The demand for marketing automation has tripled in the last five years.

More businesses are looking to implement a marketing automation solution to improve their strategies and lead generation. We’re taking a look at the key findings from the latest research about marketing automation software.

Below, we’ve researched and collated all the marketing automation data we believe gives an accurate insight into what drives users to buy software, and the key benefits they hope to realize from their solution.

We’ve gathered pricing data, the average return on investment from the software, and the top reasons that businesses implement marketing automation software.

Quick jump to:

• How much does marketing automation software cost?
• What are the top features of marketing automation software?
• Does marketing automation software offer free trials?
• What is the top marketing automation software?
• How popular is marketing automation software?
• What is the ROI of marketing automation software?
• What are the benefits of marketing automation software?

Please see our research and findings below.

Our data shows that the average cost, per month, for a marketing automation software is $414. 

Most marketing automation software operates on a per user per month pricing structure, but they are often billed annually.

Our data shows that the majority of our top rated solutions provide these three key features.

This suggests that A/B testing, audience segmentation, and automated email responses are key features that are characteristic of a marketing automation solution. Further to this, with most solutions offering these features, we expect most businesses will aim to implement these.

Our database has found that almost half of the offerings on the market offer some free entry level version of their software. Many solutions also offer free trials. 

Typically, software that offers a free version does not offer a free trial of their paid-for versions.

Our software rankings are based on a number of factors including software quality, reviews, online presence, company culture, and more.

When considering these factors, Hubspot was ranked our #1 solution for marketing automation.

View the top 10 marketing automation solutions

Following recent Google search trends, we can see that more people are searching for marketing automation each day.

This suggests that more people are engaged with learning more about automating their marketing functions and specifically researching more about software to help them achieve this.

86% of marketers prioritize software for ease of use when selecting an automation platform

Businesses looking to implement automation in their business look for software that provides the features they need with the easiest interface.

A survey found top challenge during selection is knowing the difference in functionality and features between marketing automation vendors

Easily comparing and distinguishing between the functionality of each software is a common challenge faced by those selecting new software. Comparing features side by side provides an easy way to distinguish software offerings and find the right software. Using a marketing automation comparison to narrow down your shortlist is a useful tool.

63% of those implementing marketing automation software expect to realize the benefits within 6 months

Companies are expecting to easily measure the return on investment of their software.

This suggests that companies are expecting a significant impact from implementing the software.

Emails sent by marketing automation software drive 18 times more revenue than irrelevant email blasts

Companies sending relevant, targeted emails using marketing automation software are more likely to experience high rates of ROI compared to traditional email blasts according to the latest research.

Marketing automation software provides prospects with a personalized experience leading them to be likely to turn into qualified leads.  An automated solution can save time for marketing and sales by only showing prospects already have experienced a nurturing sequence.

By allowing marketing to send over prospects who are already engaged, this means salespeople can focus on leads who are more likely to convert.

Businesses using marketing automation have seen their quantity of leads rise by 80%

Businesses using marketing automation software seem to experience an increase in lead volume following targeted nurturing campaigns.

Automated solutions require less time from the marketing team once they’ve been set up, meaning that campaigns can be more effectively scaled with fewer labor hours needed.

Marketing automation software features offer users a personalized experience on-site causing them to have a high likelihood of converting into qualified leads.

Marketing automation features are tailored to improving conversion rates by using things such as A/B testing and dynamic content customization.

51% of companies already use marketing automation with 58% of B2B companies planning to adopt the technology in the future

This suggests that companies are now seeing the benefits of marketing automation software and are looking to implement it in future campaign plans. Businesses are providing budgets for new software expecting to see a return on investment in the short term.

90% of marketers are using a form of marketing automation software regularly

The adoption of marketing automation software is already high among marketing teams, with more businesses looking to implement it in the future.

Increasing lead generation was the most important strategic goal for using marketing automation software

Marketers see software as a key component in their lead generation strategy and believe it is an important area to invest in.

76% of companies see a return on investment within the first year of implementing their marketing automation software

A further 44% of companies see this return within 6-months. The studies included here show that marketing automation software routinely has a high return on investment versus the cost of buying the software.

75% of companies implemented their marketing automation solution in under 6 months

A quick implementation shows that the software is relatively easy to add to a business.

Our previous software research showed that companies take an average of 20 weeks to select software, meaning that the selection and implementation of a marketing automation solution could be complete within a year.

78% of marketers believe that marketing automation is the main reason for an increase in revenue

Going back to the previous figures about realizing the return on investment in software, marketers frequently attribute increases in revenue to marketing automation campaigns.

Marketing automation provides a 12.2% reduction in marketing overhead

By automating marketing activity and centralizing campaigns in one software, over one in ten businesses reported that they have experienced benefits leading to a reduction in marketing costs. 

Marketing automation solutions can reduce time spent on marketing activity as well as other tools leading to a reduction in overhead.

Marketing automation software has lead to a 14.5% increase in sales productivity

Businesses implementing marketing automation streamline their sales efforts on accounts that have been nurtured and engaged previously leading to a higher likelihood of them turning into a qualified lead.

92% of those surveyed said their main goal was to improve their lead pipeline when implementing marketing automation software

Businesses see marketing automation software as their main route to improving their lead volume and generating revenue.

91% of marketers believe marketing automation is essential to their business

Marketing automation is not only beneficial for streamlining and improving processes for the marketing team but also most important to provide value to their business. 

It’s not surprising that most marketers believe marketing automation is essential to their business with the role it plays in generating leads.

Almost 80% of marketers cite marketing automation as the main contributor to their success

Marketers see marketing automation as a vital tool for their success. As the previous data shows, most businesses have seen a large increase in the lead volume as well as revenue after implementing their software.

Only 17% of marketers are using A/B testing on landing pages to improve conversion

Despite the large adoption of marketing automation software, only a small percentage of them are utilizing A/B tests to improve their users' experience on-site.

Although the number of businesses using this feature is small, we’ve seen that the majority of marketing automation solutions offer this feature as standard.

Personalized email campaigns are responsible for 75% of email revenue

Personalized campaigns, typically made using segmented audiences, provide the majority of revenue for email marketing.

Most marketing automation solutions offer advanced email marketing features.

To find more marketing automation software please view our category page where you can shortlist and make custom comparisons.

If you have an interesting piece of data you believe belongs on this report, please contact me directly at megan@softwarepath.com to let me know!

References:

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=marketing%20automation 

http://www.threedeepmarketing.com/media/1598/three-deep-marketing-automation-trends-for-success-final.pdf

https://www.hubspot.com/

https://www.annuitas.com/

https://www.emailmonday.com/marketing-automation-statistics-overview/ 

https://ledgeviewpartners.com/blog/11-essential-statistics-about-marketing-automation-you-should-know-in-2019/ 

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/21-marketing-automation-stats-that-will-make-you-rethink-your-marketing-str/539578/ 

https://venturebeat.com/2015/06/10/marketing-automation-how-to-make-the-right-buying-decision-the-first-time-webinar/ 

https://blog.marketo.com/2012/10/the-roi-of-marketing-automation.html 

https://www.slideshare.net/PepperGlobal/pepper-global-2014-marketing-automation-report

http://www.lenskold.com/content/landing_2013_B2b_Lead_Generation_Marketing_ROI 

https://nucleusresearch.com/research/single/marketing-drives-crm-roi/ 

https://www.invespcro.com/blog/marketing-automation/ 

https://learn.g2.com/marketing-automation-stats 

https://www.regalix.com/

https://aberdeen.com/research/7603/ra-marketing-lead-management/content.aspx 

VB Insight “Marketing Automation, how to make the right buying decision”