Survey: Leveraging Marketing Technology is a Top Priority in 2016

Marketing technology will continue to play a key role as marketers look to develop more robust infrastructure and analytics capabilities, according to a new report by Black Ink.

The survey data shows marketers’ top priorities are a customer-centric focus (79 percent) and brand management (70 percent). Rounding out the top 5 priorities for 2016 are the means to achieve the top two – reporting and insight (61 percent), marketing technology (56 percent) and omni-channel/cross-channel promotions (50 percent).

However, the data reveals marketers are struggling with their current marketing infrastructure. Nearly half (46 percent) indicated access to more advanced analytics – and the insight that brings to make smarter decisions – is an obstacle. The inability to access more data (31 percent) and improvement of the marketing technology stack (28 percent) were also named as barriers to success.

To overcome these challenges, marketers are looking to purchase business intelligence reporting tools (60 percent), marketing automation/campaign management (57 percent), and customer interaction technology (57 percent) in the next year.

Management of the marketing technology stack most often falls under marketing ops (53 percent), but the survey found many businesses are partnering with their internal IT department as well (44 percent). Of the companies with a marketing ops team to help manage their martech stack, half have 5 employees or less. Increasing staff expertise for marketing analytics is in the 2016 plans for about 40 percent of respondents.

Scott Brinker, editor of the Chief MarTec blog and author of several books on marketing technology, said this study is indicative of how marketers are adapting. “There is enough evidence from these leading brands that they desire to deliver a superior brand experience to remain customer-centric by leveraging Marketing Technology (MarTech) at the core.”

Analysts in Short Supply as MarTech Expands

A recent survey by Rocket Fuel showed marketers are embracing digital channels and marketing technology. However, the rapid expansion of marketing tools has created a greater need for analysts and data scientists.

One in five respondents said a lack of analysts to manage emerging technology was a key barrier to adoption for multi-channel attribution, cross-device delivery and tracking and data management platforms.