Artificial Intelligence, Google’s Algorithm, and Gen Z – these are all terms we saw frequently in 2023, along with the revolutionary changes they brought to business in general and marketing in particular. With these advancements came new forms challenges of e-marketing.
In this article, we will review the most significant challenges of e-marketing that are expected to persist for many businesses and companies. We will also identify the dimensions of these challenges and how to address them effectively.
Top Challenges of E-Marketing
The past year was a landmark year for marketing. From the AI boom revolutionizing the entire marketing industry, to major shifts in content ranking criteria in search engine results, and the radical change in buyer behavior as Millennials and Gen Z increasingly turn to social media to discover products and services.
Experts predict that these five key challenges of e-marketing will continue to accompany us in the coming years:
1. Collaboration and Coordination between Marketing and Sales:
Alignment between marketing and sales teams is crucial for any successful organization. Companies with collaborative teams experience 27% faster growth and a 36% higher customer retention rate compared to those struggling with coordination issues.
However, achieving this collaboration is no easy feat. Approximately 35% of e-marketing experts consider poor communication and ineffective collaboration between marketing and sales as one of their biggest challenges.
The root of the issue lies in the fact that marketing and sales often operate as separate departments in large organizations. A gap gradually widens as their priorities and goals diverge.
Additionally, both marketing and sales teams collect and analyze data independently, rarely sharing insights with one another. This leads to difficulties in identifying which marketing and sales strategies are successful and which are not.
To tackle these challenges of e-marketing, it’s essential to hold regular meetings between marketing and sales teams. Establishing clear, shared goals alongside individual objectives for each team can help distinguish between the different campaign targets and expected outcomes.
2. Hiring Top Talent:
Recruitment is one of the biggest challenges of e-marketing, with 35% of digital marketing experts stating that finding candidates with the right skills is their top challenge.
Finding and retaining talented employees is expected to remain a significant challenge for various companies in the coming years.
This difficulty stems primarily from the boost demand for talent witnessed in 2023, which led to higher wages and intensified competition among companies to attract the best employees.
Another factor contributing to this challenge is the shift in employee priorities. Many employees are now seeking companies that promote work-life balance or offer remote or hybrid work options.
If your company does not provide these benefits, you are likely to face difficulties in attracting and retaining top talent in the years ahead.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Brand Development Plan in 2024
3. Understanding the Issues Your Audience Cares About:
With consumers becoming increasingly aware of companies’ policies regarding production processes and the allocation of profits, a new challenge of e-marketing has emerged. Consumers now prefer brands that support social and global issues.
According to a HubSpot survey, about 45% of participants believe that brands need to do more to support these causes.
This consumer trend indicates that brands supporting the issues their audience cares about can save time and accelerate engagement with potential customers.
So, why is cause marketing such a significant challenge of e-marketing?
Many e-marketing experts still struggle to find information on the issues their target audience cares about, such as environmental protection, pay equality, the right to education, and more.
Like most marketing activities, the solution lies in market research. Conduct thorough research to better understand your customers through surveys, monitoring buyer behavior on social media, and creating detailed buyer personas.
4. Creating Engaging Marketing Content that Attracts Potential Customers:
24% of marketers say that crafting and designing engaging content is one of the biggest e-marketing challenges they face. But creating content that attracts potential customers has always been a marketing challenge, so what’s new now?
In 2023, Google released a new update to its search ranking factors called EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), which consists of three metrics to assess page quality: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. The update introduced an additional emphasis on “expertise” as the most critical factor for page ranking.
This means that if you want to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results, you need to share unique and distinctive content that showcases your extensive expertise in the field.
5. Acquiring and Retaining Followers
Your audience spends a significant amount of time on specific social media platforms. However, all platforms suffer from content saturation, which leads to audience fatigue and makes them more selective in following accounts and brands.
This brings us to the fifth challenge of e-marketing: acquiring and retaining followers on social media.
Various strategies can help address this marketing challenge, such as analyzing direct and indirect competitors, using social proof within marketing content, and investing in out-of-the-box marketing strategies and ideas that rejuvenate engagement on your various platforms.
It seems that the challenges facing e-marketing will be diverse in nature. Some will be within the realm of the workplace and employees, while others will be related to achieving effective communication between the brand and its audience through content and various marketing channels.
Do you want to overcome these marketing challenges as quickly as possible? The solution lies with UFUQ Media and Marketing Agency. With over 4 years of experience working with dozens of businesses, companies, and institutions, we have helped them tackle marketing challenges, increase sales, and achieve leadership in their target market. Start a new year of success with Horizon, contact us today!
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