If marketing automation isn’t part of your b2b marketing strategy, you might want to invest in it this  year. In fact, according to a 2015 survey by Ascend2, 42% of businesses are now using marketing automation, which is a significant jump up from previous years. Here are a few ways marketing automation can impact your marketing strategy in 2016.

“Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.” –Seth Godin

In this new content marketing age, companies need to consider many factors when creating their buyer persona. In fact, the only way to learn more about your Buyer Persona is to identify comprehensive information from the get go before they go through the Buyer’s Journey. From there you can strategically target the ideal audience with a plethora of data that supports your approach and gain the right results.

If you are still trying to figure out how your company will stand out amongst your competitors online, you need to revisit the Inbound Marketing method. This method will allow you to identify the right kind of prospects online and turn them into satisfied customers and brand loyalists.

Before you dive into business as usual in the new year, take the time to map out a content marketing strategy that identifies new insights and inspirations that improve upon last year’s results.