Craig Rosenberg’s chapter in the The Quintessential Marketing Automation Guidebook, Marketing Automation: People, Process & Content: The Keys to Success with Marketing Automation Technology , provides some in-depth observations and advice about what needs to be considered for each of the three components. His take inspired some questions, so I followed up to get the answers for you. In your experience, what capabilities are most overlooked when marketing automation doesn’t have a full-time person assigned to manage it? Hire/assign system owner. Create requirements to support your process. MORE >>

I was recently sent this article written by Howard J. Sewell ( @HJSewell ), President of Spear Marketing Group, on the “Immaturity of Most Marketing Automation Deployments”.  Sewell makes the case that many marketing automation users are not leveraging the technology to its full potential. Rather, these users are simply using marketing automation as a glorified email service provider (ESP) or for basic level reporting. Sewell wraps up his article with 5 keys to marketing automation success: Planning, Processes, Campaigns, Metrics, and Collaboration. Planning. Processes. Campaigns. Metrics. MORE >>

As B2B buyers leverage Web 2.0 and social media to streamline their purchasing processes, the line between marketing and sales as it relates to prospect interaction becomes blurred. Marketing must take on the early-stage lead/prospect communication that was once the sole responsibility of sales, and frequently the two groups must work together to nurture a buyer from lead to prospect to customer. While challenging, it is possible to get marketing and sales on the same page.  Below I have outlined three steps that can move your organization towards marketing and sales alignment. Don’t do that! MORE >>

In b2b marketing, effective demand generation requires more than just getting your prospects to respond to one or two emails and then passing them off to your sales team – it’s about constantly being in front of your prospects with the right message at the right time. Statistics show that the average number of touch points it takes to propel a prospect into action is between 3 and 7. Marketing automation enables you to automatically provide relevant content to your prospects on a consistent basis for improved demand generation results. CR: Before I answer that, I must first jump on my soapbox. MORE >>

Craig is the Vice President of Products and Services at Focus where he oversees product creation, management, and delivery. He is also the author of the popular b2b sales and marketing blog, the Funnelholic.  He is known as an expert in b2b sales marketing across the entire funnel from demand generation to overall marketing to sales process and organization. Craig starts off by outlining how to determine where you want the system to take you, then defines the roles you need to support the system. Let us never forget that people buy complex offerings from people. MORE >>