3 takeaways from our Marketing Strategy Outlook Report

To have a better understanding of what marketing success will look like in 2013 and how marketers plan to achieve it, Brick Street Software partnered with Ascend2, a Boston based marketing research firm,  to survey 456 executives and marketing practitioners during the week of January 14, 2013.  We are pleased to present the 2013 Marketing Strategy Outlook Report.

Our aim is to give you insights on where to take action to strengthen your customer relationships, diversify your marketing tactics, and increase revenue. Here are a few key insights we discovered.

Content marketing has reached its tipping point

Marketing is an ever-evolving field. Each year there seems to be a new trend, must-have technology or new communication channel adopted by the masses. In 2013, digital marketers have reached the tipping point with Content Marketing. As this report shows, Content Marketing has gone from a buzzword and popular strategy to the most effective marketing tactic (55%) for organizations identified with a Superior Strategy. ¹

Consumers judge disruptive messages as rude, and when given the chance, will report them as spam or share their disgruntled opinion over social media channels.  Inbound marketing works in this jaded consumer environment due to its ability to allow prospects to discover the content, and choose their pace, place, and time for its consumption. However, content marketing has its challenges.

Here are three you may face in your journey.

Content creation is not easy,

Even though firms with Superior Strategy (41%), find content creation the most difficult marketing tactic to execute, sure-footed marketers welcome this strategy.²  They are confident that a customer’s priorities are not with the various communication channels, but rather the relationship he or she has with the brand. With this outlook, marketers cater to the expectations and personal preferences of a single consumer’s desire for individualized, interactive and iterative communications across a variety of communication channels.

Neither is optimizing conversion rates

The discouraging news from Ascend2’s research is that marketers as a whole (39%) say optimizing their organization’s conversion rate is the most difficult tactic to execute.³ Again, technology has empowered shoppers to bypass commercials and screen calls, and tailor the definition of junk mail. Today’s mobile lifestyle has made the brand’s endless challenge to motivate shopper purchases even more difficult. Customers naturally shift their attention from watching a streaming movie on TV and triaging emails on a tablet, to making a table reservation, texting friends the location, and following the walking directions with apps on their phone.

The evolution of multichannel marketing strategies is allowing marketers to keep pace with today’s tech-savvy consumers as the conversation flows over multiple devices. However, as early adopters of multichannel marketing have discovered, having a shopper’s smartphone blow up with simultaneous text, email, mobile push and Facebook messages is frowned upon by brand supporters. What I find interesting is multichannel marketing’s ability to move from individual tactic metrics, to overall engagement metrics, uncovering the total time actively spent interacting with a brand.

Difficult to find meaning in data overload

The development of a seemingly infinite number of communication channels has put a strain on marketers and data scientists to collect, analyze, and act upon the large volumes of data generated from these marketing campaigns. Moreover, the data often pulls from various marketing platforms and databases making this exercise cumbersome.  It is easy to understand how the Marketing Strategy Outlook Report finds that 39% of B2C marketers say measuring marketing performance is most challenging marketing obstacle to overcome. We see the need for a unified approach to multichannel marketing. Having a single dashboard permits marketers and data scientists to analyze all of the interactions that occur and save valuable time and possible errors from flipping back and forth between spreadsheets or browser tabs.

With a more complete view, the selection of which messages and channels meet different business requirements is more decisive. Analysis reveals which combination of messages and channels is best for spreading contagious content, delivering real-time information, driving in-store sales, or fostering loyalty.

The rapid rate of change in technology offers agile organizations new challenges and even more opportunities to be succeed in 2013. It will be critical for companies to quickly synthesize data, find meaningful insights and capitalize on moments to make personal connections that reinforce a positive brand experience. Those organizations that can develop iterative cross-channel conversations, build trust by consistently providing valuable information, and deliver on their brand promise will ultimately earn long-lasting relationships with its customers and community.

To download your complimentary copy of the report, visit our website’s Resource section.  We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the report and ways you will meet the challenges and take advantage of opportunities for your organization to break away from the competition in 2013.

Image by Scott J. Waldron www.scottjwaldron.com via Flickr

¹ Balegno, S, (January 2013). Marketing Strategy Outlook Report. 1st ed. United States: Ascend2 Consulting. – Page 9

² Balegno, S, (January 2013). Marketing Strategy Outlook Report. 1st ed. United States: Ascend2 Consulting. – Page 10

³ Balegno, S, (January 2013). Marketing Strategy Outlook Report. 1st ed. United States: Ascend2 Consulting. – Page 16

⁴ Balegno, S, (January 2013). Marketing Strategy Outlook Report. 1st ed. United States: Ascend2 Consulting. – Page 19