Acknowledging the need to make sense of collected big data, marketing professionals say they have increased investments in the necessary technology in order to help create the personalized experience customers and clients have come to expect and to provide a strong return on their marketing initiatives.

However, adding more technology without a clear plan is futile as more and more consumers continue to expand engagement through multiple devices, moving from mobile platforms (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to laptops, desktops, and back again on a regular basis. As such, cross-channel integration of devices and data collection must be a key consideration.

In a September 2014 study conducted by the cross-channel marketing company Signal, more than 90 percent of the marketers surveyed acknowledged their marketing goals would be positively affected if their technology were fully integrated and about 85 percent said that an integrated approach would improve their relationships with their clientele, including building stronger loyalty. More than half (53 percent) of the respondents said their investments in marketing technology had been increasing steadily each year since 2012.

According to the survey “Getting their technologies to work better together will move marketers…closer to their goal of delivering seamless, next generation customer experience…”

Despite this acknowledgement by marketing executives of the need for improvement in cross-channel integration of technologies, only four percent said that their technology was completely integrated and that they were positioned to take full advantage of their capabilities. Without synchronized technologies and cross-channel strategies, the study observes, marketing efforts are hindered and, in fact, less effective.

Acknowledging that within various industries “marketing is one of the most data-driven and technology dependent functions…” executives contend that the total integration of available marketing technologies and tools provides a strong competitive edge. Those who ignore these advancements are at a significant disadvantage and risk losing ground to the more aggressive.

The Signal study surveyed 281 marketers around the world and across sixteen industries. Eighty-two percent of the respondents were from the United States.

References:

eMarketer. “Marketers Can’t Avoid Technology Anymore,” October 7, 2014.

Signal. “Overcoming Barriers to Cross-Channel Success: Optimizing the Marketing Technology Stack,” September 2014.