Marketing Automation Software
Marketing automation software lets repeatable emails and marketing actions run automatically, based on a preset trigger such as a click, a completed form, a birthday, or a purchase. Instead of sending every email manually yourself, you set the rule once, and the system then carries it out on its own, at any time and for any number of contacts.
What marketing automation software does
Marketing automation software collects data on what a contact does, a click, a page visit, a purchase, and uses that data to automatically send the right message at the right time. The core building blocks are always the same, whichever platform you use:
- Triggers, which determine when an automation starts, such as a sign-up, a click, or a date.
- Segmentation, which groups contacts based on behaviour or characteristics.
- Automated sequences, such as a welcome series or a follow-up email after a purchase.
- Scoring and tagging, which give contacts a label based on their behaviour, for example, to identify sales-ready leads.
- Reporting, which shows you how well a flow is performing and where you can adjust it.
How does it work in practice?
You first collect data about your contacts through a sign-up form, click behaviour in earlier emails, or purchases. Based on that, you set up a workflow: a series of steps that run automatically once a contact meets a starting condition. A workflow like this usually consists of a trigger, one or more delays, and actions such as sending an email or adding a tag.
Say someone signs up for a webinar. Here’s what the automation looks like:
- Confirmation email: straight after signing up, the lead receives an automatic confirmation.
- Adding a tag: the lead is automatically tagged as “webinar attendee” and added to a separate list.
- Follow-up: once the webinar is over, everyone on that list automatically receives a follow-up with related content, such as a case study.
- Next steps: anyone who clicks that follow-up gets a higher score and becomes visible to the sales team as a warm lead, ready for personal follow-up.
Examples in practice
- A new newsletter subscriber automatically receives a welcome email, followed by a short introductory series.
- A customer who buys something automatically receives an email a few weeks later with a complementary product or a satisfaction question.
- Contacts who have a birthday automatically receive a personal message on that day.
- Anyone who starts a form but doesn’t finish it gets a reminder afterwards, without anyone needing to check it manually.
Do you need this?
Not every organisation benefits from this straight away. A few signs it’s worth considering:
- You regularly send the same kind of email manually to different contacts.
- Your contact base is growing and manual segmentation takes more and more time.
- You want to be able to respond to behaviour without someone needing to check it every time.
- Leads go cold because follow-up takes too long.
If your organisation is small and you mainly send a newsletter occasionally without needing much follow-up, standard newsletter software is usually enough, and marketing automation isn’t necessary yet.
Well-known names in this market include Spotler Mail+, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and MailBlue (the Dutch partner of ActiveCampaign). Which one suits you best depends on the size of your organisation, your budget, and how much weight you give to local support and data processing within the EU.
Best practices for marketing automation
- Decide on the goal for each workflow first, for example, more leads, shorter follow-up time, or higher customer loyalty.
- Involve sales or customer service before you build a flow; they’ll be the first to notice whether the follow-up is right.
- Start with a few broad segments and only refine them once you have enough data.
- Build your content library first; a good automation is only as good as the emails inside it.
- Roll out new flows in phases, test on a small part of your list before going live for everyone.
- Check the results regularly and adjust based on what you see in the reporting.
Is it easy to set up?
That depends on the platform, but with Spotler Mail+, this is deliberately kept simple:
- A visual automation editor, you drag triggers and steps together without programming.
- Ready-made automation templates for commonly used flows, such as a welcome series or win-back campaign, which you can adapt yourself.
- A drag-and-drop editor for the emails themselves, in your own house style.
- A local support team and an extensive help centre with step-by-step guides.
- Built-in reporting, so you can see what’s working without separate tools.
- Alongside email, you can also send SMS messages from the same platform, for situations where a text lands better than an email.
Common mistakes in marketing automation
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Setting up a workflow and never checking it again | Schedule a fixed moment, for example, monthly, to review what is and isn’t working |
| Creating dozens of small segments straight away | Start with a few broad segments and refine them later |
| Automating before the process is solid | Run through the process manually first, only automate what demonstrably works |
| Automating based on email opens alone | Combine multiple signals, such as clicks, purchases, and page visits |
| No clear goal per workflow | Decide upfront what success looks like, for example, a percentage of opens or clicks |
How does Spotler Mail+ help with this?
Spotler Mail+ combines newsletter sending with an automation editor, so you don’t need to switch straight to a separate, heavier system as soon as you need more than just sending newsletters.
You set up automated flows triggered by clicks, completed forms, birthdays, and purchases. You segment contacts based on behaviour, tags, and scores in the target group editor. New content from your website can be sent automatically, at the right time, to the right group via an RSS link. Alongside email, you can also send SMS messages from the same platform. You get detailed reporting on opens, clicks, and conversions to see how your flows are performing. And the GDPR side is arranged as standard, including a data processing agreement and support for access and erasure requests.
In short
With marketing automation, you set up the repeatable steps in your email marketing once, then let the system do the work: responding at the right moment to a click, a purchase, a sign-up, or a birthday. Every contact gets the right message at the right time, without anyone needing to check in each time, and warm leads become visible to sales automatically.
Start with one flow around a specific bottleneck, get that working well, and only then expand into the rest of your marketing.
Wondering whether Spotler Mail+ suits your situation too? Book a free demo, and we’ll show you within half an hour what the platform can do for your organisation.
Frequently asked questions
The basics of marketing automation
Is marketing automation the same as a CRM system?
No. A CRM system is about managing customer relationships and sales processes. Marketing automation is about automating communication based on behaviour. Some systems combine both, but at their core they’re different functions.
From what company size is marketing automation worthwhile?
There’s no fixed threshold. It’s less about how big you are and more about how much time you currently spend on manual, repeatable communication. Once that noticeably costs time, it’s worth considering.
Can I start small with marketing automation?
Yes. Most organisations start with one simple flow, such as a welcome series for new sign-ups, and expand it later once they see what works.
What’s the difference between email marketing and marketing automation?
Email marketing is about sending messages. Marketing automation drives the whole customer journey, across multiple channels and moments, based on behaviour rather than a fixed send date.
Is marketing automation complicated to set up?
That varies by platform. Spotler Mail+ is built for marketers without a technical background, with a visual automation editor where you set up triggers and steps without needing to code.
What should I look out for when choosing marketing automation software?
Look at ease of use, integration with your existing systems, options for segmentation and scoring, reporting capabilities, and whether the provider fits your budget and the level of support you want.