With the rapidly expanding diversity and volume of data that has impacted virtually every industry and region of the world, enterprises are increasingly looking to advanced analytics solutions to become more intelligent and drive profit margins in the right direction. Content management involves a variety of processes and procedures, but one of its core purposes is often as support for marketing, client relationship management and prospect targeting strategies. 

In fact, big data has essentially forced many chief marketing officers to get more involved with IT, and this is a trend that has spread quickly across the private sector due to the value of analytics for brand management efforts. Now, by combining content management strategies with marketing automation, the sky is the limit for the level of efficiency and productivity gains in these arenas, which many businesses have already recognized. 

Marketing automation is not exactly what it sounds like – one will not simply press a button and have their advertising completed automatically for the rest of time. Rather, marketing automation can reduce certain inefficiencies that sprout up in the short- and long-term perspectives, all the while giving advertising professionals and CMOs more time and space to focus on strategic matters. 

Common setbacks to avoid
Ian Cleary, writing for VentureBeat, recently listed several of the more common reasons why companies do not enjoy high returns on their marketing automation investments, affirming that certain targeted steps need to be taken to ensure the integrity of these initiatives. According to the author, one of the first sources of error is a lack of employee awareness and knowledge related to the ways in which marketing automation tools can and should be used. 

This is certainly a consistent pain point for all types of content management, as well as general automation solutions use. Remember, these tools are often best served by acting as a support – rather than replacement – for manpower, and ensuring employees understand the technology is a critical step in reaching optimal functionality across the business. 

Cleary went on to explain that decision-makers, be they CMOs or otherwise, must try to focus on continuous performance improvements rather than allowing programs to stagnate. He asserted that there is no perfect science in advertising and that these efforts must not only be agile, but also structured in a way that stimulates long-term gains and evolution over time. 

The author also stated that integration must be a priority, as well as a significant area of focus for IT workers tasked with managing and configuring the marketing automation tools in place. Above all else, he suggested that smooth integration with CRM and other sales, marketing and client data-related tools can help to create more efficient use and generation of valuable information throughout the organization. 

A fast-growing trend
Research and Markets recently released its Global Marketing Automation Software forecast, predicting demand for these services to grow significantly in the next few years. According to the firm, marketing automation software revenues will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 8.57 percent between 2013 and 2018, while predictive analytics – such as those contained within many big data investments – will be a notable driver of these gains. 

If a company has already started to automate some of its content management procedures, integrating marketing solutions that will streamline matters for sales, advertising and brand management professionals can add even more fuel to the overall strategy. To get the most out of all the valuable data that is being generated, shared and stored by the firm, decision-makers must leverage advanced tools such as automation software for the most efficient, centralized performances possible.