'Marketers bet big on automation, content mktg, video in 2018'

As the marketing landscape evolves, marketers bet big on automation, content marketing, and video in 2018, according to a survey.
"We've stepped out of a year where content marketing took centre stage, and Indian marketers got a flavour of what new-age marketing looks like, powered by data and presented in video," LinkedIn India Director, marketing solutions Virginia Sharma said quoting the LinkedIn survey, 'Marketing Team of Tomorrow'.
The survey was conducted among 779 marketers across India, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong between September and October 2017.
Sharma said, as 2018 begins technology will underpin all marketing activities, and teams will focus on outsourcing technical expertise while retaining an in-house focus on improving customer experience.

"This year, Indian marketers will do away with 'one size fits all' and will deploy high-quality 'branded content' and thought leadership content to gain customer trust and loyalty," she added.
The survey revealed that 97 per cent Indian marketers plan to expand their teams in 2018.

Along with team growth, marketers are increasingly looking for candidates soft skills in 2018, where Indian marketers rank cognitive skills (88 per cent) such as problem solving, critical thinking and strategy, and account management (89 per cent) skills such as communication, relationship building and time management, as the top skills they desire from new hires, it added.

The survey also revealed that 74 per cent Indian marketers plan to increase their budget for 2018, much higher than Australia (19 per cent), Singapore (25 per cent) and Hong Kong (33 per cent).
Marketing automation, content and email marketing, video content and influencer marketing emerged as top areas of investment for Indian marketers, it said.
It said, customer acquisition (92 per cent) and retention (83 per cent) were seen as the key areas of focus with regards to business outcomes.
Data Analytics (94 per cent), machine learning (91 per cent) and programmatic ad-buying (90 per cent) are the top three technologies, marketers plan to implement to support their marketing activities, it said.

Three in four Indian marketers feel very well prepared to deal with the impact of technology and 61 per cent see it as an opportunity for creation of new jobs and marketing roles, it added.