No question strikes equal amounts of fear and confusion in marketers than this one. Marketing technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 5 years, ushering in a new era where big data, marketing automation and analytics have all combined to add a new dimension to the role of a marketer.
The growth of the internet has provided access to a plethora of information, resources and tools we couldn’t have imagined even a few years ago. It's also enabled many ‘professionals’ to enter a variety of online businesses and promote themselves as experts in their field. This has created challenges for businesses looking to hire these companies - how to discern between legitimate companies that really know what they’re doing and those that don’t.
Too often today, companies are eager to go to market with their latest and greatest widget even though they’ve put minimal thought into the strategic marketing aspects of their launch. As a result, they often lack a coherent plan to be successful. This occurs because many don’t fully understand the role market research plays in helping businesses make better decisions.