What is marketing automation? A comprehensive guide (2025)
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What Is Marketing Automation? A Comprehensive Guide (2025)
Marketing automation refers to the targeted use of software to automate marketing processes and manage personalised communication throughout the customer journey. The aim is to provide the right content at the right moment, based on data, across all channels and without manual intervention.
1. Why Marketing Automation Deserves a Spot on Your 2025 Agenda
In 2025, marketers are facing a paradoxical challenge: more channels, more data, but less time to create relevant experiences. At the same time, expectations are rising: users want instant, personalized communication via website, app, email, WhatsApp, or onsite. Meanwhile, cookie limits, GDPR, and other privacy regulations are making it harder to gain reliable insights.
The solution? Marketing automation. Today, marketing automation means far more than just sending a few automated emails. It's about delivering the right message at the right time to the right person, based on real user behavior. And doing it all not manually, but automatically and at scale.
According to a survey by Liana Technologies, nearly 70% of marketers see the greatest advantage of marketing automation in the ability to deliver messages more clearly and with greater precision. Other top benefits include an improved customer experience (46%), better lead quality (38%), and a higher number of leads (35%).
In short: Marketing automation makes your marketing more precise, customer-centric, and effective.
2. What Is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation refers to the strategic use of technologies to deliver relevant content to the right target audience at the right time based on data, behavior, and clearly defined journeys.
It's not just about tools. It’s about targeted, automated communication across the customer lifecycle.
💡 Difference vs. CRM, Email Marketing & Co.:
A CRM stores what we know about our customers. An email tool helps us send messages. Marketing automation connects both, ensuring the right message is automatically sent when it’s genuinely relevant for the customer. What matters is not what we’ve planned, but what the customer is doing or needing in that moment.
3. Which Companies and Teams Benefit?
Many marketing teams focus on quantity: more emails, more ads, more leads.
The problem: Users are increasingly blind to generic campaigns.
Marketing automation flips the perspective:
- Away from mass emails
- Toward dynamic, behavior-based triggers
- Communication where it’s expected, not just where the tool allows it
Marketing Automation Use Case: Whitepaper Download
Lisa downloads a whitepaper. Instead of receiving a generic message, an automated journey begins:
- Day 1: Thank-you email with the whitepaper + a relevant blog post
- Day 3: Case study from her industry
- Day 7: Implementation checklist
Because Lisa clicks on the case study, she receives more real-world examples rather than generic ads. Her lead score increases, and sales receives a qualified contact.
4. How Can Marketing Automation Software Be Used?
The 5 Key Use Cases for Marketers
- Lead Nurturing Automated sequences based on content interests. Goal: build trust without being pushy. 👉 Example: Someone downloads a whitepaper and receives a follow-up series with relevant blog posts and case studies, not a sales pitch right away.
- Onboarding After newsletter sign-up or product registration: a targeted journey instead of a welcome email with a bunch of links. 👉 Example: A new SaaS customer receives daily tips for 7 days on how to get the most out of the software.
- Reactivation Win back inactive users with relevant context, not just discounts. 👉 Example: An online store reminds a customer after 90 days of inactivity about their favorite category ("You haven't browsed [Category XY] in a while – check out the latest trends").
- Cross-/Upselling Personalized offers based on usage, purchases, or interactions. 👉 Example: After purchasing a smartphone, the customer gets an automated email recommending accessories (case, headphones).
- Retention & Loyalty Build long-term loyalty through relevance: lifecycle journeys, personalized content, feedback loops. 👉 Example: A loyal customer receives a personalized thank-you email after one year with a recap of their activity and an invite to an exclusive customer club.
Marketing automation isn’t just a technical gimmick, it directly impacts business performance. Each of these measures supports key marketing KPIs and makes success measurable:
- Lead nurturing increases open and click rates by making content more relevant.
- Onboarding reduces churn as new users quickly see value.
- Reactivation boosts reengagement thanks to targeted incentives.
- Cross-/upselling raises CLV through additional purchases.
- Retention & loyalty improve long-term engagement and reduce churn.
5. What Defines Good Marketing Automation in 2025?
Many companies still approach marketing automation the same way it was envisioned a decade ago: channel-based, time-triggered, and tool-limited.
But in 2025, customers expect more. Marketing automation today must be cross-channel, behavior-based, and smartly integrated.
Here’s how modern marketing automation compares to the classic model:
Earlier (Classic) | Today (2025) |
Channel-based (e.g., only email campaigns) | Cross-channel (website, app, social, WhatsApp, etc.) |
Time-based (scheduled emails) | Behavior & trigger-based (right moment communication) |
Manually segmented (basic demographic groups) | Real-time intelligence (AI scores, dynamic segments, predictive analytics) |
Reactive (responds only to completed actions) | Predictive (detects patterns & acts before churn happens) |
Siloed systems (CRM, email, CMS not connected) | Integrated MarTech ecosystem (CRM, BI, CMS & app working together) |
Conclusion: Good marketing automation in 2025 means orchestrating complete journeys, not just launching campaigns manually.
This is only possible when data, systems, and channels work together and when marketers see automation as a strategic tool for customer experience, not just an email machine.
6. The Biggest Mistakes Marketing Teams Make and How to Do It Better
Most marketing automation projects don’t fail due to technology but due to lack of strategy. Common pitfalls include:
❌ Tool-first instead of strategy-first Buying a tool before defining clear goals or a communication logic. The result: expensive but underutilized systems.
❌ Poor data quality Without clean, consolidated, and up-to-date data, segmentation remains superficial. Automation can’t unfold its full potential. Learn what modern customer data management requires here.
❌ Silo thinking If marketing, CRM, sales, and IT don’t collaborate, the customer journey gets disjointed and customers feel it immediately.
❌ Overly complex journeys & lack of continuous optimization Too many journeys with too many branches make systems unmanageable. Without A/B testing and regular reviews, automation quickly loses impact.
💡 Tip: Platforms like ServiceNow help break down silos by bringing together CRM, service, and sales data and processes. Combined with marketing automation software, this enables seamless customer journeys, all based on the same data.
ServiceNow isn’t a classic marketing automation platform but can be extended with add-ons like Tenon (e.g., for journey builders, email campaigns, or landing pages). Our experts will support you with selection, integration, and implementation, so automation works not just technically but strategically.
✅ How to do it better Successful companies don’t start with a marketing automation tool, they start with a strategy:
- Define use cases and goals first
- Think in user journeys, not in channels
- Use cross-functional teams to go beyond departmental silos
- Automate less, but more meaningfully with a focus on customer value
💡 Our role as enabler This is where we step in: we help businesses establish the right strategic foundation before choosing any tools. Together, we examine:
- What are your actual goals?
- What external customer and internal process experiences do you want to shape?
- What technology best supports this strategy?
Technology becomes a value-driver, not an end in itself: a strong customer experience externally and operational excellence internally. Learn more about our approach and philosophy on our About Us page.
Dos and Don’ts of Marketing Automation—At a Glance
Dos:
- Start with clear goals ("What do we want to achieve?")
- Align journeys with customer perspective, not internal structures
- Start small, then scale
- Regularly track and optimize KPIs
Don’ts:
- Choose tools before having a strategy
- Launch too many journeys at once
- Automate everything—even if it feels impersonal
- Let departments work in isolation
7. Which KPIs Show Whether Your Automation Is Successful?
Marketing automation is only valuable when it delivers measurable results. Key marketing automation KPIs include:
- Open and click-through rates (CTR): Indicate whether your content is being seen and is relevant
- Conversion rate: Measures whether recipients take the desired action, e.g., download, sign-up, purchase
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Increases when journeys promote loyalty and cross-selling
- Reactivation rate: Shows whether inactive contacts are reengaged successfully
- Churn rate: Indicates whether customers are being retained through targeted automation
💡 Tip: Choose 2–3 core KPIs that match your goals instead of tracking everything. This keeps you focused and avoids reporting overload.
8. What to Keep in Mind When Getting Started
The success of marketing automation is not decided by the tool but by your approach. Before you begin, define what you want to achieve: Is it about qualifying leads, retaining existing customers, or reducing churn? Start small and focused, with a few high-impact, measurable journeys.
It’s also critical to think in customer journeys, not channels. Customers move freely between website, email, app, or social media. Your automation must reflect that reality. That requires collaboration between marketing, sales, service, and IT from day one.
And finally: automation is not a one-off project. It requires ongoing care, testing, and optimization to stay effective over time.
9. Which Marketing Automation Tools Actually Work?
The marketing automation software landscape is huge, from basic tools to enterprise-grade platforms. But no software is inherently “the best.” What matters is that it fits your goals, team, and existing system setup.
Entry-level tools
For smaller teams or quick starts: Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign. Simple automations, basic segmentation, user-friendly, ideal for learning and light campaign automation.
Mid-market solutions
To scale processes: HubSpot, Evalanche, or Marketo. Combine automation with CRM, support complex workflows, and handle growing data volumes.
Enterprise & integration
For large organizations: Salesforce Marketing Cloud or SAP Emarsys offer massive capabilities. Also, ServiceNow (with Tenon) is a strong choice to deeply embed marketing automation into the MarTech stack. The benefit: processes, data, and journeys run consistently and cross-channel without silos.
The right tool choice is more about strategy than technology. Ask yourself:
- What goals do we want to achieve with automation?
- Which use cases do we want to implement?
- Which systems (CRM, CMS, shop, service) must be integrated?
- Does the tool suit our team size and resources?
- Can it scale with us and is it a long-term investment?
🤝 Our experts are happy to support you with defining goals, selecting the right tool, and implementing it, so marketing automation truly drives results in your organization. Learn how we can support you here.
10. Pros and Cons of Marketing Automation—At a Glance
To properly assess the pros and cons of marketing automation, you first need to understand what it is and how it works. Here’s the summary based on the full context above. The figures come from the 2023 Marketing Automation Report by ZHAW School of Management and Law.
✅ Marketing Automation Benefits
- Efficiency: Less manual work, more time for creativity. 57% cite more efficient processes as a key benefit.
- Relevance: Content delivered at the right moment. 42% value personalized content across the customer journey.
- Lead generation & conversion: 84% of companies report more leads through automation; 38% see better lead quality.
- Conversion: Higher closing and retention rates
- Measurability & ROI: 78% of companies report a higher ROMI thanks to automation
- Customer loyalty: Three-quarters report better customer care and loyalty; fewer customers churn.
⚠️ Drawbacks / Challenges
- High initial effort: Setup, strategy, and data prep take time
- Risk of “over-automation”: impersonal = spam
- Data dependency: bad data = bad automation
- Complexity: tools require training and organizational change
Conclusion: The ZHAW report is clear: companies benefit from more leads, better ROI, improved customer retention, and more relevant communication when marketing automation is implemented strategically. But: Without clean data, clear goals, and a willingness to adapt, the potential goes untapped.
That’s exactly where we come in, with strategy, implementation, and enablement, to ensure that automation isn’t just technically operational but also drives measurable impact.
Conclusion: Is Marketing Automation Software Worth It for You?
Marketing automation in Germany is no longer just a buzzword, it’s a strategic lever for modern marketing. Used correctly, it makes communication more relevant and efficient, increases conversions and loyalty, and frees up time for creativity.
But remember: marketing automation is not just about technolog, it’s a mindset.
Externally, it means true customer centricity: engaging users with personalized messages at the right moment across their journey.Internally, it enables operational excellence: streamlined processes, consistent data, and relieved teams.
So the question is not whether marketing automation is worth it but how you implement it. Start small, scale gradually, and view the tech as an enabler and your investment will pay off. For your marketing team, for your organization, and above all: for your customers.
🔗 Learn more about marketing automation in our whitepaper: Marketing Automation: How Leads Become Loyal Customers
Your contact
Martin Brudek
Director Marketing Technologies & Marketing Technology Management | Marketing Automation
+49 9131 9712 2173Frequently asked questions about marketing automation (FAQ)
What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation means using software to automate recurring marketing tasks such as emails, lead nurturing and campaign management. The aim is to reach customers with relevant content at the right moment.
What are the advantages of marketing automation?
The biggest advantages are greater efficiency, more relevant communication, better conversion rates, measurable results and stronger customer loyalty. Studies show that 84% of companies generate more leads and 78% achieve a higher ROI.
Are there any disadvantages or challenges?
Yes. Getting started requires a clean database, a clear strategy and a willingness to reorganise teams. Without these fundamentals, there is a risk of over-automation and impersonal communication.
Who benefits from marketing automation?
For both B2B and B2C companies. In the B2B sector, lead qualification is improved in particular, while in e-commerce, shopping cart abandonment, onboarding and loyalty journeys are particularly effective.
What marketing automation tools are available?
Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, for example, are suitable for beginners. Medium-sized companies often rely on HubSpot, Evalanche or Marketo. Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe Campaign or ServiceNow with add-ons such as Tenon are suitable for complex requirements.
How do I measure the success of marketing automation?
About KPIs such as open and click rates, conversion rate, customer lifetime value (CLV), reactivation rate and churn rate. Important: set clear goals from the outset and define the appropriate metrics.
What are typical use cases?
Common use cases include lead nurturing, onboarding, reactivating inactive customers, cross-selling/upselling, and customer retention through personalised lifecycle journeys.
How do I get started with marketing automation?
It is best to start small and focused, with two to three clearly defined use cases. First, define the strategy, then select the appropriate software and expand it step by step. Expert support helps to avoid typical mistakes such as tool-first thinking or poor data quality.
