Report: Marketers Still Challenged to Find a Single Source of Data

Even though marketers have made it a point to begin using data and analytics, new research suggests that they have not fine-tuned this aspect of their strategies just yet.

Airtable recently published its “Marketing Trends Report,” and statistics showed that marketers believe between 20% and 49% of data is duplicated in multiple places, such as spreadsheets, docs and apps. This suggests that there is not a single source of data that marketers can turn to for all of the information they need.

In terms of what is inhibiting the success of marketing teams, a “lack of timely data to make strategic decisions” (46%) topped the list. This was followed by “gaps in skills or expertise” (41%) and “inefficient workflows” (38%). Overall, the statistics suggest that marketers still have work to do before they can turn to internal data for all of the insight they need.

Using Marketing Data for Customer Purposes

Although marketers are still struggling to utilize data and analytics, previous research indicates that they’ve been attempting to make strides in this area.

Forrester and Google conducted “The Future of Analytics” report, and data showed that overall, the majority of marketers (17%) intend to make improving their use of analytics a top priority over the next year. This was followed by acquiring more customers (14%), increasing customer lifetime value (11%) and improving marketing alignment with other departments (11%).

Most marketers (43%) believe that their current digital analytics technology helped them improve the customer experience.