Which marketing challenges are today’s execs facing? We surveyed 500 marketing executives to find out what it takes for success in 2018, and how they are preparing for the year ahead. They revealed their top marketing challenges, struggles and their biggest priorities for 2018.

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Top Marketing Challenges For 2018

By and large, when we asked marketing execs which challenges they’re anticipating for 2018, they named four standout answers.

1. Lack of Budget

When asked to rank their biggest internal challenge, most execs listed “Lack of Budget” as their top marketing challenge.

When you compare this to last year’s data, which showed execs’ number one challenge as “having the right talent,” it’s clear that “lack of budget” is a new and growing marketing challenge.

2. The Amount of Data in Their MarTech Stacks

When we asked execs last year if they felt overwhelmed by the amount of data in their tech stacks, 53% agreed. This year execs agreed even more strongly with that statement: 56% of execs feel overwhelmed with the amount of data in their tech stacks in 2017.

In 2018, execs will look to invest in marketing technology that can distill data into actionable insights.

3. Attributing Organic Marketing Success

It’s 2018, and yet 26% of execs struggle to attribute their organic marketing success to specific actions and team members.

As execs look to ensure they have the right talent and are spending their budget wisely, expect attribution to be top of mind.

4. Measuring Their Global Marketing Efforts

Only 51% of marketing execs agree that it is easy to get visibility into their global performance. For businesses looking to push into global markets in 2018, measuring global marketing efforts will prove to be a top marketing challenge.

So how will executives rise to meet these 2018 marketing challenges?

To tackle these challenges, marketing execs will up their spend on martech and shift focus toward content marketing as a priority for next year. In addition, expect to see execs continue to introduce new technology and prioritize organic search as a top channel.

Want more insights into executive strategies, top trends, and pressing challenges? Download our full report on the marketing and technology plans of 500 execs to find out more.