Data-Driven Decisions Seen As Difference-Maker As Marketers Face More Competition In 2024

Almost three-quarters of marketers (73%) expect to face more competition this year, according to SurveyMonkey’s new “Marketing Trends For A New Era” study. 

That number is up from 53% last year, and with the numbers also up for increased team-performance expectations and job-security concerns, the study says there is a clear focus for marketers looking ahead. 

“If 2024 is a year of change,” the study says, “then that change is going to be driven by data.”

92% of marketers said they rely on data to make decisions, up 11% from last year, and more than half (55%) said they’re “prioritizing more personalized marketing experiences this year.”

“Instead of relying on third-party cookies to uncover customer preferences, marketers will need to collect first-party data about visitors and customers, and engage in more purposeful and customized conversations,” the study says.

Another top goal for companies this year was further adoption of AI. 69% said they were excited about AI’s impact on their job (with 17% both excited and worried). Their top AI uses were optimizing content (51%), creating content (50%), brainstorming content (45%), automating tasks (43%), analyzing data (41%), and researching (40%).

(Source: SurveyMonkey)

“Marketers who are concerned about job security are less likely to say they would use AI to generate content” the study noted. “Six out of 10 (59%) of marketers who are not concerned about job security said they would use AI to create content, vs. only 47% of marketers who are concerned about job security.”