As a marketer, you’re busy. We get it. You have a lot of priorities to juggle: • How many leads are you bringing in? • Which channels are providing the most leads? • Is your budget running low? • How are leads converting down the funnel? • How can you get the most accurate measure of ROI? At every turn, you need data—and lots of it. But in the past decade alone, marketers’ trouble with data has gone through a dramatic shift: instead of being too difficult to obtain, data is now too difficult to maintain. In fact, IBM reports that 71% of CMOs feel unprepared to handle today’s “data explosion,” saying that “most CMOs are struggling in one vital respect—providing the numbers that demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) for marketing.” 1 This survey report reveals marketers’ troubles and successes with data, and it reveals important trends that are defining the data-driven marketer. How We Did It… Our survey sample included 301 respondents. You can read more about our methodology at the end of the report, or click here to read it now. REPORT: 2013 DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING SURVEY 1 - IBM, “From Stretched to Strengthened: Executive Summary”
Transcript
As a marketer, you’re busy. We get it. You have a lot of priorities to juggle:
• How many leads are you bringing in?• Which channels are providing the most leads?• Is your budget running low?• How are leads converting down the funnel?• How can you get the most accurate measure of ROI?
At every turn, you need data—and lots of it. But in the past decade alone, marketers’ trouble with data has gone through a dramatic shift: instead of being too difficult to obtain, data is now too difficult to maintain.
In fact, IBM reports that 71% of CMOs feel unprepared to handle today’s “data explosion,” saying that “most CMOs are struggling in one vital respect—providing the numbers that demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) for marketing.”1
This survey report reveals marketers’ troubles and successes with data, and it reveals important trends that are defining the data-driven marketer.
How We Did It…Our survey sample included 301 respondents. You can read more about our methodology at the end of the report, or click here to read it now.
REPORT: 2013DATA-DRIVEN MARKETING SURVEY
1 - IBM, “From Stretched to Strengthened: Executive Summary”
RELATIONSHIP WITH DATAMarketers’ impressions of how data applies to their daily routine
MARKETERS GIVE THEMSELVES A PASSING GRADE.When asked to grade their relationship with data, marketers averaged a
DESPITE GRADING THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH DATA AS A B-, PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL CONFIDENT IN THEIR GENERAL MARKETING ABILITIES.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, �“I’m�confident�in�my�abilities�as�a�marketer”:
44% STRONGLY AGREE
46% AGREE
8% DISAGREE
2% STRONGLY DISAGREE
MARKETERS THINK THEIR CEOS ARE CONFIDENT IN THEIR ABILITIES.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, �“My�CEO�is�confident�in�my�abilities�as�a�marketer”:
35% STRONGLY AGREE
54% AGREE
11% STRONGLY AGREE
0% STRONGLY DISAGREE
ALMOST TWO THIRDS OF MARKETERS ARE OVERWHELMED BY THE AMOUNT OF DATA THAT’S AVAILABLE FOR ANALYSIS.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “I�am�able�to�handle�the�volume�of�marketing�data�that’s�available�for�analysis�without�feeling�overwhelmed”:
6% STRONGLY AGREE
28% AGREE
48% DISAGREE
18% STRONGLY DISAGREE
MOST MARKETING DATA SOURCES AREN’T CHECKED DAILY.Of the participants that report checking the following data sources, here’s the percent�that�report�checking�them�daily:�
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Business Intelligence Solutions 33.33%
CRM 26.40%
Marketing Automation 25.45%
Social Media 23.95%
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising 23.47%
Other 20.00%
Affiliate Marketing 15.79%
Web Analytics 14.38%
Corporate Blog 14.13%
Banner Advertising 11.76%
Email Marketing 9.47%
Surveys 5.69%
Webinar Platforms 5.19%
Video 3.88%
ACCESS TO DATAHow well marketers can access the data they use to make decisions
69% of participants agreed they would consume more marketing data if they “had more time to analyze the data.”
66% of participants agreed they would consume more marketing data if they “could see it all in one place.”
44% of marketers agreed they would consume more marketing data if they “had more time to collect the data.”
40% of marketers agreed they would consume more marketing data if they “could see it on any device.”
40% of marketers agreed they would consume more marketing data if they “could see it in real time.”
TOP 5 REASONS MARKETERS AREN’T CONSUMING MORE DATA
MARKETERS RELY ON DATA TO DO THEIR JOBS WELL—BUT THEY HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THE DATA THEY NEED.Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “I�rely�on�marketing�data�to�do�my�job�well”:
Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “I�have�access�to�the�marketing�data�I�need”:
MARKETERS FEEL THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE ACCESS TO REAL-TIME MARKETING DATA—BUT THEY AREN’T GETTING IT.Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “It�is�important�to�have�access�to�real-time�marketing�data”:
Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “I�can�access�the�marketing�data�I�need�in�real�time”:
MANY MARKETING REPORTS LACK KEY INFORMATION—INCLUDING ROI.
agreed with the statement, “The�marketing�reports�I�receive�lack�key�information.”
Of those lacking key information, 40%�state�that�ROI�is�one� of�the�missing�pieces.
MARKETERS ARE MISSING A WIDE ARRAY OF INFORMATION IN THEIR REPORTS.When asked what information was missing from their reports, marketers provided their own written feedback. Here are the top responses:
ROIREAL-TIME DATA
NEED MORE DETAILS CONSISTENCY
SALES INFO
LEAD FUNNEL CONVERSION RATES
DEEPER ANALYSIS
CUSTOMER DATA
CAMPAIGN-SPECIFIC RESULTS
CLOSED LOOP MARKETING INFO
MARKETING CONTRIBUTION
TO SALES
REVENUE FROM MARKETING ACTIVITIES
DETAILS ON SEGMENT PERFORMANCE
INCREMENTAL VOLUME
A/B TESTING RESULTS
MARKETERS WANT THE FREEDOM TO ACCESS DATA ON ANY DEVICE THEY’RE USING.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “It�is�important� to�have�access�to�marketing� data�on�all�my�devices�(e.g.,�computer,�tablet,�phone)”:
STRONGLY DISAGREE:3.5%
AGREE:44.22%STRONGLY AGREE: 23.11%
DISAGREE: 29.14%
MARKETERS WANT TO CONSUME DATA ON MOBILE DEVICES MORE OFTEN THAN THEY CURRENTLY DO.Here’s the comparison between the percent of time participants currently consume data on the following devices, and the percent of time they would ideally consume data on those same devices:
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
83% CURRENTLY66% IDEALLY
7% CURRENTLY20% IDEALLY
10% CURRENTLY14% IDEALLYSMARTPHONE
TABLET
DESKTOP/LAPTOP
MARKETERS FEEL THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THEIR DATA IN A SINGLE DASHBOARD— BUT MOST ARE OPERATING WITHOUT ONE.Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “It�is�important�to�see�marketing�data�from�all�our�disparate�sources�in�a�single�dashboard”:
Here’s how participants replied to the statement, “I�can�see�marketing�data�from�all�our�disparate�data�sources�in�a�single�dashboard”:
MARKETERS ARE REGULARLY FRUSTRATED BY HOW LONG IT TAKES TO CREATE MARKETING REPORTS.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “I�get�frustrated�by�how�long�it�takes�to�report�on�marketing�data”:
10% STRONGLY AGREE
52% AGREE
33% DISAGREE
5% STRONGLY DISAGREE
MARKETERS ARE OFTEN FRUSTRATED BY HOW LONG IT TAKES TO RECEIVE MARKETING REPORTS.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “I�get�frustrated�by�how�long�it�takes�to�receive�reports�on�marketing�data”:
7% STRONGLY AGREE
52% AGREE
35% DISAGREE
6% STRONGLY DISAGREE
EMAIL IS THE #1 METHOD FOR SHARING MARKETING DATA.
Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “I�report�marketing�results�through…”:
RETURN ON INVESTMENTWhat marketers are doing—and what they wish they could do— to measure the effectiveness of their marketing activities
AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE ORGANIZATION, MARKETERS ARE UNDER MORE PRESSURE TO TIE NUMBERS TO THEIR EFFORTS.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “My�boss�expects�me�to�provide�data-driven�results”:
AGREE » 47.92%DISAGREE » 12.5%
STRONGLY DISAGREE » 4.17%
STRONGLY AGREE » 35.42%
MARKETERS STILL STRUGGLE WITH CALCULATING ROI ON COMMON MARKETING TACTICS.Here’s how participants responded to the statement, “Our�team� knows�the�return�on�investment�(ROI)�for�the�following�tactics”:
EMAIL MARKETING ················
BANNER ADS ···························
LIVE EVENTS ·····························
SEO ·············································
SOCIAL MEDIA ··························
72%
54%
51%
51%
37%
28%
46%
49%
49%
63%
�Know�ROI������ Don’t�Know�ROI
THE MAJORITY OF MARKETERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ROI— BUT NEARLY HALF CANNOT MEASURE IT.82%�are�held�accountable for ROI on marketing spend— but only�33%�have�access to marketing contribution to revenue.
44% OF EXECUTIVES CANNOT EASILY ACCESS MARKETING’S CONTRIBUTION TO SALES REVENUE.Here is how executives responded to the statement, “Our�team� can�easily�access�sales�revenue�from�marketing�activities”:
10% STRONGLY AGREE
46% AGREE
23% DISAGREE
21% STRONGLY DISAGREE
ROI FACTORS INTO THE COMPENSATION OF THE MAJORITY OF MARKETING EXECUTIVES.Here’s how executives responded to the statement, “I�am�compensated�by�marketing�ROI”:
4% FULLY
50% PARTIALLY
46% NOT AT ALL
3 OUT OF 4 MARKETING EXECUTIVES ARE UNABLE TO CALCULATE SOCIAL MEDIA ROI.Here’s how executives responded to the statement, “Our�team�knows�the�return�on�investment�for�social�media”:
14.71% Strongly Disagree
61.76% Disagree
14.71% Agree
8.82% Strongly Agree
CONCLUSION
THIS REPORT REVEALS TWO IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF MARKETERS’ DAILY LIVES: THEY KNOW THEY NEED DATA, AND THEY OFTEN CAN’T GET IT.
IT’S AN UPHILL BATTLE AND THEY’RE FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT—ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. BUT WITH MORE ACCESS TO THE RIGHT DATA, THEY COULD DO BETTER.
ABOUT THE SURVEYThe participants, their roles and select characteristics
SURVEY PARTICIPANTSWe surveyed a spectrum of marketing professionals. The total number of participants was
TITLES AND ROLESAt all levels of a marketing organization, marketers deal with data. Participants in this survey cover the full spectrum of marketers, so the responses reflect strengths and weaknesses at all levels.
34%DIRECTORS
19%VP/SVP/EVPMANAGERS
23% 8%ASSOCIATE
6%CONSULTANT
6%OTHER
5%CMO
34%DIRECTORS
19%VP/SVP/EVPMANAGERS
23% 8%ASSOCIATE
6%CONSULTANT
6%OTHER
5%CMO
POPULAR TECHNOLOGIESHere are the most popular marketing technologies by percentage adoption:
83%
74%
68%
55% 54% 52%
46%42% 40%
36%
25%
18% 16%
5%
EMA
ILM
AR
KET
ING
SOC
IAL
MED
IA
WEB
AN
ALY
TIC
S
CR
M
SUR
VE
YS
BA
NN
ERA
DV
ERTI
SIN
G
VID
EO
PP
C
CO
RP
OR
ATE
BLO
G
WEB
INA
R
PL
ATF
OR
MS
MA
RK
ETIN
GA
UTO
MA
TIO
N
BU
SIN
ESS
INTE
LLIG
ENC
E
AFF
ILIA
TEM
AR
KET
ING
OTH
ER
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
COMMON WATERING HOLESHere are the most popular sources for industry information, listed by percentage of marketers that use them:
Top Websites: LinkedIn, MECLABS, MarketingProfsTop Newsletters: HubSpot, MarketingProfs, SmartBrief Top Blogs: MarketingProfs, Mashable, Content Marketing InstituteTop Associations: AMA, DMA, WMATop Events: AMA, Dreamforce, Marketo User Conference
