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2020 didn't turn out to be quite what we expected, but I like to remind myself of a famous quote from Albert Einstein: "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

2021 presents marketers with an opportunity to take 2020's obstacles as challenges and improve their processes and methods of working. Four emerging themes in particular around analytical marketing technology will be the foundation for martech progress in 2021.

1. Optimization and modernization supersede complete transformation

Some martech vendors push a digital transformation agenda that's all about the "ripping and replacing" of software systems. Why not instead focus on the optimization of costs, the modernization of technologies and processes, and the revamping of marketing journeys?

Digital transformation is a process that takes years to complete. Instead of removing entire systems and starting over, in 2021 companies will focus on optimization and modernization through the use of analytics.

That will include the optimization of marketing resources, marketing program costs, and customer engagement processes, as well as an upgrade of marketing technologies to lean toward new capabilities: Think machine-learning, data collection and transformation, and channel convergence.

2. Machine-learning becomes mainstream in marketing

In 2018, I wrote an article stating that businesses hadn't yet tapped the full promise of artificial intelligence (AI). Machine-learning, which is a subset of AI, will become much more mainstream in 2021.

Machine-learning models will be used to better predict customer and prospect value—namely, the value of Marketing-qualified leads across Web and mobile channels.

Gradient boosting machines and random forest models will be used to better segment customers based on behavior. Better value scoring and classification will result in higher degrees of personalization and subsequently improved conversion rates on digital channels.

The capabilities mentioned in the 2018 article—product recommendations, loyalty programs, text and search, and digital advertising—will also fast-forward through an increased and improved use of machine-learning.

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Opportunity Out of Difficulty: Four Martech Trends to Follow in 2021

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Jonathan Moran

Jonathan Moran is a global product marketing manager at SAS, with a focus on customer experience and marketing technologies. He has 20+ years of marketing and analytics industry experience.

Twitter: @jmmoran12

LinkedIn: Jonathan Moran