Marketers Believe AI Advances To Make Most Impact On Email Marketing Automation (New Report)

Yesterday, I sang the praises of AI and, more specifically, the benefits marketers can unlock by utilizing it for multiple uses-cases. Today, I sing a similar tune, but with this chorus shouting out automation and its exponential returns.

84% of marketing campaigns use automation in some capacity, with the largest percentage of marketers (31%) automating 26-50% of their email marketing campaigns … and almost another quarter (23%) automating 51-75% of their campaigns.

Considering that 29% of the marketers Ascend2 surveyed late last month for its The State of Email and Automation in 2024 report rank their email marketing strategy as “best-in-class” — and 63% feel their strategy is “somewhat successful” — that’s a pretty strong endorsement for the need of automation in marketing.

“Using automation extensively can help optimize campaign performance and efficiency,” the research says. “By automating repetitive tasks such as segmenting audiences, sending personalized messages, and analyzing data, marketers can allocate more time and resources to strategic planning and creative endeavors, ultimately enhancing overall results and ROI.”

More marketers (45%) said that the most effective way to measure email marketing success was by the revenue generated, followed by ROI (43%), engagement metrics (38%), conversion rates (34%), and click-through rates (34%). More than half (57%) have implemented AI for re-engagement campaigns, 52% for event-triggered emails, and 41% for lead magnet follow-ups.

“Let’s take our favorite lead magnet content piece, an original research study,” this original research study says, before essentially laying out its own automated email campaign plan. “After prospects download the research report, an automated email campaign delivers additional related content, such as whitepapers or case studies, to nurture their interest. Personalize subsequent emails based on their engagement with previous content to drive further engagement and conversion.”

(Source: Ascend2)

Looking ahead at automation trends and the proliferation of AI use, marketers think AI-driven hyper-personalization will have the most impact.

“In the bright future of email marketing automation,” the research says, “advancements in technology and AI will enable hyper-personalized campaigns, fostering deeper customer engagement and driving unprecedented levels of conversion and retention.”