Most high-performing businesses use content marketing automation to supercharge their growth.
If you’re looking to learn more about content marketing automation tools so you can leverage them to take your content marketing initiatives to the next level, then this guide is for you.
Learn what content marketing automation is, how it works, and what tools make it possible.
What is content marketing automation?
Content marketing automation is the development and execution of automatic workflows for repetitive content marketing tasks. It’s done through content marketing automation tools or outsourced services, freeing up time and manpower for your core team.
Most automation tools are designed for a specific content marketing process, like proofreading, email marketing, social media posting, and reporting. Some automation platforms connect two or more services into a single workflow.
Full-service content marketing agencies, however, can automate entire campaigns—from keyword research to content publishing.
Why is content marketing automation important?
Data from HubSpot shows that 76% of companies use automation in their content marketing strategy.
Automations allow businesses to streamline time-consuming processes that don’t require constant human intervention. This allows undermanned teams to maintain a competitive level of marketing, whereas well-staffed companies can scale their operations, explore other areas of growth, or both.
Apart from saving time and resources, using content marketing automation software leads to the following benefits:
- Minimise human error. Marketing automation platforms can perfectly execute marketing game plans to the letter. They’re more reliable than humans, who are capable of making occasional mistakes.
- Zero missed marketing opportunities. A content marketing automation tool can monitor marketing touchpoints 24/7, including social media, website contact forms, and messaging apps. It can provide your target audience with on-demand marketing content or self-service experiences when no one else in your team is available.
- Optimise your content marketing efforts. Robust content automation tools often come with built-in monitoring and reporting features. These help you leverage performance data to fine-tune and optimise your strategy over time.
- Reduce costs of content marketing. Statistics reveal that marketing automation reduces marketing overhead by up to 12.2%. It eases up your team’s workload and eliminates the need for certain marketing solutions that require monthly fees.
- Build better marketing segments. Marketing automation can be used for the segmentation of qualified leads and customers based on interactions. This is helpful in personalising and optimising future campaigns for maximum conversions.
Top 10 content marketing automation tools
Are you ready to automate content marketing and unlock the full potential of your business?
Here are the top ten content marketing automation tools to get you started:
1. Grammarly
Most content marketers automate proofreading, editing, and plagiarism checking with Grammarly—the biggest writing assistant in the industry.
Grammarly automatically checks content drafts for issues in correctness, readability, engagement, and delivery. The writing assistant also provides real-time feedback and suggestions that can be applied with one click.
Other Grammarly features
- Customisable content goals. Adjust the writing assistant’s scoring and suggestions based on your content goals. These can be tailored to your brand’s audience, desired level of formality, industry, and marketing intent.
- Use anywhere. Use Grammarly as a Microsoft Word add-on or install the Chrome extension to proofread on LinkedIn, Google Docs, Facebook, and more. Grammarly also has a mobile app for your communications on the go.
- Free version. Grammarly offers a free version with all the basic proofreading features. You don’t need to provide your credit card information or worry about a time limit.
2. Writesonic
Writesonic is an AI-powered writing assistant that automates essential steps in the content creation process. It can generate ideas, intros, outlines, and complete sections for long-form content.
Use Writesonic for every content development process or only enable features that are relevant to you. Each step is done on a single interface, helping you achieve a new level of content marketing efficiency.
Other Writesonic features
- Create complete surveys and polls. Easily build a list of questions for surveys and polls that guarantee high participation. Just enter a title, and a description of your survey—Writesonic will send you a complete list of questions you can use.
- Copy for social media posts. Generate instant captions for Instagram, TikTok video hooks, Facebook ad copies, tweets, and more. Writesonic can provide you with an endless supply of copy to bolster your social media presence.
- Content rephrase tool. Revise ready-made content to match your target audience’s preferences. This is also useful in link-building campaigns where similar pieces of content are submitted to dozens of potential link sources.
3. Semrush
Semrush is a comprehensive visibility management, SEO, and content marketing platform with automation features sprinkled all over.
Marketers primarily use Semrush for extensive keyword research, website analytics, and competitor analysis. But it also utilises automation for reporting and client management.
Other Semrush features
- Lead generation tool. Embed a free site audit tool on your official channels to attract potential leads. This is useful for SEO and marketing agencies who need a boost in their lead generation performance.
- Diverse list of SEO tools. Conduct keyword research, run content research, analyse a website’s backlink profile, and discover missed SEO opportunities—Semrush can do it all. It also has features for managing social media, PPC campaigns, and local SEO.
- App integrations. Expand the functionality of your Semrush account with app integrations. Connect apps for keyword research, eCommerce, content creation, and more.
4. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform built for creating, running, and managing automated campaigns.
Create automated workflows with pre-built templates for each phase of the customer journey, like welcome emails, remarketing emails, thank you emails, and more. Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop interface enables the rapid creation of personalised automations even for beginners.
Other Mailchimp features
- Landing page builder. Create landing pages and opt-in forms without coding. Mailchimp offers professionally-designed templates you can customise to match your website.
- Creative assistant. Use Mailchimp’s AI-powered “Creative Assistant” to produce custom, on-brand marketing designs. Just send your website URL or logo to have customisable templates for social media covers, full-width pages, and more.
- Full website builder. Mailchimp comes with a fully-featured website builder with an online store. This is available for businesses based in the US or UK only.
5. CoSchedule
CoSchedule is a top-tier content calendar software that can automate your social media posts. It features social templates that help you create social sharing plans for all sorts of content—from blog posts to events.
CoSchedule’s automated social reports also help you make data-driven decisions in your marketing. And, if you’re an agency, they make it easier to communicate marketing results with clients.
Other CoSchedule features
- Headline Studio. Quickly create click-worthy content headlines with the Headline Studio. Evaluate headlines based on word count, sentiment, skimmability, word balance, and more.
- Social Message Optimiser. Receive instant, actionable feedback about your social media messages. Understand factors like hashtags, sentiment, message type, and so on to craft posts that will captivate social media users.
- Work and Asset Organiser. Get everyone in your content marketing team on the same page with the Work Organiser. Track task progress, streamline collaboration, and share marketing assets via the Asset Organiser.
6. ChatBot
ChatBot is an easy-to-use platform that eliminates the complexities of programming AI-powered chatbots. These function as stand-ins for live agents, addressing common concerns and queries regarding your company’s offerings.
Use ChatBot’s visual builder to program your chatbot’s responses and actions based on user input. To speed up the process, use any of ChatBot’s automated conversation templates, which can be customised for marketing, sales, or customer support.
Other ChatBot features
- Third-party integrations. Create advanced chatbots that fire actions through third-party apps, like HelpDesk, Shopify, Slack, and so on. Link your chatbot with other automation software for more flexibility.
- Free online course. Make the most out of ChatBot by taking the free chatbot designer online course. Learn about thinking methods, chatbot personality, and data collection features through automated conversations.
- Automate user segmentation. Proactively refine your customer segments through data from chatbot conversations. ChatBot will also help you export lead data into your email marketing or CRM software.
7. Kimp
Automate your visual content design and production with Kimp—a graphic design service provider that specialises in marketing-related projects.
Kimp offers flat-rate plans that provide unlimited requests, unlimited revisions, and 24-hour turnaround times. The designs are 100% unique and publish-ready, keeping your content marketing campaigns supplied with thumb-stopping visuals.
Other Kimp features
- Trello project management. Collaborate with your dedicated Kimp team through Trello. It’s a visual, Kanban-style task management platform where you can track due dates, share files, and communicate with team members.
- Zapier integration. Inject your Kimp designs directly into your existing content marketing workflows. Have your dedicated Kimp design team configure the integration with your content distribution channels.
- Versatile visual content portfolio. Kimp’s professional artists can create anything from logos, website banners, infographics, and landing page visuals for mobile conversion optimisation. You can also request video content like animated static designs, animated text, video ads, and cinemagraphs.
8. Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO is a handy on-page SEO tool that automates keyword research and competitor analysis.
The Surfer SEO Chrome extension automatically provides keyword suggestions, target word length, outline recommendations, and additional on-page optimisation details. All these content tracking features come from an analysis of the top results for your target keyword.
Other Surfer SEO features
- On-demand site audits. Reveal on-page optimisation opportunities like internal links, backlinks, and keywords. Choose which competitors to compare your optimisation with.
- Content planner. Unveil lots of cluster topics and keywords related to your focus keyword. This is useful for building topic clusters and pillar pages.
- SERP analyser. Identify the exact strategies top competitors are using to rank on Google’s first page. Surfer SEO emphasises key factors like common backlinks, shared keywords, keyword usage, common phrases, and more.
9. IFTTT
Short for “If This, Then That,” IFTTT is a user-friendly automation platform that connects two services in a single, streamlined workflow called an “Applet.”
IFTTT lets users create their own Applets or activate existing ones created by the community. Automate anything from social media publishing, Google Sheets entries, smart device actions, and many more.
Other IFTTT features
- Easy-to-use interface. Applets can be created in a few minutes using IFTTT’s guided process. Select one app for the “trigger” and another for the resulting “action.”
- Customisable Applets. IFTTT boasts a huge list of existing Applets built and submitted by other users. Configure them using your accounts and you’re ready to go.
10. Zapier
Zapier is a widely-used automation platform with similar functions as IFTTT.
Although IFTTT is more beginner-friendly, Zapier’s automation tool is more flexible. It’s also featured as an integration by more platforms like Kimp, Shopify, and CoSchedule.
Other Zapier features
- Multi-step workflows. Zapier lets you automate up to 100 actions in a single workflow. This allows the full automation of complex marketing processes—not just individual tasks.
- Conditions. Set Zapier automations to run only when conditions are met. Actions can also be timed or delayed depending on your marketing goals.
Content marketing automation FAQs
1. What is content marketing automation?
Content marketing automation allows marketing-related tasks and processes to run by themselves. Automations can be achieved through tools or third-party services.
2. How many companies are using marketing automation?
Statistics show that 76% use some form of marketing automation. This helps them save time on repetitive marketing tasks while reducing human error and reducing their marketing overhead.
3. Why is marketing automation necessary?
Marketing automation gives your core marketing team more time for critical tasks that require your utmost attention. It also ensures you don’t miss marketing opportunities and crucial customer behaviour data.
Set up your content marketing automations now
Make the most out of content marketing automation without lifting a finger.
Our team is ready to help prepare your content marketing automation stack while you focus on running your business. Contact me here, and let’s discuss your next step.
