In a recent survey, Adestra explored the attitudes of marketers towards emerging technologies, and their feelings towards adopting (or ignoring) it. They predicted that the research would unearth two distinct personas – the technophobes and the technophiles – and were surprised to discover that there were actually three separate camps. So which category do you as a marketing professional fall into, and what, if anything, should you do about it?  

'Marketing Reformists' are worried that marketing technology will lead to a loss of personal/human touch.

You are more likely to be a technophobe if:

• You outwardly appear to find new technologies appealing, but rarely consider adopting or implementing them within your business

• You prefer reading printed media, shopping on a high street as opposed to online, and tend not to use the vast array of apps and add-ons available for your smartphone

• You are happy to investigate upgrades, and improved systems for the technology you already use, but don’t think to try an entirely new tool for fear of the unknown

• You are highly risk and cost aware making you more likely to opt for simpler, and less expensive systems

What you can do about it:

• Don’t try to change too radically. There are some great aspects to being a technophobe, as you’ll be more likely to plan and strategise before overhauling an existing system – so don’t lose that attention to detail

• Invest in proper training if there are systems you use currently but don’t fully understand, and make sure you get a comprehensive overview of how new technologies would function if you were to adopt them – remember, knowledge is power

• Don’t associate technology with losing that “human touch”, but strive to maintain that if it’s really important to you. If you’re worried that a marketing automation tool will get rid of the warmth you usually convey in your marketing communications, make it your job to ensure that it doesn’t

'Marketing Revolutionists' like to plan big, creative campaign that make heavy use of technology.

You might be a technophile if:

• You LOVE technology, and read around the latest trends and developments for pleasure in your own time

• You make the most of the technology, apps and efficiencies available to you and are active on social media

• You purposefully seek out new systems to implement within your business rather than waiting to hear about them from colleagues or industry publications

• You relish in the nuts-and-bolts knowledge of any technologies you currently use, or are hoping to adopt

What to remember:

• Don’t alienate the traditionalists within your business; there may even be technophobes within your own team! Make sure they receive adequate training, and be patient if it takes them a little while to feel comfortable using a new system

• Approach implementation with a little of the cautiousness shown by the technophobes, and don’t just adopt a shiny, new, (and expensive) system for the sake of having the latest toy. Be sure that it will pay for itself in the long run by creating efficiencies, and generally making your marketing work better and harder for your business

• Don’t forget why you became a marketer – technology should give you the time and functionality you need to personalise, humanise and tailor your communications, not eradicate these qualities entirely

Alternatively, you’re probably somewhere in the middle if:

• You keep an eye on the latest trends and technology updates, but don’t immediately attempt to implement them, or make the case for doing so to your superiors

• You’re interested in using technology to assist your marketing efforts, but don’t normally build campaigns around it

• You ensure you are well-versed in the systems you do use, but don’t always know the ins-and-outs of emerging systems that you haven’t yet adopted

How you can build upon this:

• Start driving conversations around technology if you feel comfortable doing so, don’t just participate when prompted

• Retain your strategic approach to implementation: this will prevent you adopting unnecessary and costly new systems

• Try to get a more detailed understanding of technologies, rather than a general overview – this will make you more confident in any discussions you do have on  the topic

Know where you stand now?

Broadly, there is nothing wrong with falling into any of these three categories – as long as you know which one you most identify as. There are improvements you can make to all three approaches, whether it’s better understanding technology itself, or developing an awareness of the team around you, and how their approach to technology differs to yours.

What is sure is that this is the golden age of marketing, and technology is only going to become a bigger part of your day-to-day job, so it’s certainly worth devoting some time to in 2015 and beyond.

Download the full Adestra report Marketer vs. Machine