A recent study analyzed companies to reveal what the most important data-driven trends are for their organizations right now.

In particular, it looks at what channels and software companies are using, whether they already have a communications strategy, and whether implementing marketing automation systems is as easy as was predicted.

 

Channels

Email still ranks #1 as the most used channel, but it is also effectively supported by other channels for overall multi-channel communication.

Marketers primarily use direct mail as support. This is followed by social channels to support multi-channel communication.

Key conclusion: Be aware of your target audience. Where are they located? While email is the most effective channel and social media seems to be popular, communicating your company/product through social media may not be the most effective way to reach your target audience. Always adapt your channels to your strategy.

 

 

️Omni-channel

Many marketers still consider the omni-channel strategy unclear, even though it will be essential in the coming years. Only a few organizations use omni-channel in their communication strategy. The majority are still working with the multi-channel strategy. Some laggards even use only one or two channels to reach their target audience. This is a missed opportunity, because it means integrating all channels to serve one purpose. Channels complement each other. The bridges between online and offline channels are getting shorter or disappearing – all channels serve a unified function and complement each other.

Key takeaway: Has your company not yet implemented an omnichannel strategy into your communications strategy? Be aware of the success of this emerging trend and start today if you are one of the early adopters to better reach your prospects.

 

 

️Marketing Automation

The implementation of marketing automation has not grown in recent years. Still, the implementation of automation software remains an important consideration for marketing data teams. Most marketers indicate that they will have or plan to implement marketing automation software in the future.

Key conclusion: Every company is different and every potential customer wants something different. It’s important that each lead gets different information, tailored to them. Automation software keeps track of what leads are interested in and automatically sends them the right information, saving you time and money.

 

 

️Big Data

Compared to last year, the number of companies with billions of transactions has doubled. Data volume is expected to increase by 50% and double or multiply. According to this, the volume of data will grow ev future.

Main conclusion: whoever comes up with the idea of developing a strategy to use Big Data will stand out and stand above the rest. Big Data should not be seen as a problem, but as an opportunity for your company to delve into new trends and relationships. The patterns that emerge will help you improve customer satisfaction, save money and grow your business.

 

 

Real-time

Email interactions and web visits are the most requested real-time feeds for. This is followed by feeds for financial transaction data from operating systems. The demand for real-time data continues to grow, in line with trends such as dynamic content and real-time ad bidding.

Key conclusion: Real-time data is becoming increasingly important for analyzing information and triggering campaign automation on a minute-by-minute basis.

️ Other key trends
The most important trend for companies in 2017 is the customer journey, mentioned by 80% of respondents. Data privacy compliance comes in second and omnichannel in third, followed by real-time in fourth.

Key Takeaway: It is very complex to properly map the Customer Journey, yet it is important to get it right. Participants indicated that the customer experience is very critical to the long-term success of the brand.