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Fortunately or not, the current world does not look similar to the one from The Jetsons. However, there are still a few appliances that can give us such a futuristic feel and make our lives easier like for example roomba hoovers, Tesla cars, or marketing automation software. 

In this article, we won’t discuss new features of Elon Musk's car, but we will talk about something that can save a lot of time and effort spent on marketing activities. Yep, that’s right. Our topic for this blog post is Marketing Automation and how it can not only make your marketing processes even more efficient, but also how it can increase sales and improve the [customer experience](https://cux.io/blog/reasons-of-user-frustration-on-websites/) at the same time.
  
## What is Marketing Automation and how it can help businesses? {#what-is-marketing-automation-and-how-it-can-help-businesses}

Marketing Automation is a software that **enables automating almost all marketing tasks that used to be made by hand**. Starting from sending emails, running paid campaigns, through taking care of customers, and ending on generating and nurturing leads for the sales team. 

But it’s not all about the marketing team. The main goal is to help marketing and sales to do their job in the most efficient way and of course increase sales. The fact that those two departments can work in the same environment saves a lot of time, improves communication, and speeds up the whole process. For example, let’s take lead generation and lead nurturing. If marketing nurtures leads with the right content that suits their stage of [Customer Journey](https://cux.io/blog/customer-journey-site-condition/) and heats them up, sales will receive hot leads who are ready to purchase. Not some sort of cold leads that only take your precious time. 

**Marketing Automation also allows tracking lead actions and level of leads’ engagement.** It is a source of valuable and meaningful customer data to improve customer experience and engagement. 

![Main reasons for implementing marketing automation.png](/uploads/Main_reasons_for_implementing_marketing_automation_7e6478f86b.png)

But what is worth remembering is the fact that behind every marketing automation software, automation cycle, newsletter campaign, or even a chatbot, there is a REAL person. **Marketing automation will never replace a true marketer’s work** or make their job irrelevant. Always bear this in mind. 


### Benefits of marketing automation:
- generating leads,
- nurturing leads through newsletters or welcome campaigns,
- improving customer experience, 
- targeting customers with content that suits their needs,
- building sales funnel based on lead scoring, 
- automating repetitive tasks,
- gaining new customers,
- saves time and money,
- CRM integration. 

## How does Marketing Automation software work? {#how-does-marketing-automation-software-work}
Imagine marketing automation as a cause-and-effect sequence. For the desired action to happen (which is most likely a purchase) there has to be a trigger that starts our marketing automation machine. The trigger can take various forms like subscription, message sent or a link clicked. But there has to be one! If you skip this part, your automation workflow won’t even begin.

Once it starts, a customer, or, as we should properly call him from now on, “a lead”, falls into the sales funnel. At each step of the funnel, a lead is going to receive different notifications that are nurturing them. The main goal of nurturing leads is to create a desired need for your product or service. When you consider the contact to be a qualified lead, you can either send a dedicated sales newsletter with a special offer or give direct contact to the sales team. 

**How do you know it’s a good time to give sales leads?** You can segment your contact lists through different actions, scores, tags, or custom fields and see which leads are the most engaging.

### Marketing Automation workflow [example]:

#### 1. Lead generation
Email your contact list with the upcoming webinar about your product or service. To reach new customers, you can share this information on your social media channels and create a paid campaign. People who want to participate in the webinar need to sign up and leave their contact information.
 
#### 2. Lead nurturing
After signing up, your lead must be caught up in the nurturing process. Otherwise, only a small percentage of those enrolled will come. Everyone who signed up for the webinar should receive a confirmation email and an email nurture campaign before and after conducting the webinar. To do that, you can use email marketing automation. Every message will be sent automatically after a certain date or time.
 
#### 3. Purchase
Use the filter option to find the most involved attendees and send them a special offer with your product or pass the contact to your sales team, so they can follow up with them. Put less involved leads in the nurturing process.

![Graphic workflow of marketing automation strategy to conduct new leads](/uploads/Marketing_Automation_wordflow_8ee0694b79.png)


## Most common Marketing Automation Features {https://cux.io/blog/marketing-automation/#most-common-marketing-automation-features}

Each Marketing Automation software provides different features. When making this decision, first and foremost you should determine what kind of features this particular marketing automation software delivers. Below you can find a list of the top features to look for.

![Infographic that contains a list of marketing automation elements](/uploads/Marketing_Automation_most_common_feauteres_5418a6cfdb.png)

### Email Marketing
Email Marketing is one of the crucial parts of marketing strategy in the majority of businesses. Globally, there are **4 billion daily email users**, so why not take advantage of that?

Email marketing automation is responsible for sending newsletters and creating automated email sequences. It is the most well-known feature, available in almost every Marketing Automation software. According to statistics, **33% of marketers send weekly newsletters** and 26% send even multiple emails per month. 

### Lead generation
Marketing automation can help marketers to get in touch with a completely new group of potential customers by seducing them with lead magnets. Lead magnets can be e-books, webinars, newsletters, or even courses that can be carried out by newsletter.

In 2021, [Campaign Monitor](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/the-state-of-small-business-marketing/#one) established that **64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach new customers.** It’s a lot, especially if you know that there are 4 billion daily email users and the number is still growing. By 2025 the number is expected to reach 4.6 billion.
 
### Webinars

Covid-19 **turned webinars into must-haves**. Without the possibility of meeting people face to face, hosting a training, or participating in a conference, webinars, and online meetings became essential. Even though the pandemic has stopped, webinars still play a major role in our society. 

On the market, there are not only marketing automation platforms that offer webinar features; you can also find dedicated software for conducting webinars. Wouldn’t it be nice to have everything in one place? Starting from building landing pages for webinar registration, through nurturing leads with invitations and reminders via email, and running webinars? While choosing MA software, check what kind of additional features it enables.
 
### Paid Campaign

Pick a tool that allows you to create paid marketing campaigns tailored to your business needs. Use paid campaigns to activate existing contacts, [retarget people who abandoned your site or cart](https://cux.io/blog/shopping-cart-abandonment/), or just to find new leads.

Check if your software of choice offers a connection between Marketing Automation Platform and Facebook and Google Ads. If yes, prepare a different list and nurture those needs via emails and dedicated content.

## Marketing Automation tools {#marketing-automation-tools}
The marketing automation tool market offers various tools that suit different segments of businesses starting from small businesses, and ending with big enterprises. To find the best marketing automation software for your business, you have to at least compare a few tools. It is your benchmark. Currently, the most popular tools on the market are Hubspot, Salesforce, ActiveCampaign, or Marketo, but it doesn’t mean you have to pick any of them. 

![Mem Marketing Automation.png](/uploads/Mem_Marketing_Automation_dfe6c475fe.png)

First, **think about what kind of solutions you want to accomplish with the help of marketing automation software.** Then, look for a platform that offers training or online tutorials – if you are a newbie, they’ll help you learn how to use marketing automation. And last but not least, verify if the chosen software offers online support or assigns to you a dedicated account. Below you can find a description of 3 marketing automation tools.

![1.png](/uploads/1_d1c56951b2.png)

### ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is one of the most powerful marketing automation software. Well-known for email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools. With ActiveCampaign, you can build different communication at each stage of your Customer Journey. Advanced features include custom reporting and free design services.
 
**Price:** ActiveCampaign provides a free trial version. Although their pricing **starts from $29 per month** that can be suited for eCommerce, B2B or B2C. Cost depends on the number of your contacts and the subscription plan.

![3.png](/uploads/3_438baf7aa3.png)

### Getresponse

GetResponse is a marketing automation software that offers all-in-one online marketing tools like email marketing, building landing pages, organizing webinars, creating sales funnels, marketing automation, and much more. 

**Price:** You can start using GetResponse by creating a free account that includes up to 500 contacts and unlimited newsletters. Paid accounts for marketing automation features **begin at €54 per month**. GetResponse also offers an email only marketing plan that starts at €16 per month.

![2.png](/uploads/2_98358874bd.png)

Salesforce
Salesforce is a CRM solution that brings together marketing, sales and customer service departments. Through Salesforce, you can track and monitor each stage of your customer journey, automate communication, and generate reports. The highest subscription plan includes features like Artificial Intelligence for sales and marketing and predictive analytics and personalized product support. 

**Price:** Marketing Cloud Engagement Pricing **starts from $1,250 per month** (billed annually) and allows up to 10,000 contacts. Salesforce offers 4 different subscription plans: growth, plus, advanced, and premium. 

## Analytics, Marketing, Sales in one place, what more could you wish for? {#analytics,-marketing,-sales-in-one-place,-what-more-could-you-wish-for}

Marketing automation gives great chances for marketing teams to automate repetitive tasks, reach potential customers and generate new leads. Not to mention the amount of time that marketers can use to turn their crazy ideas into reality. 

But still, it is the machine that won’t build itself. To receive valuable and meaningful insights you have to build a scoring point system and proper tagging that allows you to track customers' actions. And don’t forget building automation cycles. For that, you will need experience and technical capabilities. Trust me. I’ve been in those shoes more than once, and it is a process that requires time.

If you are a marketing automation newbie and want to speed up your analytics a bit, take a look at [cux.io – the very first tool for UX Automation & Analytics](https://cux.io/about/why-cux/). It won’t substitute Marketing Automation software, but for sure it will shorten the amount of time to find behavioral patterns, bottlenecks, and user frustration points. See how [CUX helps in achieving set business goals.](https://cux.io/blog/how-cux-helps-in-achieving-set-goals/)

[![ In case of any questions, or doubts just drop us a line at team@cux.io](/uploads/Drop_a_line_93f9f84098.png)](mailto:team@cux.io)

Marketing Automation.png

If someone asked you about the future and what might it look like, what would you answer? Flying cars? Space colonization? Robots who are responsible for our house chores? Self-lacing shoes?

If someone asked you about the future and what might it look like, what would you answer? Flying cars? Space colonization? Robots who are responsible for our house chores? Self-lacing shoes? All those things remind me of The Jetsons TV series.

Marketing automation. What is it and how can it be improved with CUX?

Marketers from all over the world are looking for hints to boost their marketing activities in 2023. 

To ease marketers life we asked a few marketing experts to share their thoughts about their predictions for 2023 in terms of marketing activities. What trends in data-driven marketing are ahead of us in 2023? What can you do to make your marketing more data-driven? Why should marketing campaigns in 2023 be based on data analytics? What tools should you use to be successful? 

Read the data-driven 2023 trends from marketing experts!

## Data-Driven Marketing trends for 2023 {#data-driven-marketing-trends-for-2023}

### Kamila Kotowska
#### Head of Marketing at [CUX](https://cux.io/)

![Kamila Kotowska CUX](/uploads/8_250x200_9f4dc9d73b.png)

Last year, I was announcing the era of first-party data-driven marketing. And I stand by my statement, now even more firmly than ever. But with one small annotation.

2022 has poured cold water on us marketers, and we’ve finally realized that **marketing isn’t only about being creative and innovative**. It also means that you need to combine your craftsmanship with numbers, metrics, and logical thinking to back it up. Hence, the growing popularity of mixing marketing and growth tactics (in the SaaS & startup world, Product-Led Growth was the top dog).

But I believe that 2023 will bring us a new angle to explore in this mixture, which would be **Behavior-Led Growth**. Based on behavioral analysis, marketing targeted at specific user groups’ needs and focused on implementing user perspective into all our business (& marketing) decisions.

[Read Kama's comment about 2022 marketing predictions >](https://cux.io/blog/trends-data-driven-marketing/#data-driven-marketing-trends-for-2022)

### Emilia Korczyńska
**Head of Marketing at [Userpilot](https://userpilot.com/)**

![Emilia Korczyńska Userpilot](/uploads/7_250x200_23adcc7d50.png)

1. Rise of Programmatic SEO for high-quality-bottom of the funnel content such as comparison and sales pages. I believe in a few years, no-one will be creating content in the way we do now - by hand, one piece at a time. The content will be created centrally in databases, then combined into blog posts depending on different variable combination, then paraphrased using AI tools to create unique pieces every time. 

2. On the flip side, Google will crack down even further on poor quality AI-generated content, especially after so much of GPT-3 generated content has flooded the internet once Chat OpenAI has become widely available.

3. Machine learning will increasingly help marketers with revenue attribution, e.g. analysing lead quality based on several different factors, ranging from acquisition channel, through company size and industry, through all the different touchpoint on the user journey to create a marketing ‘happy path’.

[Take a look at Emilia's comment from 2022 >](https://cux.io/blog/trends-data-driven-marketing/#data-driven-marketing-trends-for-2022)

### Jean-Christophe Le Guellec
**Head of Growth at [Tribe47](https://tribe47.com/)**

![Jean-Christophe-Le-Guellec-Tribe47.png](/uploads/Jean_Christophe_Le_Guellec_Tribe47_edc00f9212.png)

#### New look at behavioral data in a changing digital world

Behavioral data analysis is much more than the "secret sauce" of the digital marketing world. In reality, it's more of a “badly needed devil” of an industry where the competition is fiercer than ever before. Such a dynamic industry environment means it is one of the fastest-rising trends on the data analysis landscape.
 
And it’s because:
**Getting to know your client is crucial** 
Companies, as part of their ever-evolving business journey, are always looking to learn more about their customers - what they buy, when they buy it, and more.

**Privacy framework is changing**
The shift to higher quality behavioral data has been partly brought on by privacy framework changes (cookie-less environment phase by 2023, announced by Google) as well as new event tracking solutions like Google Analytics 4 or Google Cloud Studio.
 
**There is more flexibility within the customer journey**
Consumers are changing their sources of interaction with products - switching from the web, mobiles, and smart TVs interchangeably. Behavioral data provides more granular details of this flow and attributes the values of the customer journey.

**Not all data are worth investing in**
Another reason for the change is increasing data maturity, as more organizations realize that not every behavioral event is worth the investment (that is, an investment of time, quality, and cost to capture). And during difficult times of change everyone should count the costs twice.

All this to say that instead of collecting more, marketers should be collecting better and deeper behavioral data to improve product and customer analysis - and this is exactly where the ‘democratization’ of AI and Cloud Services tools comes in handy.

## Data-Driven Marketing trends for 2022 {#data-driven-marketing-trends-for-2022}

### First-party data-driven marketing is the new black
**Kamila Kotowska, Head of Marketing at [CUX](https://cux.io/)**

![Kamila Kotowska CUX](/uploads/8_250x200_9f4dc9d73b.png)

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times – **first-party data-driven marketing is the new black**. We’re fast approaching this cookieless utopia. That’s something all marketers should take into consideration when planning their 2022 activities. But it’s not just about moving to a first-party data strategy. 

In fact, companies who want to thrive in 2022 will be forced to design a human-first data experience. Meaning that no (efficient) marketing campaign can go on without insightful research and analysis. In effect, **we’ll need an agile combination of creative and analytical talents to solve customer problems and address their needs**.

**The next big thing? Optimization of the content tailored for different types of devices**. Users, throughout the pandemic and various lockdowns, got bored with “typical” communication channels (like social media) and multi-screening. As a result of that, they’ve been taking things to a new level. Consequently, they’ve been accessing sites, products, and services more often through mediums like smart TVs, consoles, and wearables. So, **if your content is not multi-device-friendly, you may find yourself up the (marketing) creek without a paddle**.

### Use data-driven and AI tools to create content {#use-data-driven-and-ai-tools-to-create-content}
**Emilia Korczyńska, Head of Marketing at [Userpilot](https://userpilot.com/)**

![Emilia Korczyńska Userpilot](/uploads/7_250x200_23adcc7d50.png)

I believe that in 2022, the use of data-driven, AI-powered content tools will set successful content teams apart from the laggards. In essence, playing your hunches is not what gets you ahead in the content game these days. 

**With popular and highly-converting keywords becoming more and more competitive, content teams will need to use real-time data from top-ranking content in SERPS to determine what their content should include**. From headings, through true keyword density, to the number of keywords and images. Tools like Clearscope or SurferSEO allow you to create the perfect content outline based on top-ranking pages in seconds, not hours. 

Second, they’re more accurate than human editors. Moreover, I’ve heard of several content teams that were successful with ranking content produced by AI based on these briefs. OpenAI has just announced open-access accounts. We may see a surge in the use of AI-written content. It may be possibly touched up by human writers/editors, which will allow companies relying on organic search to 10x their content output.

### Understanding consumers behaviors, needs, and wants 
**Marcelina Lipska, CEO at [F1Brand](https://f1brand.pl/) & Digital Marketing Consultant & Strategist**

![Marcelina Lipska F1Brand](/uploads/Podroz_Cytaty_Kolaz_Fotograficzny_1_250x200_72e01c8715.png)

2022 will belong to qualitative data analysis and human experience! **Thus, understanding your consumers’ needs, wants and behaviours should be a priority**. According to Salesforce, 76% of consumers expect companies to recognize their needs and expectations. Therefore, you should start analysing qualitative data, experiences and identifying behavioural patterns to build market advantage. **There is nothing worse than a frustrated user on your website**! The secret to more sales is as simple as understanding consumers’ behaviour.

You have to place human, empathy, and impact at the heart of your marketing strategies. The latest Deloitte [report](https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/insights/topics/marketing-and-sales-operations/global-marketing-trends/2021.html) 2021 Global Marketing Trends shows that consumers moved toward companies that elevated human-centric experiences. Businesses should again reflect on their values to meet the needs of not only their customers but also workforces or business partners.

 **It’s all about being more human. Create valuable connections and make customers miss you!**
 
### Data-driven marketing is now more important than ever
**Kinga Edwards, CEO of [Brainy Bees](https://brainybe.es/)** 

![Kinga Edwards Brainy Bees](/uploads/Podroz_Cytaty_Kolaz_Fotograficzny_2_250x200_e238d1d96a.png)


**1. A rise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for data analysis.**

This is predicted simply because these technologies can help marketers make better decisions faster. But also – help them to save time.

**2. An increase in the use of predictive analytics to determine customer behavior.**

This will help marketers to be more proactive in their marketing efforts. Moreover, they’d be able to stop waiting for customers to come to them. What’s more, it will also help to improve customer retention rates.

**3. Greater emphasis on personalization, including dynamic content delivery and one-to-one marketing.**

This will be done with the aim of providing customers with a more customized experience relevant to their interests.

**4. More widespread use of digital marketing tools, including chatbots and voice assistants.**

This will improve the customer experience by providing faster and more convenient access to the information they need.

**5. The continued growth of Big Data, including advances in data management and analytics platforms.**

This will help marketers to get even more value from the data they collect. Moreover, this enables them to make better decisions based on real-time insights.

These trends point towards a future where data-driven marketing is more important than ever. Marketers who are able to harness the power of data will be in a strong position to succeed in the coming years.

_

Ready to start your journey with smarter analytics and UX automation? Drop us a line at [team@cux.io](mailto:team@cux.io)! 

[![ In case of any questions, or doubts just drop us a line at team@cux.io](/uploads/Drop_a_line_93f9f84098.png)](mailto:team@cux.io)

Want to harvest the freshest analytical crops? Sign up for the [cux.io](https://cux.io/) nourishing [newsletter](https://cux.io/newsletter/)! Be careful! We may grow on you! 🥑 😉

2023-marketing-trends.png

What trends in data-driven marketing are ahead of us in 2023? We asked experts about their predictions for 2023 in terms of marketing activities.

New year, new me - this sentence can be easily applied to business. New year always stands out for fresh starts. It is the perfect time to re-evaluate last year's achievements, plan strategies for the future, and look for more effective ways to improve conversion rates. 