Every year Salesforce release their State of Marketing report, and this year’s surveyed over 8,200 marketing leaders worldwide during May and June 2021.
Whilst the report is wide ranging, it’s clear that customer data continues to be a hot topic for marketing leaders, with a section dedicated to data, aptly titled: ‘Marketing is Spelled D-A-T-A'.
The key takeaways from the customer data section of the report include:
- Only 42% of marketers are completely satisfied with the quality and hygiene of their customer data which, as Salesforce point out, “marketers have made only marginal – if any – progress in improving data hygiene”
- Data sources continue to grow with an average of 14 data sources expected by 2022 from both B2B and B2C companies, showing a clear need for data governance and good data management
- 78% of marketers say their customer engagement is data-driven but only 33% are satisfied in their ability to create more relevant experience using customer data
- As third-party cookies are restricted, the popularity of known digital identities and transactional data is soaring with marketing leaders due to the value of reaching customers at various points on their unique journey with a brand
