How marketing management is adapting to digital transformation

Our digital age requires organisations to continually keep up with digital advances in order to remain relevant, dynamic, and competitive. Falling behind is, quite simply, not an option if profit, competitive advantage, goal attainment, and longevity is the aim.

As such, it comes as no surprise that a report by Gartner indicates that 91% of organisations are engaged in some form of digital initiative as part of their wider business strategy and roadmap, and 87% of senior leaders list digitalisation as a top priority.

Due to the complexities of digital transformation – and the lack of digital skills and know-how necessary for implementation – many organisations are still yet to fully harness the opportunities it presents. With that in mind, it’s the perfect time for marketing teams to upskill in the digital transformation space and use it to full business advantage.

What is digital transformation – and why is it important?

McKinsey & Company define digital transformation, also referred to as DX, as ‘the rewiring of an organisation, with the goal of creating value by continuously deploying tech at scale.’ It takes a long-term view, aiming to increase a business’ competitive advantage by, for example, reducing operating costs and enhancing customer experience. It reinvents how organisations serve their customers and markets via product and service innovations, and changes to business processes and business models.

Alongside this, other benefits include:

• more robust risk management
• a customer-centric approach
•  greater operational efficiency
• more effective use of budgets, labour, resources, and time
• constant, up-to-date navigation of business opportunities
•  accurate, data-driven decision-making
•  enhanced sustainability, resilience, and adaptability
• greater revenue generation.

The key technologies driving the digital transformation journey include: cloud computing; artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms; the Internet of Things (IoT); cybersecurity solutions; blockchain; big data analytics; no-code platforms; virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR); and robot process automation (RPA). While many of these technologies aren’t necessarily new, widespread uptake of DX solutions found its foothold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What does digital transformation look like in practice? A business undergoing a digital transformation process may begin building its social media presence, prioritising cloud adoption to support a remote or hybrid workforce, launching an e-commerce shop to sell products and services, or implementing digital tools to enhance automation and internal management – in any aspect of its operations.

How is marketing management evolving in line with digital transformation strategy?

While digital transformation can have seismic, positive consequences across the entire business ecosystem – from supply chains to remote working set-ups – marketing is an area in which its impact is particularly evident. Its techniques and tools empower marketing professionals to reach, engage, and convert customers more efficiently and effectively. This, in turn, can lead to better outcomes for marketing activities and overall business growth.

Digital technologies have numerous applications within marketing, including the optimisation of:

•  personalised marketing and forecasting – which leverages customer data analysis and various metrics to better understand customer needs, preferences, and behaviours, and craft highly personalised service offerings based on these insights.
• real-time data analytics – which provide instant, continuous feedback and tracking on marketing campaigns, events and key performance indicators (KPIs), enabling changes to be made and issues to be flagged in plenty of time.  
• engagement across social media platforms – which can be leveraged for community building, targeted marketing, content sharing, and customer engagement and interaction.
• customer relationship management (CRM) – CRM systems can be integrated with any number of marketing tools to create an in-depth holistic view of the customer journey (including interactions and histories), supporting better relationship management.
•  improved customer experience – using tools such as interactive landing pages, VR, AI chatbots, customers are exposed to immersive, interactive, responsive user experiences and enhanced help and support.
• omnichannel management – which supports a centralised experience and seamless integration for customers across all platforms and touchpoints and enables marketers to reach audiences with greater ease.
• task automation – reduce, eliminate, or streamline arduous and repetitive tasks – such as advertising campaigns, social media scheduling, and email marketing – freeing team members up to focus on more creative or strategic marketing tasks.

Each of these technologies can, and will, unlock powerful value propositions for your organisation and can be woven into your marketing methodology as required.  

How are marketing strategies likely to adapt to transformation trends in the future?

Digital transformation is far from complete: the future of marketing is set to be shaped further by our fast-paced digital era and the innovative technologies it brings with it. Adopting a technology-first approach is no longer a choice but a necessity, remaining the next logical, evolutionary step for organisations of all sizes, across all sectors.

Here are three examples of DX marketing trends to watch out for:

1. AI-powered marketing will remain centrestage in the DX space. Generative AI will continue to pave the way for marketers to access usable data and insights, leading to tangible actions and opportunities to capture consumer demand. Spotify’s Voice Translations pilot, for instance, uses OpenAI voice generation technology to translate English-speaking podcasts into other languages – while retaining the speaker’s speech characteristics – for a ‘more authentic listening experience.’
2. Consumer demand for ‘authentic’, ‘relatable’, and ‘raw’ content also shows no signs of slowing down – and social media platforms and digital channels will continue to play a critical role in disseminating content and broadening marketing reach. 75% of B2B marketers are investing heavily in authentic influencer marketing and storytelling that resonates with their target audience, and 93% are planning to amplify their B2B influencer campaigns.
3. Linked to this, social media commerce and shopping is set to reach new heights: Accenture report that social shopping formats will rocket to $1.2 trillion by 2025 alone. Features such as shoppable posts and in-app purchases are streamlining the customer buying journey, adding another dimension to their seamless brand interactions and experiences.

Join the digital revolution – and use its tools to get the most out of your marketing efforts

Master the new technologies and tools of digital transformation with Keele University’s online MSc Management with Marketing programme.

Blend theory with real-world practice on our 100%-online programme that’s been designed with the needs of modern business environments – and their multifaceted challenges and opportunities – in mind. You’ll gain a comprehensive, holistic understanding of what it takes to lead and manage complex organisations, with a specialist focus on developing your professional marketing practice. Explore key topics such as brand management, strategic marketing, business finance, operations management, people management, consumer behaviour and market research, on a flexible course that works around you.