Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 1 At the beginning of each year, it’s fun to predict whch cutting-edge technologies will become mainstream in the coming months. Marketing automation is one area of technology that has vastly improved the way companies stay in touch with customers, and the new developments around the corner are truly exciting. Check Out Some of the Latest Innovations in Marketing Automation As of now, about half of all companies use some form of marketing automation, and the rest are likely to follow suit in the coming years. Automation has such clear advantages that there are very few companies that don’t stand to benefit from deployed some type of marketing automation platform. There are even several robust automation systems available right now at very low cost for small startups and growing businesses. AI: The Next Step in Automation Artificial intelligence (AI) is making huge waves in the tech industry, and the applications for this kind of technology are all but limitless. While machine learning exists to a degree right now, true AI is still a future concept. However, we could very likely see automation start to incorporate facets of machine learning in more sophisticated platforms. Marketing automation platforms allow you to customize the interactions you have with your clients based on what type of lead or customer they are, their past interactions with your brand, and various other metrics. Couple this ability with machine learning and we could soon see automation software that automatically adjusts itself based on new data, faster than a human being could make the same change. Personalized Content Will Take Center Stage The job of the marketer is to create connections to potential customers and repeatedly entice those potential customers to become buyers. Marketing constantly changes in light of new technology and trends, but one concept that has proven true and will continue to evolve is personalized content. Connecting to Individuals Using marketing automation software, it’s far easier to deliver relevant content to customers based on their profile. In 2017 and beyond, we’re likely to see an even more detailed and robust version of this process aimed at connecting with customers on an individual level. This is hugely reliant on data, and machine learning is capable of making data-driven decisions much more quickly and accurately than humans. Creating Automation in Line with Business Goals Every marketing professional today should know how vital it is to develop an automation system that accurately reflects a brand’s business strategy and goals, and this concept will be even more prevalent and important in 2017 and beyond. Marketers Want to Close Their Knowledge Gap A recent survey about marketing professionals’ level of knowledge of marketing automation revealed that nearly half of all the respondents would only classify their knowledge level as basic. This is sure to change, as the importance of marketing automation to the modern business world continues to shine, and more marketers want to leverage this technology to their organizations’ benefit. Marketing Automation Will Continue to Reign Supreme Ultimately, marketing automation is here to stay. Those who are already onboard with the concept are going to be striving to enhance their understanding of it, and those who still consider themselves neophytes are going to work toward improving for the benefit of their companies. 2017 is sure to have some surprises in store for the digital marketing world, but the importance of marketing automation is sure to remain a constant for many years to come. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Bloominari and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Jaime Nacach Follow @bloominari Jaime Nacach is the founder and marketing strategist of Bloominari, a marketing and creative agency in San Diego, California. Jaime loves to find and implement creative, technology-based solutions to help small businesses gain exposure online, generate more leads & sales, automate their day-to-day work, and develop a great digital marketing presence and… View full profile ›More by this author:10 Steps to Build Your First Email Marketing Automation Drip CampaignWebsite Design for Lead Generation: The Perfect Landing Page that Drives Organic TrafficHow to Properly Build a Website For Acquiring New Leads Consistently