Lead nurturing (52%) and analytics and reporting (51%) are the most valuable features of a marketing automation system, according to survey results from Ascend2 and its Research Partners. Previous research has found those to also be the most-requested features by buyers, although lead scoring, another highly-requested feature, was cited by few respondents as valuable to them.
The survey indicates that the most important objectives of a marketing automation strategy are:
• to increase sales revenue (47%)
• lead generation (47%),
with productivity improvements less important than in a similar survey conducted last year. The most challenging obstacle to marketing automation success continues to be the lack of an effective strategy (45%).
About the Data: The Ascend2 study results are based on a survey of 317 marketing, sales and business professionals from around the world. Some 49% come from companies with at least 50 employees, and 76% are primarily B2B-focused.