Article

Chloe Basterfield
Chloe Basterfield 2 July 2015
Categories

Mind The Marketing Gaps In The Customer Journey

We take a look at some of the critical facts and figures of the report and offer key insights into how to create a joined-up cross-channel marketing strategy.

There is still a huge knowledge gap when it comes to understanding the customer journey. We take a look at some of the critical facts and figures of the report and offer key insights into how to create a joined-up cross-channel marketing strategy.

 

In this post I’ll explain how to find the holes in your sales funnel, how they got there and how to plug them.

 

The World is Now Digital. How consumers interact with brands has changed forever. Whether accessing your marketing via wearable technology during a commute or in the evening on a tablet, consumers expect to be able to access your content whenever and wherever they are.

 

But as Oracle Marketing Cloud’s third annual Cross-Channel Marketing Report reveals, many marketers are still struggling to create a seamless and consistent experience for consumers across all their channels. This leaves ROI-threatening gaps in their marketing strategies and failing to break down interdepartmental silos – all while revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of the customer’s journey.

 

The Integration Gap

 

67% of responding companies agree their priority is for all key marketing activities to be integrated across channels, but only 43% say they ‘understand customer journeys and adapt the channel mix accordingly’.

 

Most worryingly, only 30% of companies have ‘cross-functional/cross-silo teams to facilitate integrated marketing’, while a mere 19% have ‘measured the financial results of conducting cross-channel or integrated marketing’.

 

Fill The Gap By…

 

  • Ensuring you have a clearly defined strategy in place.
  • Creating a silo-busting team that promotes and coordinates individualised customer experiences across all channels.
  • Putting processes in place that allow you to measure ROI.

 

Danger!

 

With no ROI measuring facilities in place, marketers run the risk of the C-Suite reducing marketing budgets and crippling cross-channel marketing strategies in the process.

 

The Cross-Channel Gap

 

It’s more than a gap. Only 7% of client-side respondents say their organisations are ‘very much set up to deliver effectively orchestrated cross-channel marketing activities’. 49% state they are set up ‘to a certain extent’ And 35% of companies are ‘not really’ set up.

 

What is of real concern is the finding that 62% of organisations believe their messaging, execution and delivery strategies are fragmented across touch points.

 

Fill The Gap By…

 

  • Placing the focus on testing and optimising your marketing strategy to ensure cross-channel effectiveness.
  • Not obsessing purely on planning, design and content.
  • Ensuring that time is more evenly spent between different elements of a campaign to achieve maximum impact across all your channels.

 

Top 3 Roadblocks to Cross-Channel Delivery

 

  1. Lack of resources.
  2. No clearly defined strategy.
  3. Company politics/vested interests.

 

Seismic Shift, Ignored

 

51% of companies agree that they ‘focus on the customer not the campaign’. VS. 29% who disagree.

 

There are still companies who don’t realise that there’s been a seismic shift in marketing. The customer is now in charge, not the marketer.

 

The Mobile Gap

 

There is some positive news—the number of companies ‘integrating mobile into broader marketing campaigns’ is growing. In 2013 60% of client-side respondents had a mobile strategy in place, compared to 2014, where 76% of client-side respondents had a mobile strategy in place.

 

Missed Opportunity?

 

The focus on mobile—and its integration into marketing strategies—is still small when compared to the opportunities that the channel offers to marketers.

 

Remember:

 

  • Ensure you have a clearly defined marketing strategy in place that maps the customer’s journey.
  • Make your brand consistent and accessible to consumers across all your marketing channels.
  • Bust silos to ensure that all departments are working together seamlessly.
  • Ensure your marketing strategy isn’t paying lip service to the huge potential of mobile.

Put processes in place that allow you to measure and show ROI – otherwise the C-Suite could make swingeing cuts.

Please login or register to add a comment.

Contribute Now!

Loving our articles? Do you have an insightful post that you want to shout about? Well, you've come to the right place! We are always looking for fresh Doughnuts to be a part of our community.

Popular Articles

See all
Is Email Dead, Or Are We Just Bored With It?

Is Email Dead, Or Are We Just Bored With It?

In today's digital era dominated by social media, instant messaging, and collaboration tools, one question looms large: Does email still have a role to play? Some argue that it's on life support, while others...

Julia Herd
Julia Herd 22 November 2023
Read more
The Innovative Digital Marketing Strategies Leveraging AI

The Innovative Digital Marketing Strategies Leveraging AI

This article will assist digital marketers in grasping the advantages and disadvantages of employing artificial intelligence in their online marketing tactics. You will learn about the effects of AI on online...

joseph chain
joseph chain 17 October 2023
Read more
The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

Technology has impacted every part of our lives. From household chores to business disciplines and etiquette, there's a gadget or app for it. Marketing has changed dramatically over the years, but what is the...

Alex Lysak
Alex Lysak 22 September 2020
Read more
Marketing Emails vs Newsletters: What’s the Difference?

Marketing Emails vs Newsletters: What’s the Difference?

If anyone can clarify the difference between marketing emails and newsletters, it’s Alexander Melone, co-founder of San Francisco-based email marketing agency CodeCrew. But, as we’re about to find out, the distinction...

Alex Melone
Alex Melone 14 November 2023
Read more
Customer-Centric Marketing: The Heartbeat of Modern UK Retail

Customer-Centric Marketing: The Heartbeat of Modern UK Retail

The UK retail scene, with its diverse offerings from luxe brands to quaint local stores, is witnessing a paradigm shift: The rise of customer-centric marketing. This isn’t just about selling; it’s about understanding,...

Andrew Addison
Andrew Addison 21 November 2023
Read more