Guest written by Alex Jacobson
Managing Director of Global Client Services at Silver Bullet Data Services
Some interesting facts about data driven marketing… according to Gartner in 2021, 91% Of CMOs struggle to measure the impact of data-driven digital innovation, yet 71% state that they are optimistic that these changes will benefit the industry in the long-term.
This is a contradictory perspective that we see play out with our clients daily – most are optimistic about what data driven marketing can bring to the table, yet almost all are fearful or do not know how to harness technological innovation.
One further contradiction in the market is that whilst technology has never given businesses a better ability to target the right consumer, at the right time, in the right place and with the right message, it has also never been harder to navigate industry and governmental regulation, and it has never been easier to piss off or freak out your (potential) customer.
Herein lies the tricky, paradoxical, path to success… how exactly do you go about investing in technology to unlock the full potential of consumer data, in a privacy compliant and consumer friendly way, that can also lead to demonstrable success for your business?
To do so well implores todays’ business to have at their disposal a multitude of components including both budget appropriate foundational technological infrastructure and easy-to-rip-and-replace SaaS platforms across their technology stack.
However, the ultimate contradiction of all is that to do technology well requires much more than the procurement of great software platforms, data warehouses, and communications technology… it requires great people.
Of equal – if not vaster – importance, is the willingness to invest in skills, to foster or welcome intrinsic knowledge across multiple technological disciplines, and to have a measurable program that articulates customer value and marketing effectiveness with ease. Businesses must possess a genuine understanding of data and technology, and to have leaders that allow a creative yet methodological approach to the way they are used.
To thrive in this environment means to either hire exceptionally well (which requires an equal amount of exceptional luck), or to invest wisely in expert services or partners who can execute parts of this thinking and infrastructure for you.
The performance is there to be had, you just need the right people and ethos to make it happen.
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