{"id":1491,"date":"2020-07-14T17:43:04","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T21:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog2wrkdev.wpenginepowered.com\/what-marketing-automation-means-today\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T07:46:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T11:46:27","slug":"what-marketing-automation-means-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/what-marketing-automation-means-today\/","title":{"rendered":"What Marketing Automation Means Today and How You Can Leverage It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a marketer, you\u2019re playing an increasingly important role at each stage of the customer lifecycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re tasked with engaging and educating customers; you\u2019re&nbsp;bringing sales cross-sell and up-sell opportunities; and you still perform traditional top-of-funnel and lead nurture activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help you adjust to these growing responsibilities and align better with cross-functional partners, you\u2019ve been tasked with adopting and expertly using dozens, if not, hundreds of marketing applications; today, the average enterprise uses <a href=\"https:\/\/chiefmartec.com\/2017\/06\/average-enterprise-uses-91-marketing-cloud-services\/#:~:text=The%20app%20explosion%20isn't,Another%2070%20for%20collaboration.\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">91 marketing cloud services<\/a>. The only way to get the most out of each and truly transform marketing processes is by leveraging marketing automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why is marketing automation the answer? And how can you use it effectively?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll answer these questions throughout this guide so you can begin using it to deliver better experiences for your customers, employees, and grow your business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But first, let\u2019s walk through what marketing automation means in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n    <div class=\"article__cta\">\r\n\t\t            <div class=\"article__cta-right\">\r\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__cta-right_image\" src=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AD_4nXcOwkKcrrTEe2h5Uh3Y0JgSO9grPIl3dfscv-VpSgbFyy4CugiH6fzvyiSO7dQTgpn3guRD2nErQYcNLFWUo7PqdmzFb56nDOKN69K2O8mlrcSC8Ahc5Zeg-E3ZQP1OLyqNFgmOPAkeycsFHeprG52GEgFrBoBrMojE7-150x150.png\"\r\n                     alt=\"\">\r\n                <div class=\"article__cta-right_content\">\r\n                    <h4>Ready to take your marketing automations to the next level? <\/h4>\r\n                    <p>Our ebook dives deep on specific marketing automations that allow your team to manage leads more effectively, operate campaigns more efficiently, and more! <\/p>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t                    <a class=\"article__cta-right_btn\"\r\n                       href=\"https:\/\/discover.workato.com\/marketing-automation-ebook\/p\/1?utm_source=blog\">Download ebook<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t            <\/div>\r\n\t\t    <\/div>\r\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1\"><strong>What is Marketing Automation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, marketing automation has been defined as a type of technology that allows you to automate certain marketing activities. For business-to-business organizations, these technologies include the likes of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/marketo?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\">Marketo<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/hubspot?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\">Hubspot<\/a>, Pardot, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/eloqua?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\">Eloqua<\/a>; while for business-to-consumer organizations, they include platforms like <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/iterable?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\">Iterable<\/a>, and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Related: How <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/iterable.com\/blog\/workato-iterable-automate-personalization-scale\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Iterable and Workato are partnering up<\/em><\/a><em> to deliver hyper-personalization at scale.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These platforms work independently or with just 1 to 2 external systems, which inherently limits the scope of their automations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marketing automation has since evolved <a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/new-age-enterprise-automation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">with the rise of enterprise automation<\/a>. It\u2019s now defined as the automation of end-to-end marketing workflows by connecting customer-facing applications and then using business events (also known as triggers) that drive real-time outcomes (also known as actions). To do this, you\u2019ll need to use a platform that can \u201clisten\u201d to the applications. Only then can business events be identified properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kristin Keefer, a Marketing Operations Manager at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/salesloft?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salesloft<\/a> (a leading sales engagement platform), adds context to this new definition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><span style=\"color:#f3c1c2\" class=\"has-inline-color\">\u201cThere&#8217;s a new horizon of automation maturity hitting sales and marketing. It requires intelligent workflows that not only connect your tech-stack, but also your full-cycle customer journey.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help you understand how marketing automation works, let\u2019s walk through a common example: <a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/lead-routing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lead routing<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine your current process involves collecting leads from events with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/eventbrite?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Eventbrite<\/a> (an event management platform) or through gated pages with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/wufoo?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wufoo<\/a> (a form-building tool). Once a lead is collected, it\u2019s added to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/salesforce?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salesforce<\/a> (your customer relationship management platform) for sales to find and act on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As harmless as the process might seem, it can quickly become a headache. It involves your marketing team constantly monitoring for new leads, and then creating an opportunity for each in Salesforce. You\u2019re also counting on your sales team leader to monitor Salesforce and assign those leads to the correct sales rep quickly.&nbsp; The rep then needs to reach out to leads quickly, despite only having form responses to guide their outreach. This process is unlikely to yield great success, as it\u2019s well known that <a href=\"http:\/\/www7.insidesales.com\/file.aspx\/infographic_LeadResponseMgmt_4_.pdf?bb=01020000016725E4-C&amp;f=3981-63736-614A6A5BCF14&amp;3981_rm_id=168.20648206.7&amp;mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTnpkbU5UQm1ZVE5pTUdZeiIsInQiOiJNRktzZzFTMWkwenpHR1g3dmJEck4zMnlmNmg1dFlEWVhJZndudFlvSDcxQmRmbkNqTk5YeXlKWTBWUGVrQTU1eHFRd3FOUlNVS2hhQ25CNE41WkdKdz09In0%3D\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leads are 10 times less likely to respond after just 5 minutes<\/a> from when they fill out the form.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can perform marketing automation on an enterprise automation platform like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Workato<\/a>. Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-47.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-47.png\" alt=\"The entire workflow of routing leads across applications.\" class=\"wp-image-29163\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s breakdown this automated lead routing workflow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The workflow gets triggered once a lead is collected from Eventbrite or Wufoo.<\/li><li>Workato enriches that lead with relevant information from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/linkedin?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linkedin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/integrations\/clearbit?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ClearBit<\/a>, and Zoominfo.<\/li><li>The lead, along with their details, automatically gets added into Salesforce.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/2019\/08\/how-to-automate-lead-enrichment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leadbot<\/a> (a Workato chatbot) uses AI to qualify each lead and to determine which rep to send it to\u2014it factors in things like the company\u2019s location, industry, as well as which reps can take on more leads.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now your sales reps can receive leads in real-time, along with all of the relevant information they need before reaching out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/the-connector\/marketing-automation-integration\/\">3 popular marketing automation integrations<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2\"><strong>Why is Marketing Automation Important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As marketing automation has evolved, so has its business value. Here are just a few reasons why it\u2019s critical that your organization implements marketing automation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It allows you to transform your engagement with customers.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The number of marketing technologies available have ballooned from <a href=\"https:\/\/chiefmartec.com\/2020\/04\/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">150 to more than 8,000<\/a> over the past decade. This ever-growing list of technologies allow you to improve specific facets of marketing, like digital advertising campaigns and email marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, no matter how sophisticated or useful an application is, its value only goes so far when run on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marketing automation involves connecting your systems, and building out triggers and corresponding actions between apps that ensure the right information is delivered to the right place, at the right time. Once this happens, your team is in prime position to deliver prospects and customers with the experience they demand and deserve.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/how-marketing-automation-improves-lead-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How you can use marketing automation to nurture leads and engage clients<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It delights your employees.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marketing automation, and enterprise automation more generally, makes your employees\u2019 jobs easier and more enjoyable. Based on a recent survey we ran on our customers (using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/techvalidate\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TechValidate<\/a>), 67% have been able to improve their employee experience by using Workato\u2019s workflow automations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Better employee experiences don\u2019t just make your team happier. They also help employees become <a href=\"http:\/\/smf.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Social-Market-Foundation-Publication-Briefing-CAGE-4-Are-happy-workers-more-productive-281015.pdf?\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20% more productive<\/a> and allow your organization to earn <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.adp.com\/resources\/adp-articles-and-insights\/articles\/w\/workforce-view-2019.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4dr0BRCxARIsAKUNjWRTfe7t80OW3EoK_yG3oV8OmkQBYvgFsCk5YPmMVScGAcjT6eCYsNMaApIiEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2.5 times more revenue<\/a> than those with less engaged workforces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It\u2019s easy for Marketers to perform.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An enterprise automation platform (which enables you to perform marketing automation) requires no coding skills, and is straightforward to use for people who are heavy enterprise app users. This allows MarketingOps to lessen their reliance on IT and gain control over what they build, how they build it, and when it goes live\u2014without compromising security or governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It provides your organization with a competitive advantage.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re well ahead of the pack. <a href=\"https:\/\/partner.ascend2.com\/martech-stack-optimization\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Less than 20%<\/a> of marketing teams have optimized their technology stack. This puts you in prime position to beat the competition and win over prospects through more timely and thoughtful outreach.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>It gives you more time to focus on important parts of your job.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are certain responsibilities that are harder, if not impossible, to automate, such as creating content or presenting at events. By using marketing automation to streamline a big chunk of your work, you\u2019ll have more time to dedicate towards less automation-friendly activities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/the-connector\/crm-marketing-automation-integration\/\">3 reasons to integrate your marketing automation platform with your CRM<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3\"><strong>How to Implement Marketing Automation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that you have a solid understanding of what marketing automation is and why it\u2019s critical, you\u2019re ready to start implementing it at your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the steps you\u2019ll need to take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Pin down the specific activities you want to automate.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The activities you choose can range from specific awareness initiatives to lead nurture campaigns to up-sell and cross-sell efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#c7eded\">                                                        <strong>Example<\/strong><br>Say you need to improve the quality and size of your sales pipeline. You decide to solve this by automating the process of analyzing <a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/what-intent-data-is-and-how-to-use-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">buyer intent data<\/a> (from a software review site like <a aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.g2.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">G2<\/a> or <a aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trustradius.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TrustRadius<\/a>) and sharing it with your sales team. This should come as a big relief for the team, as they no longer have to go through individual accounts, review the research they\u2019re performing, identify who\u2019s performing that research, etc.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. For any activity you want to automate, identify who needs to be involved and what they need.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given departments\u2019 increasing interdependence, you\u2019ll likely need to include multiple functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#c7eded\">                                                      <strong>Example<\/strong><br>Since you\u2019re trying to convert more leads, faster, you\u2019ll need to get buy-in from sales. This involves speaking to sales development reps to understand the types of information they need and where they need it. <br><br>To nurture these leads, you also want to advertise to them across digital channels, so you include your ABM team in the conversation. Finally, since you\u2019re using systems that are leveraged by different functions, you want to include someone from IT who can make sure that the data flows correctly between platforms. This involves understanding how similar fields are labeled across systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Review the applications that can connect the right data to the right teams.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This often includes a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, an analytics tool, and a traditional marketing automation technology like Marketo\u2014among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#c7eded\">                                                     <strong>Example<\/strong><br>You\u2019ll need to connect the software review site to Salesforce (where your sales team stores customer information), and Slack (which everyone at your company uses). You also need to use a bot that can communicate with the appropriate stakeholders in Slack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Bring the workflow to life by using an automation platform.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll need to use a platform that doesn\u2019t require any coding. That way, you can build the workflow to your liking quickly and not rely on IT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#c7eded\">                                                           <strong>Example&nbsp;<\/strong><br>The workflow automation can work as follows:   <br><br>1. It gets triggered once a prospect is looking at your organization, a competitor, or your category in the software review site.<br><br>2. The bot adds information to every lead by passing it through Salesforce, Marketo, as well as other data enrichment tools.<br><br>3. Leads, along with all their information, are shared with the appropriate colleagues on Slack. The employees can then take action from Slack, whether it&#8217;s putting a lead into an ABM campaign or a prospecting tool, like Salesloft.<br><br>Here\u2019s how the Slack message can look if you use the <a href=\"https:\/\/discover.workato.com\/g2-intent-bot\/p\/1\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">G2 Intent Bot <\/a>and run the automation with Workato.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/slack-mockup-G2-1024x441.png\" alt=\"A slack message from Intent Bot that includes lead information.\" class=\"wp-image-10909\" width=\"626\" height=\"269\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Related: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/g2-intent-bot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>How to get the more from your G2 buyer intent data<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4\"><strong>6 Tips to Get the Most Out of Marketing Automation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The process of refining a marketing automation or building more of them is continuous. Here are some best practices that can help you along the way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Diversify your automations.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a good idea to start your automation journey by picking processes that are most important to the business. It\u2019s an even better idea to continue your journey thereafter, as nearly any marketing process can benefit from automation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Reassess opportunities over time.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your technology stack and business processes will continue to evolve. As they do, check for additional integrations and workflow automations that can benefit your employees and customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Build cross-functional workflows.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly every marketing process affects other departments, whether it\u2019s sales, customer support, or product. The more functions you include, the more value a workflow likely delivers for your business. When this happens, your team will likely be given more credit by other departments and management. This should help your team play a bigger role in important initiatives and secure more budget for headcount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Start by building simple workflow automations.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like anything, it takes practice to get good at building a marketing automation. You can prevent getting overwhelmed and learn at a steady pace by building more straightforward ones at the onset. Also, check to see if your platform offers pre-built recipes (steps the platform follows to get work done between apps). You can use them to get ideas or build off of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/recipes\/browse?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Check out the recipes Workato hosts from thousands of users<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Demonstrate the value your marketing automation delivers to get more buy-in.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any data you bring to management can help persuade them to not only keep using the enterprise automation platform but also to extend its use across lines of business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can get ideas for how to quantify its benefits by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techvalidate.com\/product-research\/workato\/facts\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our research page in TechValidate<\/a> (a software that allows you to collect and transform customer feedback into marketable assets). There you\u2019ll find quantifiable data, like ROI, coupled with qualitative feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marketing automation will play an increasingly important role in how businesses operate and engage with their most important stakeholders: employees and customers. If your team can follow the best practices for implementing and leveraging marketing automation, you can expect just about every aspect of your business to benefit for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Understand what information exists in each platform.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By understanding where information lives and how it\u2019s labeled, you can better decide on the platforms you use and ensure that information flows to the correct fields. Since you\u2019ll likely use applications that other customer-facing teams work on, you\u2019ll also need to study the information across key systems outside of marketing, like your CRM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ready to get started?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workato is a no-code, enterprise automation platform that allows you to build automations and test them the next day. Workato also has hundreds of connectors that can help your team automate business-critical workflows at the scale your enterprise organization demands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how Workato can orchestrate your marketing workflows by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workato.com\/users\/request_demo?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=marketing-automation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scheduling a demo<\/a> with one of our Automation Specialists.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a marketer, you\u2019re playing an increasingly important role at each stage of the customer lifecycle. You\u2019re tasked with engaging and educating customers; you\u2019re&nbsp;bringing sales cross-sell and up-sell opportunities; and you still perform traditional top-of-funnel and lead nurture activities. To help you adjust to these growing responsibilities and align better with cross-functional partners, you\u2019ve been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":12048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solutions","category-thought-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Marketing Automation Means Today and How You Can Leverage It - Workato<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The definition of marketing automation has evolved. Learn what it means today, and discover how you can implement it at your organization.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog2workato.wpengine.com\/what-marketing-automation-means-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Marketing Automation Means Today and How You Can Leverage It - Workato\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The definition of marketing automation has evolved. 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