Why automation is your greatest ally – if you use it right

As an agency owner or marketer, you’re in constant pursuit of two things: demonstrating return on investment and landing new clients. The past year has only intensified the necessity of these pursuits — especially the latter — as you likely tried to help clients through the challenges of the pandemic while shortening and digitising your sales pipeline.

When used properly, marketing automation can make your sales process more efficient and scalable. By automating tasks that...

21 May 2021 | Automation

Assessing the disconnect between email and wider marketing teams

It is estimated that around 80% of businesses use email as their primary communication tool, especially when it comes to external communications. Virtually every sector, over the past year, has found themselves being forced to make changes and implement new technology in order to adapt to the effects of the pandemic. And in response to the shift to digital, how companies choose to implement and use email marketing has become even more essential to drive revenue.

Yet, despite...

19 May 2021 | Best Practice

Are you dialling in? Best practice for virtual and hybrid presentations

The past year has brought a magnitude of changes for the marketing teams that most people thought would take a decade to take hold. The immediate impact of the pandemic was cancelled events, and sales presentations and marketing activity had to be re-geared for a virtual environment. Of course, the entire world of business communications had to change. 

The past year has condensed a huge amount of learning into a short space of time, and there’s plenty of best practice you...

14 May 2021 | Best Practice

McKinsey analysis: How is UK consumer sentiment changing – and what does it mean for marketers?

Our latest UK Consumer Sentiment Research, reveals that optimism for an economic recovery in the UK has reached its highest recorded level during COVID-19, having almost doubled since November 2020. The majority of vaccinated consumers expect routines to return to normal by the end of 2021 and say finances are already back to normal. As younger consumers receive the vaccine, greater spend and out-of-home activity will likely continue to increase.

Tellingly, UK consumers reported...

6 May 2021 | Best Practice

Why adding intrinsic incentives for eCommerce and social is key amid heightened consumer demands

Raise your hand if you have a wallet bursting with so-called “customer loyalty” cards. You likely have one for each supermarket, your favourite coffee chain, and maybe for the bookstore. With some brands upgrading to an app, you probably also have a smartphone screen full of their colourful icons. But how often do those loyalty schemes actually influence you to make a purchase? More importantly, do they keep you loyal to the brand?

The problem with most loyalty programmes is...

30 April 2021 | Best Practice

Why Covid-19 has taught content marketers the importance of going back to basics

Covid-19 has changed the way in which the world works and, like every other industry, marketing found itself in turmoil in March 2020. As consumer priorities and behaviours dramatically altered, marketing strategies naturally had to fall in line or by the wayside.

Brands navigated forward carefully, questioning whether they should pivot strategy for the climate or even continue marketing at all. Although many campaigns were inevitably scrapped after months of hard work, the answer...

29 April 2021 | Best Practice

The six biggest myths holding back insight-driven businesses

Between economic pressures and ever-dynamic consumer trends, the past year has driven businesses to be more agile. If we’re looking for a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s that companies have accelerated their journeys toward data maturity.

But what does this mean for marketing operations? Despite the challenges, more and more businesses have turned to data to help reframe their priorities and achieve greater agility. While financial investment in this area is high – over...

20 April 2021 | Best Practice

Never underestimate AI: How retailers can predict the unpredictable

From hoarding toilet paper to shops shutting their doors, it’s fair to say 2020 was one of the most disruptive years for retailers. According to the ONS, online sales grew by 46% in 2020, compared to the previous year. With consumer behaviour changing rapidly in response to the pandemic, retailers have had to adapt and keep pace with demand. This has been the perfect use case for automation, which has proved invaluable as retailers navigate a path through disruption.

The...

16 April 2021 | Automation

Three technical trends to consider for your data-driven marketing initiatives

As we look into the future, it’s important to remember that real widespread change happens slowly for such a large industry. People have been talking about assembling customer 360-degree views and utilising “big data” for closing in on 20 years, and articles detailing how effective and popular AI will be in marketing go back close a decade.

Which is not to say change isn’t happening, but that it comes gradually, in fits and starts as industry innovators latch onto a...

14 April 2021 | Advertising Technology

Three major mistakes marketers can make with cloud-based systems

An increasing number of companies have taken their operations remote in recent times. In fact, remote work is now being considered a prominent part of the new normal. Businesses are considering keeping employees remote indefinitely, resulting in the increasing popularity of cloud-based tools.

For many marketers, extended periods of remote work may mean that they need to consider total digital transformation and adoption of cloud-based tools. This is especially important as team...

7 April 2021 | Best Practice