A new report released by Salesforce’s State of Marketing reveals the hard truth about the relationship between marketers and customers- 71% of marketers are struggling to meet customer needs. The situation is further complicated by employee turnover and budget limitations. The report also discusses the scope and challenges faced by the marketing industry in 2022.
As 2022 is nearing its end in a couple of months, the report also guides marketers by providing some critical best practices to adapt to future challenges like the loss of access to third-party cookies. The data that contributed to this report is based on 6000 marketing respondents across 35 nationalities and the analysis of trillions of outbound marketing communications through the Salesforce platform.
Read further to get more information on the report.
What Challenges Affected Marketers The Most In 2022?
The biggest challenge marketers face in 2022 is their inability to meet customer expectations-71% of respondents point their fingers at the complexity of the system. Even though they put in the right amount of effort to engage with them in real-time across multiple marketing platforms, the following factors are making their efforts futile:
- Ineffective utilization of technologies and tools
- Gauging attribution or marketing ROI
- Finding the right balance between personalization and superior customer experience
33% of marketing professionals believe that marketing efforts on a low budget are affecting the effectiveness of their marketing. This challenge is particularly evident in the manufacturing, life sciences, and technology industries. To rub salt into the wound, the phenomena of “quite quitting”, “ Great Resignation”, and layoffs are also affecting the overall efficacy of marketing teams. Despite all those drawbacks, 87% of marketers are satisfied with the value of their work as compared to last year.
What Should Marketers Prioritise In 2023?
The survey report recommends the following marketing elements to prioritise in 2023.
- Leverage better tools and technologies
- Try out new marketing tactics and strategies
- Embrace modernization in terms of tools and technologies
According to most respondents, there will be double the number of data sources in 2023 from 2021.
Interestingly, 75% of respondents continue to use third-party data, including cookies from aggregators or data brokers and identifiers as part of their marketing strategy. At the same time, 68% of marketers are prepping to quit using third-party data and start using zero-party and first-party data.
Another interesting finding is a steady increase in the number of marketers incorporating AI tools into their marketing strategy- 68% already have a fully-established AI strategy.
What Will Customers Need In 2022 And Beyond?
Customers are more inclined towards experiencing a highly personalised experience with businesses- 56% of customers want personalization in every offer they receive.
Brands have already started to positively respond to this by investing in a mix of channels and technologies capable of tailoring outreach and building rapport with customers.
Customers also want brands to be transparent- 88% expect brands to clearly communicate their values.
You can read Salesforce’s full report if you need more information on the current status of marketing.
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