Successful AI driven marketing strategies are inextricably linked to high quality data and efficient delivery thereof

Is your data strategy up to the challenge?

Learn how AI can help you reinvent your marketing operations

For those organisations already invested in the Salesforce platform, the introduction of new data and artificial intelligence (AI) tools promise many benefits such as reduced time to deliver, automation, innovation, improved agility and cost savings.

However, achieving these benefits increases the demand for quality data and tests many organisations’ data strategies.

In the age of total digital dominance, marketing success hinges on delivering consistent, timely, engaging, and relevant content. 

According to the Salesforce State of Marketing report, 78% of high-performing marketers identify data as the most critical asset for creating a cohesive customer journey. Yet, only 49% say they have a unified view of customer data sources. This significant disconnect underscores the challenges many marketing teams face. Yet, not many tend to understand the causative factors and the ramifications a company’s data idleness can bring along. 

What should organisations expect AI to overcome?

Timeliness is critical for digital marketing. Especially because AI driven insights can significantly improve campaign success. However, the journey from data collection to actionable insights is fraught with delays that can undermine marketing efforts.

• Missed opportunities

Data collection, transformation, and analysis timing are vital. Often, the window of opportunity has closed when the data is ready for marketing use. This makes the data outdated or irrelevant. It happens because of changing seasons or expired offers.

• Lack of agility

Achieving success in one project sparks the desire for adaptation and further learning. Yet, the need to restart the data preparation cycle for each new insight or campaign limits agility. It affects the ability to effectively test theories, experiment, and conduct A/B testing.

• Inadequate real-time response

The inability to process and act on data in real-time prevents marketers from capitalising on immediate opportunities. It also keeps them from responding to emerging trends, reducing the effectiveness of campaigns.

• Data overload

The sheer volume of data can overwhelm teams. It can lead to analysis paralysis, where decision-making is delayed.

The challenges of delayed data utilisation underscore the demand from marketing teams to streamline their data processes and adopt more agile methodologies. However, what prevents AI from delivering on the promise of streamlined marketing? 

Siloed disconnected data is the enemy of AI success

One of the most pervasive obstacles in the digital marketing landscape is the fragmentation of customer data across an organisation. For AI engines to deliver value to marketing platforms they need a broad dataset.  Where humans have in the past been able to bridge the gap between diverse data and disconnected systems, AI demands a higher level of data quality and integration.

These are the multifaceted challenges faced when harnessing this dispersed data for AI-driven marketing:

1. Siloed data access

A significant barrier for marketing teams is difficulty accessing siloed comprehensive data across different departments. Such information is crucial for crafting personalised marketing strategies.  Not making it available often hinders efforts to engage consumers.

2. Data engineering quagmire

Integrating and utilising disparate data frequently morphs marketing initiatives into intricate data engineering projects. This transition diverts the focus and significantly increases time, costs, and resources.

3. Integration complexity

Integrating data from various sources and platforms often requires complex technical solutions. It can be daunting for marketing teams needing more IT support. This complexity can further delay the deployment of marketing campaigns.

4. Data quality and consistency

Ensuring data quality and consistency across different silos is another significant challenge. Consistent data can lead to accurate insights and effective marketing strategies, diminishing customer experience.

5. Regulatory compliance

Navigating the maze of data privacy regulations such as GDPR becomes increasingly complex when dealing with siloed data. Ensuring compliance while utilising this data for marketing purposes adds another layer of difficulty.

Data fragmentation presents a multi-dimensional challenge that not only hampers the efficiency of marketing campaigns but also stifles innovation. Addressing these challenges head-on with strategic planning and the right technological tools can pave the way for more cohesive and engaging marketing efforts. Yet, the question remains: is your data game up to the task?

Salesforce has come up with a comprehensive solution

Matthew Baker, Avenga: Is your data strategy up to the challenge?

To address these issues, Salesforce has introduced Data Cloud. Data Cloud is a powerful data hub, collecting and centralising data that is natively integrated into the Salesforce product suite. This, when combined with Marketing Cloud, enables highly personalised and timely customer engagements. Marketers can craft experiences that resonate with the target audience, based on a unified view of the customer lifecycle.

The combination of these products drives:

• Efficiency
• Automation
• Agility
• Cost savings
• Reduced time to deliver

Next steps

Salesforce has come a long way to become a comprehensive solution for efficient marketing, and learning more about the evolution can help you take a closer look at how Salesforce professionals can help you reinvent your marketing operations (MarOps).

Depending on where you are and the maturity of your AI and associated data strategy, Avenga is positioned well to help. We offer strategic advisory, technology consulting, implementation and managed services.

If any challenges and ambitions resonate with you, and you would like to dive deeper into the capabilities of Data Cloud, or discuss the challenges your organisation has in relation to data and AI strategy, please contact us.

Sponsored by Avenga