Data is the New Digital: Observations From the 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trends Report

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When Adobe surveys nearly 13,000 marketers you know they’re going to uncover some nuggets of gold. The 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trends report was done in conjunction with Ecoconsultancy to take a deeper look at what top performing companies are doing to maximize their digital marketing efforts. 

It appears the future of digital marketing is being built from the inside-out with web analytics, customer data and plenty of other metrics. It’s quite remarkable how using the data we collect from a variety of our internal and industry sources we can build highly personalized messages that make a lasting impact with customers. The term “data is the new digital” is something you’re bound to hear again in the years to come.

Let’s dig into the 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trend report to find out more.

Key Takeaways From the 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trends Report

Our fearless leader, Michael Ramirez Founder of SearchRPM, did a thorough review of the 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trends report to uncover the biggest takeaways. Here’s a look at six points Michael thinks are the most important for marketing in 2018 and beyond.

1. Putting customer experience (CX) first really pays off.

Happy customers are always good for business. People are the best brand ambassadors when they have a good experience. That's why, according to the Adobe study, customer experience is a top objective and the most exciting opportunity for 2018.

Customer experience (customer UX) can be defined as the complete set of interactions and engagements that a customer has with a brand. It includes online touchpoints such as video views, mobile and desktop content consumption, ecommerce transactions and emerging technologies like chatbots as well as online touchpoints such as in-store, in-branch, outdoor and experiential advertising.

Despite all of the new technological advances in digital media, customer UX appears to be the top priority for companies that are hitting their business objectives. This goes to show that at the core of some of the most successful companies, there's a tribe of happy customers.

Some top CX strategies noted by marketers are a cross team approach and taking steps to make the customer experience as personalized as possible. 

Stats You Want to Know

"Top-performing companies are 50% more likely than their peers to ‘have well- designed user journeys that facilitate clear communication and a seamless transaction’ (69% vs. 46%)."

"Optimizing the customer journey across multiple touchpoints is regarded as ‘very important’ by 71% of marketers globally."

2. Design is more important than it's ever been.

This takeaway goes hand-in-hand with customer experience. Great design is difficult to master, however it’s becoming increasingly important as users interact with mobile devices and other technology. Not surprisingly, 73% of companies are investing in design to separate their brands. The vast majority of companies believe design driven companies with brand differentiation outperform their competitors.

Stats You Want to Know

"77% of companies agree creativity is highly valued within their organization.”

“Companies who prioritize design are 69% likely to reach their business goals.”

3. Companies are looking for ways to personalize experiences in real-time. Opportunities to market in real-time are becoming a new demand for marketers in 2018 and coming years. This was the most popular answer marketers had when asked what technologies and trends they were most excited about for the next three years.

Stats You Want to Know

“Businesses with real-time optimization tools are 50% more likely than other business to reach their goals.” 

“Top performing companies are 2X more likely to use AI in their marketing.”

4. As digital marketing evolves, so does cost.

Digital marketing budgets are up in 2018. The trend indicates the right marketing channels are worth investing in and can help in executing business objectives. What are companies spending their marketing budget on? Content, AI tools and customer experience management are at the top of the digital marketing investment list.

Stat You Want to Know

“Two thirds of companies plan to spend more in 2018 vs 2017 and are 33% more likely to reach their business goals, especially if they can measure ROI.”

5. Marketing efforts will work more effectively when primary systems are integrated.

Few companies have their businesses tech in sync - and it affects the business in more ways the one. Half of all businesses surveyed say their tech is fragmented and disjointed. The disconnect leaves gaps in customer acquisition paths and impedes gathering key metrics that can help you make use of your data. 

Stat You Want to Know

“The 12% of companies that say they have a cloud based tech stacked solution are some of the elite companies in the study.”

6. Digital skills are in high demand.

It is abundantly clear that significant investment in digital skills and training is strongly correlated with high performance. Companies that hit their business goals are more likely to combine digital marketing skills and technology.  Attending industry conferences, hiring top talent in critical areas and creating a learning environment can help Austin SEO consultants with their digital marketing efforts.

Stat You Want to Know

“Top-performing companies are twice as likely to be investing significantly in digital skills and education during the coming year (45% vs. 23%)." 

Leveraging the Findings for Your Digital Marketing Campaigns

Our Austin SEO company is all about making use of data. Long before the Adobe Digital Marketing report we made it a point to focus on people and data to create a healthy strategy for meeting marketing objectives. The framework goes a little something like this:

• Build (customer UX, campaign, service line, etc.)
• Test (analyze the performance within the right time and budget)
• Collect (data from respondents involved)
• Optimize (for improvement, message refinement and begin the process all over). 

The goal is to keep clients ahead of the digital marketing curve with Austin SEO services that set the brand apart and cater to a targeted customer base. It’s everything the top companies of the 2018 Adobe Digital Marketing Trends report do on a daily basis.

Download the full report here: 2018 Econsultancy Adobe Digital Trends.