Marketing automation strategy (B2B)
Marketing automation is the key to streamlining marketing processes and making your sales funnel more efficient. Especially in B2B, with long buying cycles and multiple decision-makers, a smart marketing automation strategy offers enormous advantages. You automate repetitive tasks, personalize communication at scale, and use data for better segmentation. Moreover, already 56% of companies use marketing automation and 40% of B2B companies plan to do so soon (Source: Emailmonday). So it is no longer a luxury, but a must-have to stay ahead. In this article, you will read what marketing automation entails, how to apply it for lead nurturing, better sales alignment and data-driven campaigns, and how to get more return from your marketing.
What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation refers to the use of software and tools to automatically perform marketing tasks and workflows. Think of automatically sending personalized emails, scoring leads based on their behavior, and segmenting your target audience. Instead of manually following up on every lead, you set up automated campaigns that guide prospects through the entire customer journey. The goal is to deliver the right message at the right time, without human action being required for every step. This ensures that no lead falls through the cracks and helps build consistent relationships with potential customers. Efficiency, consistency, and personalization are central to this.
Why a marketing automation strategy?
Without a strategy, you risk marketing automation remaining just a standalone tool that delivers little value. A well-thought-out B2B strategy and marketing automation strategy ensure that all your automated campaigns contribute to your business goals. Key benefits of marketing automation in B2B include:
- Efficiency & time savings: Routine tasks (such as follow-up emails and social media posts) run automatically, freeing your team to focus on strategic projects.
- Personalization at scale: Each lead can be approached individually with content that matches their interests and stage in the buyer journey. Research shows 71% of customers expect personal interactions, and 76% become frustrated when they don’t receive them (Source: Salesforce).
- Higher conversion and ROI: By nurturing and qualifying leads, the quality of opportunities increases. 80% of marketing automation users report more incoming leads, and 34% of marketers indicate their lead generation and nurturing improve thanks to marketing automation (Source: Invesp).
- Better marketing-sales collaboration: Marketing and sales jointly define what constitutes a qualified lead (MQL/SQL). Sales only receive well-warmed leads, resulting in more efficient collaboration. Companies with strong alignment between marketing and sales achieve up to 208% more revenue (Source: HubSpot).
- Insights & optimization: All lead interactions are recorded, providing valuable data on campaign performance, content engagement, and funnel drop-offs. This enables continuous improvement and truly data-driven marketing.
Lead nurturing with marketing automation
One of the most important applications of marketing automation is lead nurturing: keeping leads warm and further qualifying them until they are ready to buy. In B2B, this process can take months. Marketing automation allows you to set up automated drip campaigns and follow-up actions, so leads regularly receive relevant content (e.g., an e-book, webinar, or case study) based on their behavior and interests. This happens automatically yet remains personalized, making the lead feel well guided through the sales funnel. Companies excelling in lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower costs (Source: DemandGen). Also read how we help B2B companies consistently generate leads through marketing automation.
Use case: An IT company automatically sends a series of emails to leads who have downloaded a white paper, including customer stories, a demo invitation, and eventually a call request.
Source: Forrester – Total Economic Impact of Marketing Automation
Sales alignment: marketing & sales on the same page
Marketing automation plays a crucial role in aligning marketing and sales – also known as sales alignment. By making joint agreements on lead scoring and when a lead should be handed over to sales, you avoid misunderstandings. Automation software can, for example, automatically notify the sales team when a lead reaches a certain score or activity level (e.g., a demo request or multiple website visits). This way, sales knows exactly when someone is ready to buy, and marketing ensures leads are not left unattended.
Use case: A consultancy firm automatically has sales follow up with leads who fill in their intake form as soon as the lead score exceeds 70. The tool sends a notification and places the lead in the sales pipeline.
Learn more: Lead scoring explained by HubSpot
Setting up data-driven campaigns
In the era of big data, it is essential to base marketing decisions on facts rather than gut feeling. Marketing automation provides the tools to set up data-driven campaigns. All interactions – from email opens and clicks to website visits and social media engagement – are tracked and analyzed. This allows segmentation based on behavior, preferences, or profile (e.g., industry or job level).
Use case: A software company uses behavioral data to automatically send retargeting emails to leads who visit the pricing page but do not download anything. This increases their conversion rate by 22%.
Reading tip: Frankwatching: What is marketing automation exactly?
Practical example (Experience)
AFAS Software successfully uses marketing automation to follow up on webinars. After registration, a lead automatically receives emails with tips, customer stories, and a demo offer tailored to their industry and job title.
Checklist: Is your B2B organization ready for marketing automation?
Answer these questions with yes or no:
| Question | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Do you have a clear picture of your buyer journey and ideal customer profile (ICP)? | |
| Does your marketing team need a constant flow of leads? | |
| Are leads currently followed up manually or inconsistently? | |
| Do you use a CRM system, or want to connect one to your marketing platform? | |
| Do you have sufficient (digital) content such as white papers, blogs, or case studies? | |
| Is there cooperation between marketing and sales regarding MQL/SQL definitions? | |
| Do you want to communicate in a personalized way at scale? | |
| Do you need better insights into your campaigns and funnel data? | |
| Do you have at least 1 FTE available to manage marketing automation? | |
| Are you willing to invest in tools and training? |
Six or more “yes” answers? Then your organization is ready to get started with marketing automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is marketing automation in short?
- Marketing automation automates marketing tasks such as emails, lead follow-up, and segmentation. This enables personalized communication at scale.
- Why is marketing automation important for B2B?
- Because B2B processes are long. Automation helps follow up leads in a targeted way, connect marketing and sales, and increase conversion.
- How does marketing automation improve lead nurturing?
- Leads automatically receive valuable content at the right time, guiding them toward a purchase decision without pressure.
- What does sales alignment mean in this context?
- Marketing and sales work together through shared definitions (such as MQL/SQL), and automation ensures warm leads are handed over in time.
- How do I start with a marketing automation strategy?
- Set goals, map the customer journey, choose a platform, build workflows, and continuously measure results for optimization.
Want to know more about marketing automation and its impact on your B2B organization?
Feel free to contact Sales Improvement Group. We are happy to help you set up an effective marketing automation strategy – from selecting the right tools to training your team. This way, you build a future-proof, data-driven marketing approach that delivers more leads, higher conversion, and stronger customer relationships.