Marketing is finally catching on with brands and it will be a long time before it dies out.
2021 is a disruptive year for marketing. Marketing, once considered a back-office activity, is now taking center stage, driven largely by the need for data management and digitalization, not to mention the widespread shift to remote work environments due to the pandemic. Companies are being forced to make difficult pivots in their marketing strategies, and they need powerful marketing tools to do so.
What will the year 2022 bring for Marketing? Here are my key predictions.
- The increase in the number of director level positions
A 2021 BrandMaker survey found that CMOs’ top priority is better integration of Martech tools, one of the core tasks of marketing operations. As the demand for marketing technology management skyrockets, 2022 will be the year more companies bring in marketing operations leaders.
- Formal training for marketing activities
Digital Marketing has only recently been added to university curricula around the world, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any classes that cover marketing operations. A quick Google search for “marketing operations training” will yield some results, but none of them are part of an accredited business degree program. While there are many institutions that offer training in specific marketing platforms like Marketing Automation, there is still a shortage of people with knowledge of marketing operations.
- Marketing will surpass advertising
While advertising has always been the largest part of marketing budgets, the function itself has become less relevant. Today’s B2B efforts are often focused on topics like ABM, community building, and product growth. While advertising will continue to be one of the most effective ways to reach audiences quickly, it needs to be more strategically and effectively aligned with other parts of the marketing mix to drive real impact.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM) will be integrated with Marketing activities
For many organizations, account-based marketing has seen its ups and downs this year. According to Google Trends, ABM search volume peaked in August 2021 and nearly halved in November 2021. Marketers quickly realized that many of the principles behind ABM, such as alignment, targeting, and personalization, are really just marketing practices.
- Marketing activities will receive more attention
Many marketing leaders are beginning to see that technology and data enablement are the keys to scaling and optimizing marketing. Marketing teams that are early to deliver MOP will be the ones who will gain a huge advantage in today’s environment. They will reap the benefits of investing in technology and data up front, and are now seeing marketing operate in a more strategic, organized manner.
- Data security will become a core competency of marketing operations
While already a top priority for enterprise organizations, data privacy will only take the top spot in 2022. According to Capgemini, 48% CMOs say better regulatory compliance is a top business priority. Many marketers are struggling to understand how to make their campaigns compliant in a way that protects customer data and ensures their marketing activities receive customer consent. Marketing operations professionals with expertise in this area will be in high demand, and data privacy will become a core competency for operations teams globally.
Summary
Marketing operations will continue to grow in size, scope, and importance as the need for data and Martech continues to grow. Companies and individuals who invest in developing that marketing operation mechanism will see big dividends in 2022 and beyond.
Which of these predictions about 2022 do you think will come true?
