More of what’s in store for 2018

Hyper-personalization

“The Internet is already oversaturated with content, so the marketers who can leverage data to offer a more relevant experience will have the edge. The big shift I see disrupting the industry will be hyper-personalization of content based on specific data attributes. For instance, when a new visitor lands on your website, they may see one of 15 different versions of your homepage. I also envision the ability to personalize 1:1 ad messaging based on CRM data, without leveraging designers to create multiple iterations of the same design. Think old-school mail merge for your ads. If you’re not getting personal in the next three to five years, you’ll likely be providing a generic experience for your users and losing out on conversions.”

Ashley Walsh, VP of marketing, Formstack

Putting data to work

“Nearly everyone has data, but few businesses know how to make it usable. Marketers will need to find ways to maximize its potential by uncovering insights and then finding an answer to the critical question: ‘Now what?’”

Mary Claire Mandeville,business development manager, Vennli

Influencer marketing expands

“For B2B companies, influencer marketing may live more in customer testimonials, video case studies and existing referral connections as opposed to hoping to go viral on social. Having a continuous stream of positive reviews and outreach efforts can create a large network of brand activists.”

Michael O’Neill, Brafton

Better measurement

“Look for marketers to account for measurement earlier in the process at the strategic planning level, as opposed to the tactical execution level. Instead of being guided by the endless amount of data that can be culled from analytics, B2B firms will start to identify smarter and sometimes unconventional ways to measure, which will ultimately drive better business decisions. This means marketers will increasingly start to rely on MarTech tools fueled by artificial intelligence to sift through the vast amount of collected data, but it will also mean a rethinking of what metrics matter in the first place.”

Tim Asimos, VP and director, Digital Innovation

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