How Future Ready Is Your Digital Marketing The Digital Marketing Maturity Assessment
Management Summary
In this article we take a closer look at the individual disciplines and evaluation criteria of the Digital Marketing Maturity Framework.
The development stages of the Digital Marketing Maturity Framework
The Digital Marketing Maturity Framework is based on the one developed by BCG and GoogleDigital Marketing Maturity Model. The digital marketing maturity of companies is classified into the levels Basic, Advanced, Customer Centric and Holistic by the e-dialog framework. Companies at the first level, Basic, usually view users as a single segment, do not collect any data and view channels in isolation. The final level, Holistic, on the other hand, is characterized by the interaction of all channels, the use of key figures and advanced analyzes and the pursuit of a clearly designed and company-wide data strategy.
The 5 disciplines of the e-dialog framework in detail
To evaluate digital maturity, the following areas are analyzed in the e-dialog Digital Marketing Maturity Framework:
Consent
The legal framework in recent years has changed not only due to the GDPR, but also due to theDigital Markets Actor the most recent addition to theEU AI Actpermanently changed. It will come as no surprise to anyone that this has an impact on a large number of readers of our blog. All laws serve to protect end consumers, ensure transparency regarding the use, particularly of personal data, and protect the intellectual property of individuals.
It is not possible to conclusively state what influence the different jurisdictions have on digital marketing. What is certain, however, is that protecting personal information (PII) and therefore customer trust in your company form the basis for personalized marketing and communication activities. While the legal texts seem very complex and cumbersome to many, the good news is that the protection of personal data and the legally compliant collection of it can be implemented and ensured quite easily using a consent management platform (CMP). e-dialog works here with partners likeUsercentricsorOneTrusttogether and can support you in implementing a CMP.
As part of the assessment, the extent to which consent is collected and whether the declaration of consent is automatically taken into account for all channels is determined. Ultimately, consent must be thought of holistically and does not stop with the use of a consent banner.
Collect
Thecompliant data collectionrepresents the basis for the analytics area. Here, for example, it is evaluated who is responsible for the tracking concept, what data is collected and whether campaigns and customer data or campaign data are available in a system. Data availability and quality ultimately form the basis for data science and the machine learning or AI use cases and analyzes that are used.
Data
While campaigns and interaction data are one side of the coin, it is important to define a solid data strategy in the company and, if it does not already exist, to implement it promptly. In terms of digital marketing maturity, this primarily concerns the 1st and almost more importantly, 0 party data, i.e. the data that users of our products or services voluntarily share with us. This can be in the form of loyalty programs or surveys.
1st and 0 party data supports your company in personalizing the user experience and at the same time offers you the opportunity to enter into a transparent and appreciative dialogue with your users. Consumers are well aware of the monetary value of their data. You must take this into account when designing your data strategy and incentivize users in exchange for their data. An email address is definitely a data point that can be assigned a value and whose conversion can be measured.
1st party data has become even more important due to the elimination of 3rd party cookies. They are an essential part of the third category, campaigns, as they enable personalized targeting via digital channels such as programmatic and social through features such as:Customer Matchmake it possible in the first place.
Furthermore, the Data category evaluates how data is used in your company and what insights you derive from it. The analysis of customer data, e.g. in relation to customer lifetime values, offers further value that can be used for efficient user targeting.
Campaigns
The Campaigns category deals with your target group and how segments are formed to address users. For example, if you only use the targeting options of the respective platforms on which you advertise without including all channels or offline data, you may miss out on valuable conversions.
Furthermore, KPIs should be viewed holistically across all channels, both online and offline, and included in your campaign planning. Of course, this requires data availability and corresponding analysis options.
Change
The final discipline of the Digital Marketing Maturity Framework evaluates your organization and the associated structures. e-dialog uses a modified form of the frequently used but differently interpreted 3 Ps. In our case the 3 Ps stand for People, Processes and Platform. Only if the interaction of all elements is ensured can your marketing organization develop its full potential.
Other components in the Change category deal with the implementation of cross-departmental initiatives, such as collaboration between marketing and sales or logistics.
Conclusion
Establishing successful digital marketing across all channels, including all relevant data and touchpoints, in a customer-centric manner in the company is not a short-term undertaking. A suitable framework supports you in identifying the need for action and prioritizing initial initiatives.
The free e-dialog Marketing Maturity Assessment is updated based on legal and technological changes and should be repeated regularly, also to evaluate your own progress. Is your digital marketing fit for the future?Contact us!
