Raab Associates Inc.

Revenues for business-to-business (B2B) marketing automation systems will grow 60% to reach $1.2 billion in 2014, according to Raab Associates just-released B2B Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Tool (VEST). The 60% rate is higher than the 2013 rate of 50%.

“Revenues for B2B marketing automation vendors continue to grow as adoption increases and existing customers expand their systems, ” said VEST author David M. Raab. “We also see continued extension into new industries, new features, and new vendor services.”

According to Raab, trends uncovered by the report include:

– expansion beyond email and Web channels to social, direct mail, search engine optimization, and paid search advertising.

– greater integration with external systems through Application Program Interfaces (APIs) and pre-built integrations sold on vendor marketplaces.

– marketing services to help users, offered directly by the vendors and through agency partners.

– support for marketing through channel partners by distributing leads, inserting partner information into corporate marketing materials, and providing partners with marketing automation capabilities.

“The continued growth of the industry has uncovered pockets of opportunity where specialized vendors can compete successfully with established general-purpose systems,” said Raab. “We’re seeing a new generation of products emerge to claim these niches.”

Systems covered in the VEST report are used by all sizes of companies. The report defines four market sectors, each with different needs. Some B2B marketing automation systems are used across all sectors but most vendors specialize in a particular type of client.

About the VEST report

The VEST helps marketers purchase a marketing automation system that matches their needs. It provides more than 200 data points about each product, narrative descriptions of vendor strengths and weaknesses, and fitness ratings for small, mid-size and large marketing departments. Products in the report include: Act-On Software, Adobe Campaign (formerly Neolane), CallidusCloud LeadFormix, eTrigue, HubSpot, Infusionsoft, LeadLife, MakesBridge, Marketo, Microsoft MarketingPilot, MindFire Studio, MindMatrix, Net-Results, Ontraport (formerly OfficeAutoPilot), Oracle Eloqua, Redpoint Global, Right-On Interactive, RightWave, Salesforce.com Pardot, SalesFUSION, SharpSpring, Silverpop, SimplyCast, Teradata Applications, TreeHouse Interactive, and Venntive.

The VEST also includes interactive quadrants showing leaders and challengers for the three industry segments. Readers can adjust the weights assigned to different product and vendor attributes and immediately see the change in vendor positions.

Other report sections provide background information on the marketing automation industry, explanation of marketing automation features and benefits, and advice on managing a successful vendor selection.

The report is provided as an Adobe Flash file, enabling full interactivity and easy access to all materials.

Information in the VEST was gathered in December 2013 and January 2014. The report is published by Raab Associates Inc., an independent consulting firm specializing in marketing technology and analytics. Price is $795. For more information, visit www.raabguide.com/vest.

About Raab Associates Inc.

Raab Associates Inc. specializes in helping marketers to select and deploy marketing automation systems. Typical projects include needs definition, vendor selection, and performance measurement. The firm also offers industry vendors assistance in understanding customer needs and establishing thought leadership through white papers, surveys and presentations.

January 6, 2009 — Raab Associates Inc. Principal David M. Raab will discuss “How to Get the Most Value from Your Marketing Automation System” on January 14 as part of the two day online Marketing Automation Summit 2009.  Raab’s session will focus on how marketers can improve short-term profits without making new technology investments.  It will delivered at 4 p.m. Eastern / 1 p.m. Pacific time.  Registration is available at http://www.brighttalk.com/webcasts/2017/attend.

Raab will also participate in a roundtable discussion as part of the Summit at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific time on January 13.

About Raab Associates Inc.

Raab Associates www.raabassociatesinc.com consults on marketing technology and analysis with marketers and industry vendors.  David M. Raab is author of The Raab Guide to Demand Generation Systems www.raabguide.com, the most detailed, independent analysis of demand generation systems available.

About the Marketing Automation Summit

The Marketing Automation Summit is organized by BrightTalk www.brighttalk.com, a provider of Webcast technology that organizes free online conferences.

For more information about Raab Associates Inc., contact:

Joyce Stein
jstein@raabassociates.com

Raab Associates Inc., leading specialists in marketing technology evaluation, today released the Raab Guide to Demand Generation Systems, the first-ever detailed independent study of demand generation systems from Eloqua, Market2Lead, Manticore Technology, Marketo and Vtrenz.

Demand generation, sometimes called lead management, is the fastest-growing segment of the marketing automation industry. Marketers use these Internet-based systems to acquire leads, nurture relationships, and coordinate treatments with sales departments. Demand generation systems work primarily with email and Web channels, and sometimes incorporate other media.

The 125-page Raab Guide is a complete tool kit for matching the right system to each buyer’s situation. It provides a comparison matrix that rates each vendor on more than 150 specific items and explains which items are important to different types of marketers. Entries on individual vendors add tables describing each system in detail, evaluative analyses, and screenshots of selected functions. The Raab Guide also lays out a step-by-step methodology for managing a successful selection process.

“Demand generation systems are an increasingly popular way for marketers to improve their internal operations and to better coordinate with sales organizations,” says author David M. Raab. “But it’s hard for marketers to uncover the real differences among the products, and even harder to figure out which differences matter for their business. The Guide tackles both those problems by providing specific information and explaining what it means.”

The Raab Guide to Demand Generation Systems can be purchased at www.raabguide.com. The site provides samples of the comparison matrix and vendor tables and a complete Table of Contents. It also includes links to industry blogs and a growing library of free reference materials such as worksheets to assess software ease-of-use. The Guide and website were underwritten in part by Eloqua, Manticore Technology and Marketo, although Raab Associates Inc. produced the contents independently.

The new guide draws on two decades of Raab Associates Inc. experience in helping firms to evaluate and select marketing technologies. The firm is widely recognized for its detailed, objective analysis of marketing systems. David Raab has written hundreds of articles for publications including DM Review and DM News; spoken at conferences in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia; and consulted with firms including AARP, Citicorp, CIGNA Healthcare, The Limited and Verizon. More information and an article archive are available at www.raabassociatesinc.com.