The Marketing Growth Triad: Data, Tech, and Creativity

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The modern business world has become more measurable and data-driven than ever before. As enterprises become more performance- and measurement-oriented, investors and business leaders are prioritizing increases in organic growth and market share to measure returns and success.

Although many marketing teams can feel the shift across multiple lines of business, it's been especially noticeable for B2B marketers.

As their roles have evolved, marketers have been tasked by their companies with driving business growth. In fact, 78% of CEOs are now relying on marketing leaders to drive growth, according to research from McKinsey & Co.

As spending across the global digital marketing market is projected to grow 9.1% by 2027 to $740 billion, marketing teams and agencies will only grow as a strategic resource. Using that knowledge, savvy marketing teams and agencies are evolving to execute new responsibilities that reflect top-line growth objectives.

A large part of that evolution is the incorporation of multidisciplinary teams and a new focus on a "growth triad" that provides a holistic view of marketing success.

What Is the Growth Triad?

Marketing's growth triad is an integrated approach in which marketers—with an integrated, multidisciplinary team—use data analytics, technology, and creative resources to inform a campaign strategy.

That team drives companywide goals instead of delivering on vanity metrics or KPIs siloed to one department.

Marketers that use all elements of the growth triad—data, technology, and creativity—typically achieve growth rates that are more than double the growth of their competitors.

Each of those elements must work closely together, however. It's crucial to unify the triad because each aspect of the trio reinforces the importance of the next. Yet, the elements are siloed in most organizations.

Let's explore each triad component and its role in driving sustainable, companywide goals.

A Foundation Based on Data and Analytics

Every marketing strategy should be targeted and measurable; it should also complement top-line growth metrics.

The traditional view is that data destroys or hampers creativity; however, it actually enriches creativity and makes the creative output more targeted and effective. Executives are hyper-focused on tangible and measurable results, and data can help marketers become more productive and orient their outcomes to top-line brand goals.

The first step marketers should take is to ensure that customer insight and market orientations are at the core of every strategic decision. Keeping data at the heart of strategy development provides marketing teams with a North Star to guide all future planning.

However, to accomplish that, they need a unified data strategy that provides one source of truth for the organization. It is critical to success.

For example, suppose audience data shows that a particular profile or group is more engaged than others. That insight could optimize your media strategy and creative assets to prioritize that group. The insight will also drive more targeted activity and produce higher-quality outcomes and leads.

Proper applications of data should feed into messaging development, customer-journey planning, ABM personalization, and more.

In short, every marketing output should be data-driven. Data should also optimize campaigns in flight and help you focus efforts on what is working to meet business goals.

Using Technology and Creativity to Achieve Results

Creativity and technology are where marketers use data insights to find ways to elevate "traditional" marketing activities. Although the marriage of data and creativity isn't a new concept, its application has evolved to bring audience insights to life and better engage prospects.

Once data has been captured and analyzed, the team's creative and technology reps use those insights to develop messaging and distribution methods to engage audiences in a way that resonates best with their needs.

When you're using technology to distribute creative assets and messaging, it's essential to understand to what end your team is using a specific technology in the first place. Marketers must ask themselves in what ways they can property use technology in their campaigns that will result in sustainable outcomes.

When applied correctly, technology can ensure that data-driven messaging shows up in the same places as our audience, in a relevant and engaging way.

All components of the marketing growth triad are inextricably linked. It's important to unify the components, because each pillar informs and enhances the next:

Data forms the foundation of a B2B marketing campaign.
Creative uses that data to communicate the organization's values and capabilities in a way that resonates with the target audiences.
Technology distributes that data-driven, creative messaging to capture leads, execute the campaign goals, and support the business.

Marketing as a Global Growth Engine

It's a brave new world for B2B marketing leaders and their teams. Both internal teams and external agencies are often seen as their brand's main storytellers, and they must find ways to connect the brand to business results.

Today's marketers must go beyond traditional lead generation and tie themselves to business growth outcomes.

The buying and selling process has never been more complicated than it is today. To respond effectively across multiple channels with timely messaging, marketing teams must possess high-quality data, the ability to analyze it quickly, and the ability to apply it creatively in a way that resonates with audiences. A unified triad approach will help brands meet buyers where they are when they want your services most, and it will naturally tie them closer to the rest of the organization.

As organizations prepare for more economic uncertainty, marketing teams will be critical in growing accounts to fortify the business. Those who've adopted the triad model will be more likely to succeed.

By adopting this model, B2B marketers will be able to not only provide flawless customer experiences but also secure revenue growth and increase loyalty over the long term.