The Role of IT in Marketing, and Why It’s Important

Technology has become commonplace in our lives. However, businesses can improve the way they operate by incorporating a culture of collaboration between their IT and Marketing departments. This will go a long way towards the integration of traditional and online marketing strategies.

Marketing and IT are not Separated

To many, there is a vast divide between the marketing department and the IT section. These two divisions have very different priorities. The goal of IT is to build sustainable, cost-effective computer networks. On the other hand, marketing chases a vision and has to ‘think big’ about strategies and how to implement them successfully.

However, there are few aspects of the modern business that do not incorporate IT in their daily running. Technology has become a familiar facet of the commercial world. This means that IT and marketing divisions have to interact and share strategic information.

Marketing utilises various IT systems, for example, Content Management Systems (CMS), Data Warehouses (DWH), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This usually involves massive projects and IT is involved in ensuring their smooth running and providing support for marketing activities. As technologies change and advance, the IT department is responsible for communicating with the marketing section on the opportunities this creates for new strategies. Additionally, IT helps marketing users with new apps.

There are also other aspects where the marketing department is dependent on IT. Areas of marketing automation that require IT involvement are behavioural email marketing and web personalisation. The IT section plays a critical role in the management of Big Data throughout the company. The ongoing enhancement of website design is an IT function that is of importance to marketing managers and their staff.

Being supported in the IT function is a necessity for marketing. Selecting a service provider is one of the decisions that a company needs to make. If you are looking for an IT company in London, Totality services provide Windows and Mac IT support. This comes with IT security services. Totality services offer IT support in London specifically.

Integration of Online and Traditional Marketing Strategies

Traditional marketing strategies should no longer be carried out in isolation from IT-related ones. Social media campaigns need to be integrated with on-the-ground promotions. Before even arriving at a strategy, however, marketing managers need to have a vision, which is aligned to the company’s mission statement and makes the most of their marketing mix. The next step is to generate information using the tools on the CRM system. The IT department should ensure that all staff members, whether working with traditional or online marketing, are fully trained on the system and know how to obtain useful data from it. 

The third step is to determine which content channel is most appropriate for different aspects of your strategy. Online and traditional marketing strategies can both be used in the same campaign. Make sure that the message you are sending on each content channel is aligned. 

The Future of IT in Marketing 2022

In 2013, digital media overtook TV as the top advertising medium. Thus, the role of IT in marketing continues to grow. There are three areas where budgets are being sought by marketers for 2022. These are content marketing, AI-generated content, and employee activation to create content. AI-generated content is still in its infancy, but it has generated growing interest in terms of using it to write blogs. 

With technology advancing rapidly, the importance of IT will keep pace.