. For example, we see evidence of this trend in the success stories of luxury cruise operator Scenic Group (transformed content creation), sports and outdoor brands like Thule Group (automated omnichannel experiences), and global window specialist Velux (automated web editing processes), to name a few.

B2B marketing automation enables companies in any industry to automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks, segment audiences based on behavior and demographics, and deliver personalized content and shopping experiences at scale.

Consumer-focused businesses are characterized by high transaction volumes and shorter sales cycles. Marketers in these types of companies are applying marketing automation strategies to foster brand loyalty, drive impulse purchases, and optimize customer retention.

By contrast, B2B organizations are developing high-stakes business relationships that take months or more to convert. These marketing teams must engage multiple decision-makers to gain trust, so they tend to deploy marketing automation to nurture qualified leads, facilitate education, and drive engagement throughout the extended buying journey.

By providing targeted interactions aligned with the unique needs of B2B buyers, B2B sales and marketing teams can establish credibility, demonstrate expertise, and position their solutions as indispensable assets.

Here are some of the specific workflows that B2B marketing automation addresses:

• Lead nurturing: Lead-nurturing workflows enable B2B companies to cultivate relationships with prospects at every stage of the sales funnel, guiding them through the buying journey, toward conversion. These workflows typically consist of a series of automated emails, triggered based on prospect behavior, engagement level, and segmentation criteria.
• Drip marketing: Drip campaigns are automated email marketing sequences designed to automate repetitive tasks and deliver a series of key messages to prospects or customers over a predetermined period. B2B companies can use these campaigns to deliver targeted content, product information, promotional offers, and educational resources to specific audience segments. By spacing out communications and tailoring messages according to preferences and behaviors, drip campaigns enable B2B marketers to develop new leads, drive engagement, and guide prospects through the buying process.
• Onboarding: Onboarding workflows are used to welcome new customers and guide them through the initial steps of using a product or service. For B2B companies, onboarding workflows may include automated emails, tutorials, welcome kits, and personalized messages aimed at helping clients get up and running with their purchase.
• Event promotion: Marketing automation can manage workflows related to live and virtual events, helping companies drive attendance, engagement, and follow-up activities. These workflows include email invitations, call for papers, save-the-date reminders, registration confirmations, surveys, and post-event follow-up communication.
• Re-engagement campaigns: When the goal is to reactivate dormant accounts, marketing automation assists in delivering automated emails, special offers, targeted content, and personalized incentives aimed at reigniting interest and engagement.

Once you’ve decided to pursue B2B marketing automation for your organization, review these steps for implementing a solution:

1. Set goals: Prioritize your digital marketing objectives for this initiative and make sure they align with current business priorities. Are you trying to increase lead generation, nurture prospects, or improve customer retention? As with any new endeavor, establishing specific, measurable, and achievable targets is going to be a key driver of success.
2. Define the target audience: Group customers and prospects according to shared attributes like industry, company size, demographics, and behavior. Understanding the unique needs, pain points, and preferences of different customer personas leads to relevant messaging and content, which in turn drive engagement and conversion.
3. Select the right marketing automation software: Choose a platform that aligns with your organization's needs, budget, and technical requirements. Essential features may include lead scoring, email automation, CRM integration, and robust analytics.
4. Create personalized content: Develop content assets that align with each phase of the buyer's journey – blog posts, whitepapers, landing pages, social media posts, email campaigns, and interactive webinars all could play a role in your B2B content strategy. Rich content, delivered at scale will drive unprecedented engagement and trust.
5. Implement lead-nurturing workflows: Now it’s time to guide your prospects through the sales funnel, delivering tailored customer experiences across multiple touchpoints. Drip campaigns, behavioral triggers, and dynamic content marketing help to guide prospects closer to conversion.
6. Integrate with CRM: To capitalize on the full potential of B2B marketing automation, your chosen martech platform must communicate seamlessly with the enterprise’s CRM system. Marketing and sales teams can work better together when their foundational software systems also are in sync.
7. Analyze performance: Identify KPIs that tie directly to the stated objectives for your B2B marketing efforts. For example, you may want to watch conversion rates, engagement levels, and ROI. Advanced analytics and reporting tools provide insights into campaign effectiveness and help identify areas for ongoing improvement.

It may sound obvious, but a frequent point of failure in B2B marketing automation is creating campaigns that don’t ultimately matter to the target audience. To avoid this trap, take the time to conduct deep audience research and develop detailed customer journey maps, so you understand each segment’s goals, expectations, preferred touchpoints, and more. Armed with this insight, you can tailor content and experiences to address very specific needs.

If you implement best-of-breed personalization software, such as Sitecore Personalize, to deliver relevant content and experiences at every touchpoint, you’ll know the audience feels understood and valued. And don't underestimate the power of testing and optimization. There is “no set it and forget it” mode in successful B2B marketing campaigns. Even with marketing automation in place, expect to continuously refine your approach based on performance data and feedback to ensure you get all the benefits of marketing automation.

The best B2B marketing automation platform is the one that’s right for your organization. Here are some criteria to explore as you compare the options:

1. Features and functionality: Look for email automation, lead scoring, lead nurturing workflows, social media management, analytics/reporting, and A/B testing capabilities. Determine which of these capabilities are essential for achieving your B2B marketing objectives and evaluate platforms accordingly.
2. User interface: Tools that offer a streamlined user experience enhance productivity and minimize training time, but some interfaces are easier to use than others. Compare UIs, as well as the learning curves associated with implementing and managing different solutions. Look for intuitive navigation, customizable dashboards, and support for user adoption.
3. Scalability and flexibility: Will the B2B marketing automation platform you’re evaluating accommodate business growth and evolving needs over time? Factors to weigh: the ability to handle increasing volumes of data and contacts, support for multi-channel campaigns, and customization options to tailor the platform to your requirements.
4. Integration capabilities: Modern enterprises depend on a complex network of software solutions to operate efficiently. Any marketing automation tool that you add should be able to share data/workflows and interoperate with existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, content management systems, ecommerce platforms, and analytics tools for data-driven decisions.
5. Support and training resources: Ask if the vendor provides adequate support and resources for a speedy implementation and widespread user adoption. Evaluate onboarding programs, training materials, documentation, and customer support services before committing to the solution. Access to knowledgeable support staff and a vibrant user community can enhance the overall user experience and enable you to maximize the platform's potential.
6. Pricing and ROI: Evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the marketing automation platform you are considering, including licensing fees, implementation costs, ongoing maintenance, and support expenses, to determine its affordability and potential return on investment (ROI). Consider factors such as pricing plans, contract terms, and pricing models to find a solution that delivers measurable value to your organization.

Sitecore offers a variety of marketing automation tools tailored to the needs of B2B organizations, including Sitecore CDP for automating customer engagement and driving high-quality leads and Sitecore Search for AI-powered product discovery. Together, these marketing automation solutions enable savvy B2B marketing teams to access and share customer data streamline repetitive processes, deliver hyper-personalized experiences, and drive business growth.

If you’re ready to unlock new opportunities, deepen customer relationships, and achieve your marketing objectives with confidence, we’re here to help. Find more resources about marketing automation or contact us today.

Leading ecommerce brands are using marketing automation to deliver personalized experiences across the entire customer journey, while they increase brand equity, competitive advantage, and sales.

No, marketing automation is not a magic wand. But ask any seasoned marketers who doesn’t care to recall what their day-to-day experience was like before marketing automation, and they will assure you that it is the next best thing!

Looking for a marketing automation platform that will cover your ecommerce needs? Request a custom demo today!