Are marketing automation tools worth the investment?

Developments in cloud technologies have made marketing automation tools more accessible for small businesses.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are essential for every business. Marketing automation tools can help drive a business forward, but they often require a lot of time, in-house resources and upfront financial investments.

Below are three aspects of marketing automation tools a business should consider before investing:

The sales cycle
Marketing automation tools can be extremely beneficial for businesses who regularly engage in lengthy sales cycles or complex purchasing decisions. Automation tools can provide relevant information at an appropriate time during the buying cycle, which can help nurture relationships with customers.

Time to value
Marketing automation tools are difficult to implement and use to their full potential. Businesses should consider whether they have the resources to make an automation program successful. For example, it is probably not worth the investment for a business with 10 to 20 leads per month. Whereas, businesses generating a minimum of 10 leads per day from their website should consider the investment.

Existing platforms
The sales organisation infrastructure of a business must be able to handle an increased workflow when a business decides to implement marketing automation tools. A clearly defined sales process should also be in place between the marketing and sales teams for marketing automation to succeed.