The 10 Challenges Keeping Marketing Leaders Up At Night - The Daily Dose of Digital - 04/04/24

There's certainly more than 10 challenges being faced by marketing leaders at the moment! There's been significant shifts in almost all markets; economic crisis after economic crisis; changing tastes and perceptions; and so much more, not to mention the fact the last 12 months has seen an explosion in technological advancement (yep, AI, but also in many other areas like SEO).

Marketers already face unfathomably high burn out rates and poor mental health, and a new CIPD study has reported that 76% of employees have experienced some form of stress-related staff absence.

However, trying to collate the key drivers for these issues is a challenge. Search-driven content agency No Brainer has collected data from over 500 key marketing decision makers to reveal the 10 key areas keeping marketers up at night, shining a light on the key challenges being experienced.

So let's keep this really light and happy, huh? And get stuck in to the top 10 trials and tribulations being experienced so far in the first quarter of 2024.

TLDR: Here's the top 10 in short:

1. Search engine updates and volatility – 17%?
2. In-house skills and upskilling – 16%?
3. Anxiety of being replaced by AI – 16%?
4. Landing media coverage relevant to target customers – 15%?
5. Attribution and ROI – 15%?
6. Maintaining and growing visibility on search – 15%?
7. Lack of understanding about how we could use AI – 14%?
8. EEAT content, search rater guidelines and sourcing credible, trusted experts – 14%?
9. Market and competitor activity – 14%?
10. Integration of teams to deliver integrated/omnichannel marketing – 14%?

The top 10 in a bit more detail....

1. Google's Mood Swings: First up, we have the ever-changing whims of search engine algorithms, with a hefty 17% of marketing leaders sweating bullets over it. It's like Google's having mood swings, and we're all just trying to keep up without getting dumped to the second page of search results. The recent penalisation of subpar content thanks to the March Core Update? That's just Google throwing a tantrum (and trying to minimise surfacing AI generated trash), and we're all just here trying to make amends with quality content and SEO savvy.

2. The Upskilling Marathon: Hot on its heels, 16% are stressing about keeping their teams' skills sharp as digital tools evolve faster than fashion trends. It's a constant race to stay relevant, like running a marathon where the finish line keeps moving, trying to predict the next turn before it even comes into view!

3. AI Overlords Looming: Tied with upskilling, another 16% are having nightmares about AI swooping in to take their jobs. With the UK’s AI sector projected to reach a value of ￡2.4 trillion by 2027, there's a lot of pending complexity and change for industry leaders aiming to navigate AI in marketing.?It's like we're all starring in our own sci-fi thriller where the robots might win, and we're not ready to bow down to our AI overlords just yet.

4. Cracking the PR Code: Securing media coverage that hits the sweet spot with your audience is a puzzle that 15% are trying to solve. It's like trying to get into the most exclusive club in town, but the bouncer keeps changing the dress-code.

5. Show Me the Money: Also at 15%, proving ROI is as elusive as a unicorn sighting. Every marketer dreams of directly connecting every penny spent to clear outcomes, but it often feels like chasing rainbows. And with 2024 being the year that advertisers seem to finally be betting on brand (more, again), and cookies/attribution cause us more grief, it's no wonder this challenge looms heavy.

6. The Visibility Tug-of-War: Maintaining search visibility is a relentless battle for 15% of leaders, like shouting in a never-ending echo chamber. It's all about being heard above the din (especially with an influx of rapidly-created AI-powered content), and that's no small feat. With many more Google updates in 2023 and 2024, we’re seeing a sea-change in the search landscape, so it feels sort of inevitable this would be high on the list of marketers’ challenges in 2024, particularly as search-driven performance is a fundamental part of any successful business.

7. AI's Untapped Potential: A solid 14% are scratching their heads over how to harness AI's power without unleashing a Skynet scenario. It's like owning a Ferrari but not knowing how to get out of first gear.

8. The Trust Tightrope: Navigating the tricky terrain of EEAT content and credible sourcing is a challenge for 14%. In an era of fake news, earning trust is like gold panning – it requires patience, persistence, and a keen eye.

9. Keeping Up with the Digital Joneses: Market and competitor dynamics have 14% of leaders constantly looking over their shoulders, ensuring they're not left in the digital dust. It's the ultimate game of one-upmanship, where the stakes are sky-high (as are the risks of investing in the wrong 'big shiney thing').

10. The Integration Jigsaw: Lastly, getting teams to gel and deliver a seamless omnichannel experience is the puzzle 14% are piecing together. It's like conducting an orchestra where every musician wants to play a solo.

Have you experienced any of these anxieties as a marketer in the first few months of this year? I am pretty sure I've thought about almost every single one myself - but how are you approaching these? How are you resolving and creating opportunities from these challenges? Let me know in the comments.