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IT is the Unlikely Hero of MarTech

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IT is the Unlikely Hero of MarTech

IT is the Unlikely Hero of MarTech

Mark Smith

Published on : Jul 11, 2024

If any department reported that they were only able to access a third of a new investment, it would be considered a failure, right? That situation is a reality in MarTech. According to Gartner, MarTech teams reported being able to successfully access just 33% of their total stack capability last year, a 25% drop from 2020. As proven ROI becomes increasingly important for all business investments, this needs to change.

To meet evolving customer expectations and make the most of their digital tools, marketers will need to change the way they operate. They will need to develop or onboard both data and technical skill sets—and fast. The easiest way to do it? Turn to IT.

Though the IT department is often thought of as its own entity, it’ll be the collaborative hero MarTech needs to launch into the new era of value-driven customer communications. Think of the unification of marketing and IT departments as the climax of a superhero movie when the previously solo heroes join forces. It’s an elegant and natural solution to one of MarTech’s longest-standing and formidable obstacles.

The ROI Pressure Cooker

Marketing teams are under intense pressure to demonstrate the return on investment of their investments. For organizations to be truly customer-centric and stand out in the market, they can’t just rely on their products and solutions. They have to be able to get those products in the hands of the right people at the right time to truly move the needle for the organization.

So what’s standing in the way of greatness for marketing and CX teams and the organizations they serve? One of the primary barriers is a chasm between how much data an organization is able to access versus its ability to actually process and use that data. The gap between generated and realized value in their stacks demonstrates “trapped value,” and trapped data represents a sizeable chunk of the shortfall.

Simply having access to data isn’t enough for marketing teams. They have to be able to use it. And that’s where most modern MarTech stacks break down. The average organization receives data from 28 different sources within its stack but, because of siloed internal applications, utilizes only a small percentage of that data.

This isn’t the fault of marketers. The technical skills needed to implement and integrate enterprise data haven’t been a part of their toolsets. Breaking down data siloes doesn’t fall within the typical scope of work for a marketing professional—but it does for someone from IT.

Another concern with any digital technology is cybersecurity. Security measures need to keep up with an increasingly interconnected world, and the typical marketing professional isn’t equipped to handle these needs. One of the most infamous breaches of the past decade, the Equifax breach, was the result of an attack on a part of a MarTech stack containing sensitive customer data. Data used by MarTech stacks often is comprised of the most private data, and it needs expert protection that many marketing experts aren’t equipped to provide.

The Dynamic Duo of Marketing and IT

By combining marketing and IT forces, organizations can see benefits beyond improved data processing and heightened cybersecurity. Collaboration with IT can transform unwieldy MarTech stacks into integrated mission control centers that enable all teams—from marketing and CX to growth and retention—the customer preference, behavior, and history insights they need to curate effective journeys and make more informed decisions. 

With pressure mounting to drive and demonstrate value, marketing leaders need to be armed with deeper data intelligence and sophistication. The combined data-driven analytics it provides will inform new, more effective strategies to connect with and serve end users, the gold standard in our data-heavy world.

By taking ownership of the MarTech stack, IT will be able to swoop in to free the data contained within it from its historically siloed existence, unlock newfound value for the organizations they serve and ensure that data security remains a top priority. It’s the first step toward the ultimate goal of organizations investing in data-driven MarTech solutions: to deliver the next generation of customer engagement.

The Power of Collaboration

While IT might not be the hero every marketer thought they wanted, IT will be the unlikely hero they need. To deliver next-generation CX tools and assets, marketing teams need unified systems that connect data from every corner of the organization. No, that doesn’t mean a “bigger stack”; it means a better relationship with IT.  By working together, marketing and IT leaders can tackle challenges head-on, drive unprecedented value and achieve feats they never thought possible.

 


Mark Smith

SVP, Customer Experience, CSG.
Business leader with 25 years in Customer Experience Management, Journey Orchestration and Predictive Customer Analytics.

Founded Kitewheel in 2013 - the inventor and market leader in Journey Orchestration. Gartner "Visionary" and "Cool Vendor" and 5x leader in the Forrester Wave. Acquired by CSG in July 2021 to power their CX Solutions division, where I now lead GTM.

Founded Quadstone in 1995 - the first data mining company to focus explicitly on the analytics of customer behavior, a "big data" pioneer 20 years ahead of its time. A Gartner "Visionary" business that was acquired by Portrait Software in 2005 to power the first integrated customer engagement suite. Portrait grew 350% in 3 years and was then acquired in 2010 by Pitney Bowes Software to drive their Customer Experience Management platform.

Specialties: Customer analytics know-how, omni-channel engagement expert, solution sales leadership, high-tech marketing. Regular speaker at industry conferences and events, and writer on Forbes Tech Council, CMSWire and other industry publications.

Loves: Ute, Anna, Lara and Elise; Running, Hiking, Cycling and Swimming; Patriots football, Sheffield Wednesday football, St Helens Rugby League; Wishbone Ash, Pink Floyd, Rush and Zeppelin