Marketing technology has become a fact of life, as new data from digital agency Squiz attests. Roughly two-thirds of senior marketers surveyed in Australia, the UK and the US have invested heavily in marketing technology over the past year, the study shows.

Another third of respondents said they have either invested a little to add to their existing marketing technology stack, or have taken their first steps in marketing technology.

• Content marketing (29% of marketers said content was top priority)—This entails providing educational/entertaining information that “grabs” people and gets them to engage with the brand. Content marketing tactics include webinars, how-to guides, blog posts and infographics, among others.
• Social media engagement (28%)—Shifting demographics and internet usage patterns are the culprit for increased focus on social. More than half (56%) of client-side respondents indicated that they’ll increase their social media marketing investment in 2017.
• Targeting and personalization (25%)—The value of personalization—such as an improved ability to connect customers with the most relevant offer or content for them, which leads to increased engagement and loyalty—is widely recognized. More than half (51%) of respondents plan to increase spend on personalization.