APRIL - 2023MARTECHOUTLOOK.COM19CXO INSIGHTSMEET THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE 21ST CENTURYBy Kyle Keith, Senior Vice President, Cadence BankIt has been nearly a quarter-century since the internet -- or more specifically, the World Wide Web -- entered the scene and changed commerce forever. Once the reality of buying and selling on the internet became clear, most businesses realized that they needed to adapt their marketing strategies to the new online marketplace.Thus began the era of digital marketing. What started out as relatively simple online banner advertising has now morphed into a wide range of digital marketing strategies and sophisticated technologies including mobile and location-based marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, hyper-personalization and one-to-one marketing, email marketing and more.In my previous article I talked about the tremendous potential offered by mobile marketing. Here, we'll examine digital marketing from a broader perspective.Influencing Purchase DecisionsSince the era of modern marketing began in the 1960s, the goal has remained mostly unchanged: to get close to and connect with customers and prospects in a way that influences them to buy your company's products and services.Today, these connections are getting harder to make due to the proliferation of digital touch points -- smart phones, tablets, watches and wearables, PCs, home devices like Alexa, you name it -- and sheer fatigue on the part of many consumers who feel bombarded by digital marketing messages. This makes it critical for marketers to hone their digital strategies and focus on the ones that will best enable them to connect with customers and prospects and influence their buying decisions.Research indicates that for the vast majority of products and services in the marketplace, most consumers start the buying process online. According to the GE Shopper Research Study, 81% of consumers now perform online research before making a purchase. Therefore, it's critical for marketers to provide a superior digital experience to consumers. The implications of a degraded introduction to the brand could be costly and have widespread and long-lasting negative effects on the business.Managing Digital Experiences with DXPsIn an increasingly digital world, these channels -- mainly the web, mobile and social media -- are the main ways that customers and prospects interact with businesses and brands today. Tech giants like Amazon and Google have conditioned consumers to expect relevant, connected experiences across these channels, so it's critical to make sure you can deliver them.Digital experience platforms, or DXPs, have emerged to help companies manage the creation, hosting and distribution of experiences across digital channels and devices. Content lies at the heart of every digital experience, from brand awareness through the purchase process and post-sale support. All these experiences must connect across every digital channel and device.This is where DXPs come in. With the right DXP, you can build and deliver enterprise digital experiences faster and more consistently. DXPs integrate content with other core technologies to seamlessly deliver relevant and personalized experiences across digital channels and devices.Kyle Keith
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