Let’s talk Reconnect 2022, the marketing automation event of the year 

Along with key clients and fellow partners, Emakina’s Digital Marketing Team was invited to attend Reconnect 2022, Selligent’s annual global summit, held earlier in October. Selligent Marketing Cloud is an AI-powered marketing automation platform that helps you take personalisation to the next level. It works by activating your data to deliver unique and highly relevant experiences to users at every moment of interaction and across all channels and devices.  

The summit was an opportunity for the smart folks from Selligent to present their latest innovations, along with insights and trends about the future of marketing automation. It was also an opportunity to connect with clients and partners who specialise in this fascinating field. We have the scoop on all the highlights of the event for you right here! 

Key trends for the future of marketing automation  

Zero party data 

Cookies are so 2020! As the marketing world continues to embrace a more people-centric model, it’s imperative that brands work towards building relationships based on trust with users. With the end of cookies in sight, placing the focus on gathering zero party data will play a big role in helping brands get higher quality data – straight from the source. As The User Agency, we couldn’t agree more. The more relevant we can be, the happier we can make our clients’ users (and declarative or behavioural data will definitely help you get there!). 

Impact of Apple Mail Privacy Protection 

View rates are no longer reliable metrics, especially due to the changes to Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection. This poses the question: if we can no longer rely on those metrics, what is the alternative? Brands will need to shift their focus on the outcome instead and ask: was the goal fulfilled, did the conversion happen and if so, how? At Emakina, we have always believed in moving from Vanity metrics to real actionable metrics for business success. And yesterday was the best time to start.  

Loyalty and relationship marketing 

B2C marketing is more conversational than ever. There has been a distinct shift from transactional messaging to conversational messaging, meaning relationship marketing really is worth investigating and investing in for brands. User behaviour is showing that they no longer want to be followed or tracked – incognito browsing, PC cleaners and Adblockers have become the norm and it’s time for brands to change their strategy. How? Giving users a value exchange to enable them to see the value of sharing their data will make for a much more personalised experience that benefits both sides. Value exchanges include discounts, early releases, exclusive offers, loyalty programmes and prizes. The value of relationship marketing lies in bridging the gap between data and contextual engagement, ensuring brands can understand their users better by activating insights from the data and delivering personalised omnichannel experiences that users will appreciate. It’s a win-win! 

AI-driven efficiency & conversational messaging 

As AI technology continues to mature and become more reliable, it becomes more effective to use as a marketing tool. An area where this is particularly helpful for marketing automation is conversational messaging. The rise in popularity of conversational assistants means that customers have come to expect everything on demand – from the moment they visit a product page, to after the product has been shipped. Incorporating conversational commerce into your marketing automation strategy will lead to higher retention rates, more conversions and increased customer satisfaction. Conversational messaging driven by the efficiency of AI presents the perfect two-way street to gain quality data and give users what they’re looking for.  

News highlights from Selligent Reconnect 2022 

• The number of emails sent using Selligent is higher than ever, and the performance statistics are benefiting as a result.

• Selligent places great importance on involving its clients in the creation process of new features. They’re giving early access of new products to selected clients who can test new features of the product and give feedback for improvements before Selligent launches it to the mainstream – ultimately improving their product launch roadmap.

• The new Selligent Delivery Cloud (scheduled to launch in 2023) is an event-driven, API-first engine designed for more scalable performance and omnichannel perspective.

• The new Smart Content feature by Selligent Cortex AI uses state-of-the-art, machine learning algorithms to deliver content recommendations in real-time. It recommends each consumer and potential consumer the best content at any point in time, whether via email, mobile push, or on your website.

• Selligent launched Data Explorer, a new module that analyses the quality of the data we have in real time and gives insights into where you need to take action, for example when an update is needed. 

• The new Developer Portal for Selligent is the go-to for developers and is filled with information and specific features that allow them to test the API. 

The team from Emakina was thoroughly impressed by the latest announcements and insights shared at this year’s Reconnect. We’ve been proudly partnering with Selligent Marketing Cloud for more than ten years, using their platform to provide cutting-edge technical solutions for our clients. The partnership allows us to create better engagement with users and inspire action across every touchpoint of their journey. Interested in discovering how to implement and use the benefits of Selligent Marketing Cloud for your marketing strategy? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, we’d be happy to help. Contact us, and let’s chat marketing automation!