When I joined Acoustic as Chief Marketing Officer in September 2021, it was because I believed in the vision of the company and the power of its technology. Now, almost three years into my role, I’ve been part of our biggest product launch ever, welcomed new leadership, spearheaded revitalized marketing efforts, and helped shape our product and strategy roadmap. We’ve undergone rapid change all with the goal of meeting the needs of our customers—modern, B2C marketers—and if possible, I’m even more energized than I was on my first day. For those of you who know me, you know that’s saying a lot.

Understanding marketers’ needs

 

It all starts with a simple foundation: we recognize the challenges marketers face in an era of uncertainty and rapid technological advancement. The rise of new platforms like TikTok, coupled with shifting macroeconomic conditions, has intensified the pressure on marketers to deliver tangible ROI with limited resources. In fact, recent research finds that marketing technology’s share of budgets has decreased, signaling the need for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

In response to these challenges, we’ve invested heavily in developing the Acoustic Connect platform and supporting resources. This comprehensive solution combines multichannel marketing, journey orchestration, customer insights, and most recently, customer data management to help marketers form deeper connections with their customers. Our goal is simple: enable marketers to capture, analyze, and act on customer insights more effectively than ever before.

Empowering marketers

 

Among the shifting marketing landscape, first-party data has become critical to creating privacy-first, personalized customer experiences. Even though the deprecation of third-party cookies is no longer happening, the time to invest in first-party data is now.

First-party data gives marketers the ability to act on the information that consumers want and expect you to have, helping create experiences that are personalized while being privacy-compliant. With consumers increasingly wary of how their data is shared and used, creating an engagement strategy that prioritizes privacy can be a key differentiator for your brand.

According to our recently commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Acoustic, marketers expect a range of benefits from incorporating first-party behavioral data into their marketing strategy, including positive impacts to customer acquisition costs (83%), customer satisfaction (78%), brand awareness (75%), conversion rates (73%), and ROI (72%). Yet while 75% of marketing decision-makers acknowledge the importance of real-time behavioral data, less than half currently collect this data.

With Acoustic Connect, we’re aiming to close this gap and enable marketers to realize the value of first-party data by helping them optimize the touchpoints consumers have with their brands’ owned channels. If you can gain a granular view of not just how consumers engaged with your campaigns, but why, it opens new opportunities to orchestrate customer experiences that resonate and drive conversion.

But we also understand that success in today’s marketing landscape requires more than just technology—it requires support. That’s why we’re investing in the range of professional services we provide to customers. Our Customer Experience (CX) organization has been reimagined to earn our customers’ business with each and every interaction. Within the CX team, we provide:

• Services: Experts who support our customers from implementation to product, strategic, and channel-specific consulting services, enabling you to make the most of your Acoustic investment.
• Success: To maximize value, we’re dedicated to understanding each brand’s goals, ensuring the successful use of our solutions, and helping you achieve desired outcomes.
• Support: Available 24/7/365, our Support specialists offer web, phone, and chat support, as well as personalized high-touch engagement models for organizations benefiting from dedicated technical assistance, ensuring we’re ready to meet our customers’ needs, no matter the challenge.

Outside of our CX team, we provide extensive education through Acoustic Academy, a reimagined Help Center for any self-service needs, and a redesigned Community portal to foster communication and collaboration between our customers.

These resources are designed to empower marketers to succeed by providing you with the knowledge and support needed to thrive in your role.

Sharing knowledge

 

However, empowering our customers requires more than providing support and educational services. It’s also critical for us to be active participants in the MarTech community. Whether through email, webinars, or industry events like the NRF and Shoptalk, we strive to connect with our customers and provide valuable insights that enable you to succeed every day.

Among the recent resources we’ve published is the commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Acoustic, Strengthen Customer Retention and Engagement with Behavioral Data. As I alluded to earlier, this global study aims to illuminate how marketers can update their first-party behavioral data strategies to not just compete in the crowded digital landscape but exceed customer expectations for personalized experiences, enabling you to meet your brands’ engagement and retention goals.

Plus, for any marketer looking to understand how your email strategy stacks up against others in your geography or industry, we’ve published the 2024 Marketing Benchmark Report, revitalizing a staple piece of content by not just providing industry benchmarks, but actionable tips and best practices based on thousands of brands’ email messages in 2023.

Looking ahead

 

As we look to the future, our vision for customer engagement at Acoustic is clear: to provide marketers with a holistic view of the customer journey and enable personalized experiences at scale. With Acoustic Connect and the direct investments we’re making in our customer community, we’re poised to deliver on the promise of “Be 1-1 with everyone.”

In the coming months, our customers can look forward to new capabilities within Acoustic Connect, new opportunities to connect with our experts to improve your marketing strategy, and new content designed to support the needs of your role whether you’re someone who strategizes, executes, or does a combination of both.

Acoustic is dedicated to empowering marketers to navigate the complexities of modern marketing and deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. We’re ushering in a new era of customer engagement—one where marketers have the tools and support needed to succeed.

If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to read the other installations in our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Blog Series:

• Reflecting on one year as Acoustic’s CEO from Mark Cattini, CEO

• 2023 in review: Accelerating our unified CX vision from Michael Taylor (MT), Chief Customer Officer 

• A new chapter in Acoustic’s journey: A personal note to our loyal customers from Chris Lanaux, Chief Product Officer

 

Updated August 2, 2024 to reflect that third-party cookies are no longer deprecating.