Revenues for B2B marketing automation systems will grow 60% to reach $1.2 billion in 2014, according to Raab Associates’ latest B2B Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Tool (VEST) report.  The 60% rate is higher than the 2013 rate of 50%.

“Revenues for B2B marketing automation vendors continue to grow as adoption increases and existing customers expand their systems,” said VEST author David M. Raab. “We also see continued extension into new industries, new features, and new vendor services.”

Marketing automation will be a $1.9 billion industry by 2020, according to the latest research from Frost & Sullivan. The report, Global Marketing Automation Software Market, attributes the growth to the rising need to integrate marketing efforts in order to optimize returns on marketing campaign investments.

The study shows that 80% of the U.S. market in 2013 was controlled by three companies: Marketo, Oracle Eloqua and Silverpop.

As the content marketing and social media landscapes continue to intersect, and B2B marketers are striving to tailor their messaging for these fast-paced channels.

In a recent webinar titled: How To Impress Your Boss, Get Ahead, And Tighten Your Bottom (Line) In 2014, Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, discussed key strategies for maximizing content marketing and social media outreach.

The growth of Big Data has not gone unnoticed by B2B marketers. In an annual study from Infogroup Targeting Solutions, 54% of marketers said they have already invested in Big Data. Up to 30% of marketers said they plan to invest in Big Data for the first time in the next two years.

Although Big Data has been a part of the lead generation and nurturing process for quite some time, many B2B marketers are still developing strategies for managing and leveraging the influx of information they are collecting on prospects.

Madison Logic, a provider of intent data solutions for B2B marketers and publishers, has entered a partnership with BNZSA, a direct marketing agency, which will help deliver Madison Logic's Content Consumption Monitoring Program (CCM) and Email Segment Builder B2B solutions in France. Madison Logic's expansion into France follows a recent partnership to expand B2B solution delivery into Germany with ITCorporate.de, a local site published by Huson Media International.

Madison Logic's CCM aggregates rich intent data that provides segments that will produce less opt-outs, higher performance and a better user experience, according to company officials. When the CCM is used in conjunction with the company's Email Segment Builder, marketers can identify specific segments of their target audience who have displayed interest and deliver the assets that match their interests.

In an effort to drive channel engagement and loyalty, DataGravity, a start-up created to help “turn data into information,” has launched  a new program that will offer partners insider access into the company’s solution. 

DataGravity is in the process of recruiting a select group of channel partners for the early-access program based on their expertise in storage, server and virtualization technology. The program will be unveiled during the 2014 VMware Partner Exchange event.

To rise above the growing content noise, marketers are searching for ways to engage potential customers in a highly personalized manner.

In a recent webinar — titled Real-Time Personalization: How To Optimize Your Website And Boost Conversions — Insightera discussed the benefits of real-time web site personalization and strategies for implementation.

Marketo posted Q4 2013 revenue growth of 67% and a 64% increase in overall revenue for 2013. Marketo ended Q4 with $28.2 million in earnings, bringing revenue to $95.9 million the year.

With the acquisition of Insightera last December to boost the company’s personalization and predictive analytics offerings and the completion of its data center transition program, the company is projecting earnings close to $30 million in Q1 2014 and $130 to $135 million for 2014.