A host of changes to the marketing operations spaces has been introduced in 2023. With a key theme being doing more with less due to the unpredictable nature of the market and teams rethinking which tools they actually need in their tech stack, the data from our Marketo User Study helped provide insights into what Marketo users are prioritizing in 2023.
The study, conducted by MERGE in partnership with Adobe, takes aim at shaping the future of Marketo Engage. There were a number of eye-opening findings from this year’s report – for example, a staggering 80.3% of respondents reported challenges with team members having the appropriate training level to succeed in Marketo Engage. With 57.5% of respondents expecting their teams to grow in 2023, defining processes around training, onboarding, and development will be crucial.
So, what else was learned from surveying Marketo experts and what trends were identified from last year’s report? Continue reading to learn more about the key trends from this year’s Marketo User Study!
💡 Want to check out the full report, including the top eight takeaways from this year’s data? Download it here!
The battle of effectiveness versus efficiency
Last year, the data revealed that marketing operations professionals are more focused on effectiveness versus efficiency – yet their primary responsibilities are split between work that is about effectiveness and efficiency.
This year’s data reveals that effectiveness still wins; however, efficiency made significant gains in this year’s data, as we saw a 40% YoY increase in the number of respondents saying they are focused on efficiency.
When asked whether their organization was more focused on effectiveness or efficiency, the data revealed that:
- 48% are focused on effectiveness
- 39% are focused on efficiency
- 11% are not sure
The top responsibilities of marketing operations teams were tied to the increased focus on efficiency this year – we saw workflow process governance and optimization make this year’s list, replacing performance measurement, benchmarking, and analytics from last year’s list.
Most commonly cited MOPs teams responsibilities
- Campaign and lead management
- Marketing technology management
- Workflow process governance and optimization
Least cited MOPs team responsibilities:
- Eliciting a culture of collaboration
- Financial planning and budget management
- Customer/marketing/competitive intelligence research and insights
Marketo’s impact on business growth
Last year, we found that when asked how important is Marketo Engage to your business growth in the last 12 months, 82.5% answered important or extremely important. This year’s data reveals that Marketo remains crucial to business growth:
- 83% of respondents met their business goals in the last year
- 3 out of 4 respondents have seen a lift in revenue as a result of Marketo
- 63% plan on increasing the utilization of Marketo’s features and capabilities
Data from 2023 also revealed that users are experimenting with which Marketo features they should utilize to support their business growth, as there was a significant increase in respondents who said they will start using sales partnerships. We also saw a significant increase in those who said they will start using experience automation.
Marketing operations teams are growing
There was a 60% increase from 2022 when individuals were asked “Do you anticipate your marketing operations team will grow or shrink in the next 12 months,” with 57.45% of respondents expecting their team to grow in the next 12 months.
With marketing operations teams planning to grow in 2023, we’re sharing some insights into how marketing operations teams are structured and the channels that these experts utilize on a daily and monthly basis to help you shape your training plans.
Is your Marketo operations centralized, decentralized, or hybrid?
- 52% Centralized
- 29% Hybrid
- 13% Decentralized
- 6% Unsure
Top marketing operations communities
- Marketo Nation
- Marketo User Group
- Marketingops.com
- MOPsPROs
What channels are leveraged for learning on a daily basis:
- Learning from colleagues
- Communities (ex. marketingops.com)
- Websites (ex. martech.org)
What channels are leveraged for learning on a monthly basis:
- Websites (ex. martech.org)
- Webinars
- Video platforms (ex. Youtube)
Want to learn more insights from the 2023 Marketo User Study, including the eight key takeaways? Download the full report here.
Does your organization need help achieving ROI from Marketo? Learn how the Marketo experts at MERGE can help. Contact us today!