XXI century sees the bloom of new technologies, applications, systems and tools. Thus, it requires marketers to know them and be able to take advantage of them in their daily work. However, the selection of particular solutions becomes tricky. Marketers are not only expected to have typical knowledge of marketing but also programming or completing multistage analysis.
Communication as the key to success
It turns out that equally big obstacle is insufficient flow and exchange of information between CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and CIO (Chief Information Officer or IT department director). Marketers are often not able to identify an ideal tool or software, which could help them at work. They don’t have background to enable quick verification of proper solution selection to enhance their performance. In turn, IT specialists are not too eager to help. It’s also rather rare that the representatives of both departments cooperate in selection of solutions tailored to marketing strategies. Specialists from IT departments are reluctantly engaged in marketers’ work, even though their knowledge could significantly help optimize activities (choosing most suitable software or marketing tools).
A few uneasy statistics
Still too few entrepreneurs can notice direct correlation between CMO and CIO activities and opportunities such cooperation could bring. Barely 3% of marketers claim they can take full advantage of potential and functionality of the system they work on. Only 16% admit their marketing strategy is closely tailored to overall strategy of the business. What’s even worse, half of the marketers are not convinced that their investments will bring rational benefits to the business. Yet, 67% are sure that the new technologies are necessary for general efficiency and effectiveness of marketing activities.
Marketing Automation – total tool for marketers
On one hand new technologies provide a myriad of possibilities but on the other they may cause some kind of limitation and congestion. The problem is too big number of data sources and the lack of strategic implementation to created integrations like CRM or ERP. Sadly, many solutions are simply inadequate for the user, not too user friendly or too difficult for persons without IT background. In many cases marketers have to face the problem of flow and standardization of the data they share with other departments.
Marketing Automation class systems not only meet the expectation of marketers but sales departments and call centers, too. Standardized data are drawn directly to the system. This way, all departments work on the system, which aggregates them ideally. Most of the systems to automate marketing consists of integrated modules like CRM, Automation, Communication or the part dedicated to gather feedback from marketers’ activities – Analytics. Thanks to the integration, it’s possible to process transactional data, data gathered from social media and many others related to further analysis. An additional advantage is the fact that Marketing Automation systems are simple and intuitive enough and do not require technical knowledge from their users.
Summary
It is of great importance that the IT departments heads share their knowledge with heads of other departments like marketing, strategy or sales. Such complex cooperation and counseling can bring business nothing but benefits and will time save plenty of time and allow to avoid problems with complete software utilization.
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