Learn from Some of the Best Marketing Automation Blogs

About 15 years ago, marketing automation technology came on the scene, designed to help marketers more effectively and efficiently market across channels. It has grown in popularity, and according to SiriusDecisions, 40% of organizations will own automation by next year. And it likely won’t slow down: according to Aberdeen Group, companies that utilize marketing automation have a 107% better lead conversion rate and 40% greater average deal size. That’s probably why more than 100 vendors have swelled the ranks of those offering automation tools.

But that doesn’t mean marketers can just sit back, twiddle their thumbs, and let the software do all their work for them. Marketers need to figure out and make use of this fantastic software, and that’s why it seems almost as many blogs as vendors have popped up to help. But there aren’t that many hours in a day, so how do you pick which blogs to follow? Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best marketing automation blogs because we’re helpful like that. So without further ado:

Eloqua

“Marketing Automation Does Not Equal Lead Nurturing…Technology will not deliver lead nurturing any more than buying lumber and nails will build a home.” (Read the post.)

It’s no surprise that one of the largest marketing automation platform companies offers a blog that’s full of great advice. The blog proves that the company understands software is just part of marketing automation, and it takes effective strategy to utilize it well. The blog’s many posts help marketers build those strategies to get the most out of their marketing automation software and get greater results. Readers can peruse content in different forms, including ebooks and podcasts.

Marketo

“Marketing automation really isn’t just for marketing teams; it’s a viable tool for sales teams, too. But automation isn’t really for marketing or sales—it’s for your customers, both present and future.” (Read the post.)

Not to be outdone, Marketo offers a blog that’s sure to please marketers interested in marketing automation. The blog includes many topics spanning all areas of marketing, but for those interested in automation, the topic is easily found – it’s the first listed in the blog’s topical navigation! Many posts prove that the blog goes beyond simple software instruction; it goes into why it’s important, and how it can have a huge impact on a business not only through the marketing team but also through the sales team. Even find advice on how to sell marketing automation to your C-suite. You’ll also find ebooks and videos for when you’d like a break from text.

Pardot

“I tend to enjoy going after senders for making their unsubscribe processes particularly difficult.”

(Read the post.)

Part of the Salesforce family, marketing automation company Pardot offers its own take on marketing automation advice for marketers. The blog gets into some useful nitty gritty, including click-tempting articles on how to prevent your marketing emails from being reported as spam. This sort of advice is great for ironing out the wrinkles once you have your marketing automation strategies in place. Of course, the blog looks at the bigger picture as well, giving advice to marketers on what’s next and how to connect marketing automation to other marketing efforts.

Hubspot

“Automating bad processes doesn’t magically make marketing better.” (Read the post.)

A great voice of reason, Hubspot’s blog gives marketers the insights they need to use automation tools effectively. No thumb twiddling allowed! The blog even shares hard lessons learned, so you don’t have to go through the same mistakes. The variety of content is worth a gander, and helps marketing automation specialists drive even greater effectiveness by using other strategies in conjunction.

Annuitas

“While the automation vendors do a great job of educating users on how to use the features of their solutions, there is a gaping hole that exists in users knowing the process, strategy or tactics the tool is actually automating.” (Read the post.)

Annuitas, a B2B Demand Strategy firm, offers B2B marketers a blog that focuses on helping them drive more revenue through an integrated demand generation strategy. Marketing automation is just one of the topics they cover, but the information is thorough. For example, the blog seems to take an unbiased approach to what marketers should look for when selecting and purchasing from a marketing automation vendor, and it provides insights on how to get the most of your money after making such an important purchase. It’s like a friendly advisor helping you make smart marketing automation decisions, and who can’t use that?

Chief Marketing Technologist

“I found most remarkable…the divergent opinions on the evolution of marketing technology management out there today.” (Read the post.)

The Chief Marketing Technologist blog focuses purely on how technology is revolutionizing marketing. The author is CTO of a marketing software company,and offers insights from his years of experience with marketing technology. The blog offers posts that analyze what technology can and will do for businesses, and how organizations can adapt to drive better results. One of the interesting things about the blog is its willingness to offer different opinions, including on the business need for the role of Chief Marketing Technologist!

Revenue Engineer

“Everyone and their brother/sister are now singing the praises of A/B and multivariate email testing…This post challenges these email testing methods to see how accurate they really are.  The results are a little scary.” (Read the post.)

Revenue Engineer is a blog written by our very own Director of Demand Generation, Joe Gelata. Biased to include this blog? Nope. Check it out for yourself and you’ll see why. It’s provides great non-vendor insights to help marketers meet the challenges of work that has shifted from traditional roles to encompass the whole funnel. Get lots of practical advice, devil’s advocate perspectives, and even useful templates for the results-driven marketer.

Marketing Automation Times

Maybe you’re looking for something other than marketing automation platform instructions and processes. If you’re looking for a newspaper-like blog on marketing automation industry news, the Marketing Automation Times is the place to go. Readers can stay up-to-date on what’s going on with vendors, acquisitions, events, and yes, marketing strategies too, and it doesn’t stop there.

Now that you have a good list, what are you still doing here? Get reading, learn, and enjoy!

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