Tracking the performance of web content could be an issue resigned to the marketing history books as brands prepare to splash out on new technology to conquer the challenge in 2015.

Investments in marketing tech have been on the up in recent years, and new data sees no reason for this to halt in 2015. 

A survey on 182 US marketing executives from web presence management firm Conductor shows that 65% of budget controllers will increase their investments in marketing tech this year. The report stated that marketers will need “huge swaths” of data to stay competitive in the digital world, and that their teams will need “data-driven minds” to assess how well their web content is performing.

But with fresh investments in marketing tech, aid could soon be on the way.

Tech spend rises significantly

While most executives are planning on bolstering their marketing tech arsenal in some capacity, the fact that 28% are expecting a “significant” lift in spend proves that companies are willing to get serious with the digital side of their external promotion.

Notes from Conductor’s report clarified that web content and the measurement thereof will represent a key aim for marketers as they look to tackle certain challenges head on. 

“Organizations that still make content decisions based on “gut feeling” need to step back and re-evaluate,” the report stated. 

“Of course, marketing teams need creative people to write compelling content, but they also need data-driven minds – the people with the data and measurement skills to segment an audience, identify content opportunities, and measure what is and isn’t working. Content marketing is most successful when data and creativity work hand-in-hand; ultimately, one just won’t work without the other.”

Conductor advised brands to go one step further by hiring personnel with skills that lend themselves to the data-driven approach, listing strong recruitment as a key tactic for digital marketing in 2015.

Company-wide philosophy 

The report added that in order for everything to fall into place, any existing members of staff – across the company – would need to buy into the same data-driven approach followed by the new colleagues.

The marketing executive vote paints a unanimous verdict in this area, with 90% claiming inter-department support for the focus on data and technology to be “important” or “very important” to digital marketing success.

Following this, Conductor urged companies to break down any long-standing silos between departments in order to cultivate the ground for new investments.