Operational Efficiency and Acquisition Remain Top Priorities for Marketers in 2023—Study

AS activities will start to take off globally in 2023 in integrated marketing communications. Recent research has shown that ensuring operational efficiency could be one of the focus areas for marketers in the new year.

For example, a survey conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Emplifi, a unified customer experience platform, found that more than 80 percent of marketing leaders surveyed prioritize operational efficiency, the benefit of recruiting skilled marketers, and using agile technology, as their main -term strategic objective.

The study, which includes insights from 154 North American CMOs, marketing VPs and executives responsible for CX, marketing strategy, paid media or social media marketing, also revealed that macroeconomic pressures and the need for an integrated platform to host customer data , have continued to challenge marketers to evolve and engage consumers with complex new social media channels and formats.

It also sheds light on how marketing leaders are growing their teams to overcome these obstacles, while also outlining where they plan to invest to achieve their goal of greater agility and efficiency.

Another important finding is the increasing popularity of digital marketing, as evidenced by the continued reduction of traditional advertising budgets.

It also predicted downtime for out-of-home advertising, such as billboards, with 37 percent of marketers planning to cut back in this area over the next 12 months. However, advertising and marketing on social media make up the smallest percentage of cuts at just 14 percent.

A notable revelation in the survey is the noticeable expansion of investment in social media marketing technology, with about three-quarters of respondents prioritizing social or digital advertising tools, while 66% invest in social media marketing platforms.

Emplifi’s CMO, Zarnaz Arlia, commented on the research, noting that as customers become more price-conscious, marketers will need to get even more creative with their campaigns to become the brand of choice for the modern consumer.

“Getting the right technology to facilitate collaboration and agility, and equipping teams with the right roles, will be critical as we enter the new year,” he stated.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN STAND