1. Jen Horton
Research Director
How To Pick The
Right Marketing
Automation Platform

2. Executive Summary
• Key issues
• Marketing automation platforms (MAPs) are no longer viewed as a luxury, but as
mission critical
• The MAP marketplace is quickly innovating, presenting new opportunities for the
utilization of the technology
• Despite the growing prevalence of the technology, many organizations struggle with
MAP adoption
• What you will walk away with
• Emerging trends in the MAP marketplace, and their impact on users
• Top use cases for marketing automation application and adoption
• A framework for assessing current needs and evaluating offerings

3. SiriusPerspective: Robust demand creation includes elements that both support and
grow demand.
Planned Campaigns
Perpetual Leverage
Rapid Response
The Healthier the Roots, the Greater the Growth
Growing Demand
Supporting Demand
Strategic Foundation
Infrastructure
Organizational
Structure
Process Definition

4. The SiriusDecisions Demand Creation Framework
Supporting Demand
Creating Demand
Strategic
Foundation
• Demand Type
• Relative Targeting
• Lead Taxonomy
• Buyer Personas/Buying
Cycle
• Content Strategy
Infrastructure
Assessment
• Marketing Automation
• Web Sites
• Analytics
• Sales Force Automation
• Data Services
Organizational
Structure
• Field Marketing
• Demand Center
• Global Programs
• Teleservices
• Emerging Roles
Process
Definition
• Demand Waterfall
• Lead Scoring and
Nurturing
• Service-Level Agreements
• Campaign Planning
• Budgeting
Rapid Response
• Account-Based Marketing
• Small-Net Fishing
• Event Triggered
Perpetual Leverage
• Inbound / PDC
• Content Driven
• Web Site Conversion
Optimization
• Behavior Triggered
Planned Campaigns
• Integrated Programs
• Nurture Flows
• Sales Enablement
• Pipeline Acceleration

5. What is a Marketing Automation Platform?
Marketing Automation as a technology solution that helps enable the
seeding, creation, nurturing and acceleration of demand among prospects
and customers.
MARKETING AUTOMATION PLATFORM
Program Management Lead Management Platform Management
• Segmentation
• Automated Programs
• Asset Storage
• Email
• Landing Pages
• Forms
• Scoring
• Routing
• Sales Enablement
• Data Update
• Database
• SFA Integration
• Web site integration
• Security
• Email deliverability
• Reporting
Non-standard functionality: Dynamic web site content delivery, Search
PPC, Social, Print, Mobile applications, resource management, software
ecosystem

6. SiriusPerspective: Organizations that take the time to audit their current environment
and prepare for MAP will establish a foundation for success and MAP value.
Project
Management
Project
Communication
Process
Definition
Technology
Requirements
Vendor
Selection
Preparing for Marketing Automation
© 2013 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 6

7. SiriusPerspective: The definition of the project team and project roles increases
alignment and improves execution.
MAP Project Team: Key Roles
7
MAP
Management
MAP Specialist #1
MAP Coordinator
#1
MAP Campaign
Manager
Responsible for the management of MAP
specialists and the overall value that MAP
provides to organization.
Owns the collection, creation and distribution of best
practices and working with marketers on how to apply
MAP capabilities.
Executes design, quality assurance (QA), execution,
maintenance and reporting on automated
marketing programs and email distributions.
Executes standardized marketing automation
requests relying on marketing playbooks,
documentation and standard operating
procedures.

8. Score MAPs Against Prioritized Use Case Needs
© 2013 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 8

9. 2014 MAP Adoption Survey Results

10. SiriusPerspective: Overall, the penetration of b-to-b marketing automation is roughly 16
percent; some industries have deep adoption, while others don’t have much at all.
Marketing Automation Adoption Varies Greatly
44%
B-to-B
29%
B-to-C
21%
B2B and
B2C
65%
Adoption
8%
Adoption
38%
Adoption
2%
Adoption
4%
Adoption
With MAP
Without MAP

11. Adoption Is Growing Rapidly
SiriusPerspective: There are nearly 11 times more b-to-b organizations with marketing
automation today than there were in early 2011.
2011
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1211
The growth rate of b-to-b
marketing automation
adoption is ~22% per year
2012
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1211
2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1211
2014
1 2 3
15K
10K
5K
0K
TotalB-to-BCustomers

12. SiriusPerspective: The marketing automation marketplace now offers more choice than
ever in terms of solution offerings, vendor partners and best practice expertise.
Marketers Have More Choice
Deliver
Develop
Retain
Grow
Customer Lifecycle
Extending the value
of MAP beyond net
new lead
acquisition
Marketing
Technology Stack
Single providers of
integrated
marketing and sales
solutions
Expansion
Seismic shifts have
created
opportunities for
emerging vendors
Partner Network
Development
Access to
expertise, best
practices and staff
augmentation

13. SiriusPerspective: New features and functionality often require process change; users
must identify top business needs in order to prioritize rollout and adoption.
More Choice: Opportunity or More Work?
Platform Feature Decision and Actions
Technology Ecosystem
Dynamic Web
Testing and Optimization
Pre-Packaged Plays
Workflow and Resource Management
Prioritize use casesP
Audit and map contentPP
Build in the timeP
P
Focus on frequent requestsPP
Audit process performanceP
Predictive Assess Data Quality and GovernanceP

14. SiriusPerspective: Mid-size enterprises are able to overcome their process complexity
and
are administrative burdens to drive value out of marketing automation investments.
What Organizations Are Ge ing the Most MAP Value?
Administratio
n
§ Training and skill
development
§ Limited resources
Complexity
§ Offerings
§ Segments
§ Regions
§ Systems/data
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree

15. SiriusPerspective: When roles and processes are well defined and MAP training is
provided, a hybrid approach empowers the field while ensuring quality output.
A Hybrid Execution Model Drives Value Perception
Since turnaround
is fast, users risk
getting
overloaded, and
quality may
suffer
Don’t become IT
− empower
teams to take
action
Centralized
Hybrid
Decentralized

16. Driving ValueDisappointed
SiriusPerspective: Do not underestimate the need to invest in resources; automation
technologies executed without a sound business process are likely to fail.
The Silver Bullet Myth, Debunked
MAP
Power Casual Power Casual

17. SiriusPerspective: The growth rate of MAP adoption is outpacing user experience and
skill development, as many users are relatively new to b-to-b process change.
Marketing Automation Experience Is Still Scarce
More than 40% of
MAP users have less
than two years of
experience
Gap in
manager- and
director-level
leadership

18. SiriusPerspective: Previously, nurture was primarily focused on cultivating net new
demand; now, there is greater emphasis throughout the waterfall.
Nurture Branches Out From Pre-MQL Legacy
16
Total
5.3 unique
pre-MQL
tracks, on
average
1 out of
3 of nurture
tracks are
targeted to the
customer
Recycle Programs
in place but have
their challenges
Small-Net Fishing
experimentation at
3 percent of
automated nurture

19. SiriusPerspective: Nurture is evolving beyond the drip email; it is most effective when
aligned to buyer needs and communication preferences.
Nurture Tactics Are Finally Evolving
25% are by Persona
30% are by Industry
45% are by Topic
27% are by Buying Stage
16% use Ad Retargeting
23% inject Tele
10% integrate Chat
Nurture Design Nurture Enhancement
10% do Web Optimization

20. SiriusPerspective: Most organizations that have implemented lead scoring do not have
a viable model, and are therefore unable to realize the full value of scoring.
Lead Scoring Isn’t Impressing Sales
Only 40% of
salespeople agree
or strongly agree
that lead scoring is
effective
Homewor
k
§ Deal
deconstruction
§ Sales interviews
§ Simulation
§ Pilot
68%
Score leads
16%
plan to score
in 6 months
15%
Don’t
score
leads

21. SiriusPerspective: Vendors tend to overpromise on reporting capability; thus, marketing
leaders are adding business intelligence or a third layer on top of their MAP and SFA.
Reporting Capabilities Are Not Always as Advertised
Only 45%
satisfied with
reporting
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Audit systems
integration and fix
broken processes
to drive near real-
time analysis

22. SiriusPerspective: Organizations that measure waterfall performance on a daily or
weekly basis can proactively correct course before significant problems occur.
Near-Real-Time Measurement Is a Competitive Advantage
measure
waterfall performance
daily/weekly
49%
measure
contribution to revenue
daily/weekly
33%
7%
don’t measure
waterfall KPIs or metrics
at all

23. Action Items
• Marketing
• Document and prioritize use cases for marketing automation needs
• Drive awareness and adoption of MAP value through templates, playbooks and
testing new plays
• Sales
• Work with marketing to optimize the delivery of buyer insights and automate
engagement for sales reps
• Consider ways MAP could accelerate stalled pipeline
• Product
• Collaborate with marketing on nurture approaches and ensure nurtures align to
buyer’s journey
• Identify ways marketing can automate product education, drive adoption and
capture customer feedback