It happens all the time. Small in-house marketing teams juggle trade show leads, follow-up emails, performance tracking and content promotion. Everything is spread across spreadsheets and inboxes.

Even with the most diligent tracking, things slip through the cracks.

And in the industrial world, missed touch points can mean missed revenue: 

  • A buyer who asked for a quote three months ago but never heard back may now be signing with a competitor.
  • A plant manager who downloaded a maintenance guide last year could have been nurtured into a customer — if only the team had stayed top-of-mind.
  • A distributor misses out on a potential lead (and isn’t happy about it).

None of the above should be happening. And it won’t, if you invest in the right marketing automation tools.

How are industrial marketers using marketing automation tools?

Some typical industrial marketing challenges: sales cycles stretch for months (sometimes years), buying decisions involve multiple stakeholders with different priorities and calling your marketing team “lean” is generous.  

At the same time, leadership expects more leads, faster follow-up and clear proof that marketing is generating revenue — without expanding headcount.

So industrial marketers turn to marketing automation platforms to execute, manage and measure repetitive marketing activities.

Generally, because of a few core objectives: 

  • Centralizing customer and lead data so marketing and sales share one source of truth
  • Signaling the best leads to sales and following those leads’ entire buyer journey, from first contact to signed contract
  • Following up faster and more consistently without relying on manual processes
  • Streamlining long nurture cycles by automating the delivery of relevant, targeted content to engineers, procurement, plant managers and executives who all have different interests
  • Gaining visibility into ROI so every marketing dollar is accounted for (and you can see exactly what content you’re producing is leading to conversions)
  • Scaling efforts without scaling headcount, allowing small teams to run like big ones, and spending less time on spreadsheets and more time doing the work that feels high-value

CRM vs. marketing automation vs. ERP: What’s the difference and why does it matter?

You could edit a whole dictionary of marketing jargon and you still might get these terms wrong. The distinctions between CRMs, marketing automation platforms and ERPs are tough to grasp because these terms often get used interchangeably.

A common question we hear is: “I already have a CRM or an ERP — why would I need a marketing automation platform too?”  Which is fair, because the lines between these systems can feel blurry, and in some cases, tools even try to bundle them together.

So let’s clear these terms up:

  • CRM (customer relationship management): the system of record for your sales team. It stores contact data, tracks interactions and manages deals in the pipeline. Think of it as the place where sales lives.
  • Marketing automation: the engine that actively nurtures prospects. It runs campaigns, triggers workflows, sends follow-ups and tracks how people are engaging with your brand along the way.
  • ERP (enterprise resource planning): the operational backbone of the business. It manages manufacturing, inventory, finance and the supply chain.

Some platforms blend these functions — HubSpot, for example, is both a CRM and a marketing automation system. Many ERPs now offer CRM add-ons. The catch? Most ERPs and even some CRMs weren’t built for marketing. They can house customer data, but they typically fall short when it comes to attribution, automation and nurturing prospects at scale. That’s where a true marketing automation platform earns its place.

The short answer: Whether bundled or spread across different tools, you need all three roles covered in your tech stack.

Common features to look for in a marketing automation system

Many CRMs offer a handful of marketing features, and it’s easy to assume that’s enough. But a true marketing automation system goes further — connecting the dots across campaigns, personalizing outreach at scale and making sure nothing slips through the cracks. When evaluating options, here are the core features most industrial teams should look for:

  • Lead capture and management: website forms that flow directly into a CRM, lifecycle stage management and clear source attribution across campaigns
  • Automation: nurturing sequences triggered by actions, lead scoring to surface sales-ready opportunities and task reminders to keep teams aligned
  • Email marketing: tools for effective, personalized campaigns with robust performance tracking
  • Sales support: activity tracking across calls, emails and quotes, plus automated reminders for timely follow-up
  • Segmentation and personalization: ability to track properties like industry type or buyer role, and create dynamic lists to engage specific segments
  • Advertising integration: native connections with Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Meta for centralized targeting and reporting
  • CRM and ERP integration: pass data seamlessly from your marketing automation platform to your CRM and, where relevant, your ERP
  • Customer support infrastructure: dedicated onboarding, resources and troubleshooting to help teams get the most from the system

HubSpot: Gorilla 76’s recommended platform for marketing automation

There are plenty of marketing automation platforms that promise similar features. We’ve worked inside a number of them, and while many handle parts of the job well, most start to break down when it comes to the big picture — connecting marketing to revenue, keeping data clean, and making adoption and usage easy for industrial teams of all sizes.

That’s where HubSpot stands apart. It isn’t just that the platform has the right functionality — it’s that it’s intuitive enough for your team to actually use it. And when adoption goes up, so does the quality of your data. Cleaner data means better reporting, smarter decisions and more confident sales conversations.

For most of our clients, three things make the biggest impact:

  • Visibility: finally connecting marketing activities to real sales outcomes
  • Scalability: a system that grows with you, instead of holding you back
  • Alignment: sales and marketing working from the same source of truth

HubSpot is built so marketing and sales can see the entire buyer journey in one place. Every interaction — from downloading a troubleshooting guide, to visiting a pricing page, to chatting with your team — is captured automatically. Profiles update in real time. The next best action is triggered without anyone needing to remember it.

Some of the features that make this possible include:

  • CRM and contact management: one record of truth for every lead, customer and opportunity
  • Email marketing automation: drip campaigns that nurture prospects automatically, like following up with an engineer who downloads a spec sheet
  • Internal workflow automation: behind-the-scenes processes that clean up data and alert sales when it’s time to act
  • Lead nurturing workflows: triggered sequences based on behavior, like reminders to complete a quote request
  • Forms and landing pages: simple ways to capture leads that flow directly into the CRM
  • Behavioral tracking: insight into which product pages or resources a contact is viewing

The beauty of HubSpot is how everything connects. No more scattered spreadsheets. No more forgotten follow-ups. Just one system that keeps marketing and sales in sync, ensures prospects are nurtured at the right time and makes it easy to see which efforts are paying off.

If these objectives are on your radar for the next 12 months, now’s the time to explore marketing automation. We can help evaluate your current tech stack, identify gaps and determine whether HubSpot is the right fit.

The basics of implementing HubSpot

Sounds intimidating? It’s easier than it looks. A typical rollout might include:

  • Choosing the right tier: Starter, Pro or Enterprise, depending on features and budget (Pro or Enterprise often fit best for industrial teams)
  • Importing and clean data: Bring in existing contacts, remove duplicates and standardize fields
  • Connecting forms: Make sure every website and campaign form pushes leads directly into HubSpot
  • Building workflows: Start small with a few core automations, such as:
    • Trade show lead capture → 3-part email series
    • Quote request → instant confirmation email + sales alert
    • New contact from “Contact Us” form → automated welcome email + task created for sales rep follow-up
  • Creating dashboards: Track lead sources, conversion rates and pipeline health in one view

Many companies partner with a HubSpot Solutions Partner (like Gorilla 76) to speed up configuration, training and optimization — shortening the time to value.

FAQs about marketing automation for industrial companies

Is marketing automation software worth the cost?
The investment often pays for itself through time savings, higher conversion rates and clear ROI tracking.

Can sales and marketing both use it?
Yes — it’s designed to align both teams and deliver qualified leads directly to the right people.

What if we don’t have much content yet?
Start small. Even a simple thank-you sequence or product intro series can make an impact.

When will I see impact?
It varies, but most teams see strong improvements to their marketing and sales infrastructure within 3–6 months, depending on sales cycle length.

Can it integrate with ERP or quoting systems?
Yes, many marketing automation tools have native integrations or options for APIs to make it flexible.

How quickly can we implement a marketing automation system?
Most industrial teams can launch core functions in 30–60 days, with fuller adoption in 3–6 months.

Can a marketing automation system replace our existing CRM?
No — but it should integrate with one. Some platforms combine both functions, while others connect with your existing CRM. Either way, you’ll want both covered to keep data clean and teams aligned.

Does automation work for niche or custom products?
Absolutely — it’s especially valuable for long, consultative sales processes.

Does marketing automation provide ROI?
Not from new leads alone — but from better visibility and freed-up time. With automation handling tracking and follow-ups, your team can focus on the activities that actually drive revenue.

This article is a great place to start, but if you want to chat with an expert about how this could work for your specific business, feel free to book a free consultation.