“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” —Bill Gates
Given the vast array of technology, data points, channels, and tactics available, new technology and marketing automation has stepped in to help CMOs bring all their activities together and support the delivery of the ultimate customer experience. But has it really helped so far? Or has it simply created another overwhelming challenge for the CMO who now must become a technology expert to apply it efficiently?
The above is an excerpt from a recently-released guide the Oracle Marketing Cloud created along with The CMO Club entitled the CMO Solution Guide to Leveraging New Technology and Marketing Platforms. The guide, which I co-authored, contains results of a survey of over 100 marketing leaders plus the five key solutions we identified to help CMOs and marketing leaders tackle the challenge of providing a seamless customer experience across all marketing channels via the use of technology – the right technology that is.
Nothing New Here
Kevin Akeroyd, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Marketing Cloud recently wrote in a Forbes piece that “the need to become customer centric isn’t new, nor is marketing’s responsibility to drive growth. In fact, the need to make the best possible use of content, the need for marketers to apply technology, the need to use data to drive insights, the need to prove marketing’s value and show ROI–none of those things are really new.”
He went on to add that “in the digital world, the unprecedented access to the customer that requires marketers to build lasting relationships on behalf of their brands has created a Wild West of vendors making big promises but all too often delivering a fragmented and obscured path to success.”
This may explain why, according to survey results, when asked how well they can truly deliver a seamless, personalized consistent customer experience across all touch points a mere 13% indicated they could do so using their current technologies and platforms.
And if you’re wondering why it is so vital to in fact deliver that seamless experience, consider the following:
The Solutions Identified
The CMO Solution Guide to Leveraging New Technology and Marketing Platforms identifies the following five solutions that will CMOs and marketing leaders meet the challenge head on.
- Be the Customer Champion Every Step of the Way (Understand the Customer Journey and Technology Requirements for Engagement; Engage the Organization; Create a Customer-centric Culture)
- Become BFFs with Your CIO (Speak the Same Language Collaborate in Person)
- Co-design the Optimal Customer-Driven Technology Roadmap(Foundation: Cross-Channel, Content, and Social Marketing Platform – Open or Proprietary? Data – Data Management Platform (DMP)
- Rethink Your Marketing Organization and Processes (Skills – Creation of New Cross-Functional Teams Talent – Data Scientist and Campaign Artist)
- Establish a System for Continuous Improvement (Results Oriented – Test, Learn, Repeat)
When the only constant is change, the new role of the CMO dictates the use of new technologies and marketing platforms to increase competitive advantage. There is an undeniable need for CMOs to be constantly vigilant when it comes to monitoring the technologies and platforms they utilize and depend on. The health of their brand demands it.