Marketing Clique

You've heard the buzz about marketing automation. And you've even started to consider which marketing automation vendor you should be considering. But is this all just a fad? Is marketing automation just sophisticated email marketing?

The answer is that no, it's not just a fad. And last month's Teradata-Aprimo acquisition announcement adds further credibility to this growing marketing automation niche market.

Lauren Carlson over at Marketing Automation Software Guide wrote up an informative synopsis:

Expectations aside, there is still much to be said about the implications of this deal. Does this signal a move by Teradata into the B2B market? What does this mean for the marketing automation market in 2011? What additional M&A activity can we expect to see? (read the article...)

The Take-Away For Sales & Marketing

Marketing automation continues to get validated. Big companies are starting to invest big dollars. The Teradata-Aprimo acquisition announcement proves this. And Marketo's recent $25 million in additional venture capital funding is another indicator. In all, an estimated $150 million has been invested in the leading marketing automation vendor companies.

Consider whether your organization could benefit from lead scoring and marketing automation. The effectiveness of marketing automation boils down to your organization's ability to feature engaging, authoritative content that educates and entertains your prospects and customers. This, in turn, will help guide your prospects to purchase, and your clients to upgrade and continue buying from you.