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“One of the biggest challenges marketers face today is getting people to convert and stick with them as lifelong customers,” said Gene De Libero, chief strategy officer and head of consulting for marketing technology consultancy GeekHive at our recent MarTech conference.

There are several factors that can affect a brand’s ability to acquire, convert, and retain customers, but virtually all of them are based on one problem: segregation. When marketers are unable to properly engage with customers due to technology, data, or experience issues, their return on investment will inevitably decline.

Source: Gene De Libero

“There are some interruptions that are preventing us from getting to where a lot of people are converting and staying as long-term customers,” said De Libero.

Interruptions in your marketing campaigns should be resolved as soon as possible to avoid more serious problems.

Separate customer experiences

Most marketers know that the customer experience is important, but many don’t understand what their customers want or how to address the issues. De Libero highlighted this disparity with customers by presenting a Forbes study that found that companies that focus on improving the customer experience saw sales increase by around 80%.

“There is a certain separation because a customer request is not met,” said De Libero. “If we look at the statistics, the gap between what the customer expects from the brand and what they get averaged around 38%. It’s a gaping void. “

He added, “By the time these things happen, it will be too late. So why shouldn’t we start by making sure that our customers’ customer experience is as remarkable as possible? “

Separate customer data and analyzes

“While 80% of these marketers are excited about collecting first-party data,” said De Libero, “only a tiny percentage of them use data to deliver a full cross-channel experience to their customers.”

Source: Statista and Gene De Libero

In order to fix the disjointed customer experience, it is necessary to collect data. While much-needed data protection laws make collecting non-first-party data no longer that easy, a wide variety of tools and tactics are available to marketers to help them customize.

Unfortunately, far too few marketers use these resources, apparently due to quality issues and disruptions in the data collection process itself.

“If you look at the percentage of projects that use marketing analytics before making a decision, you can see that the use of marketing analytics to drive decision-making has decreased,” said De Libero. “Because the data quality is bad.”

Separate artificial intelligence and machine learning

The artificial intelligence and machine learning marketing space has exploded in recent years, largely driven by marketers’ increasing desire for automation. But far too few brands use these technologies.

“84% of digital marketing executives believe that artificial intelligence will improve their ability to deliver personalized experiences to their customers in real time,” said De Libero. “But only 17% use artificial intelligence and machine learning in the entire marketing function.”

These technologies can aid your marketing efforts by improving customer segmentation, automating time-consuming tasks, personalizing campaigns, and much more. Excluding them from the process could hinder customer growth, especially for corporate-level brands.

How to fix marketing disruptions

“The only way to increase sales, acquisition, conversion and retention is through amazing customer experiences,” said De Libero. “The customer experience is paramount – it’s the most important thing.”

He added, “The customer’s voice will help you promote this experience.”

Unified Marketing Strategy Diagram. Source: Gene De Libero

However, eliminating these disruptions goes beyond the customer experience – although this is the top priority. Marketers also need to unify every aspect of their campaigns to serve as a foundation for these experiences.

“If you can adopt these strategies – customer experience, content, data and marketing technology – you can combine them and have a solid digital strategy that you can rely on,” said De Libero.

“It’s the foundation for digital transformation, the foundation for marketing transformation, and so much more,” he added.

View the full presentation of our MarTech conference here (free registration required).

About the author

Corey Patterson is an editor for MarTech and Search Engine Land. With a background in SEO, content marketing, and journalism, he covers SEO and PPC to help marketers improve their campaigns.