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is a hot topic among marketers these days, and even though we believe in the power (for both and ) of marketing automation, there are still some people that are a little squeamish about the concept.

So we've compiled some super cool stats and data to help paint the picture of what's going on in the marketing automation industry, illustrate the key challenges marketers are facing, and show how has helped address those problems. See if your business can identify with any of these jaw-dropping marketing automation stats.

The Marketing Automation Industry

1.) The B2B marketing automation industry will reach $325 million in revenue by the end of 2011. This is a more than 50% increase over 2010, which had also doubled in revenue from the year before. (Source: Raab Associates)

2.) The adoption of marketing automation technology is expected to increase by 50% by 2015. (Source: Sirius Decisions)

3.) Marketing automation has seen the fastest growth of any CRM-related segment in the last 5 years. (Source: Focus Research)

4.) By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship without talking to a human. (Source: Gartner Research)

5.) 50% of respondents to a 2011 Focus survey stated they have not realized the investment, and less than 25% use their platforms to their full potential.

Marketing Automation Challenges

6.) 50% of qualified leads are not ready to purchase immediately. (Source: Gleanster)

7.) The average sales cycle has increased 22% over the past 5 years due to more decision makers being involved in the buying process. (Source: Sirius Decisions)

8.) Nearly 2/3 of B2B marketers identified engaging key decision makers as their top challenge. (Source: Forrester Research)

9.) 47% of B2B marketers say they either close fewer than 4% of all marketing-generated leads, or they don't even know this metric. (Source: Forrester Research) Tweet This!

10.) 89% of marketers said email was their primary channel for . (Source: Forrester Research)

11.) With a delivery rate of just 75%, achieving strong inbox placement remains a challenge in the B2B sector. (Source: Return Path)

12.) Only 33% of companies who use both CRM and marketing automation said the two integrated well. (Source: The Experts Bench)

13.) 64% of CMOs have either an informal or no process to manage their marketing automation. (Source: The Annuitas Group)

Why Marketing Automation Rocks!

14.) Companies that generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Source: Forrester Research)

15.) Businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects experience a 451% increase in qualified leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)

16.) Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)

17.) Companies that automate see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6-9 months. (Source: Gartner Research)

18.) 46% of marketers with mature lead management processes have sales teams that follow up on more than 75% of marketing-generated leads. (Source: Forrester Research)

19.) 25% of marketers who adopt mature lead management processes report that sales teams contact prospects within one day. Only 10% of marketers report the same follow-up time without mature lead management processes. (Source: Forrester Research)

20.) Companies with mature lead generation and management practices have a 9.3% higher sales quote achievement rate. (Source: CSO Insights)

21.) Relevant emails drive 18 times more revenue than broadcast emails. (Source: Jupiter Research)

22.) Personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14%, and conversion rates by 10%. (Source: Aberdeen Group)

23.) Gartner estimates a 15% savings on creative production with marketing automation.

24.) Gartner estimates a 5% reduction in marketing waste through automating fulfillment.

25.) Event-triggered marketing can potentially save 80% of your direct mail budget. (Source: Gartner Research)

If you're grappling with making the marketing automation leap or trying to make the case to your boss, these stats should help give you some context around the world of marketing automation.

Have you ventured into the world of ? What kind of gains have you seen from your efforts?

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