The Mad Men era of marketing has given way to Math Men -- marketers who approach brand messages with growth hacking strategies revolved around data and technology.

We marketers have previously unimaginable technology at our fingertips every day that make us better at our jobs and drive us towards previously impossible innovation. A platform to segment audiences, one to analyze customer behavior, another to track results -- the list goes on.

Our technology toolkit is full of solutions that are deployed in the cloud and easily integrated that provide a sandbox of opportunity to test new strategies quickly and easily. The goals of every marketing team remain the same -- build brand loyalty, convert customers, etc. -- but the path to reach those goals is lined with some awesome new toys.

Today’s technology solutions help us personalize marketing communications, set and measure goals effectively, and above all, generate revenue.

Personalization Becomes Contextualization

The greatest benefit to all these shiny toys is the ability to understand customers in a whole new way. Creating a comprehensive profile of a customer allows marketers to deliver hyper-personalized messages tailored to that person’s specific wants, needs and habits. Marketers can now take those personalized messages and make them contextually relevant.

Not only can marketers understand who a customer is, but what they want and need in that very moment in time. New analytical and real time marketing tools give the ability to respond to certain signals and data -- like location. Using location data, marketers can make their brand’s websites smarter.

For instance, an airline website should provide a different experience for a visitor who has recently purchased tickets and is accessing the site on the day of their flight, than for a casual user browsing from home. With technology, it’s easier for marketers to understand customers, and deliver personalized, contextually relevant digital experiences.

Goal Setting and Measuring

With each customer interaction, a set of data is created, which marketers then analyze and review to help them determine future strategies. But, manually mining and interpreting the huge volumes of data that most marketers deal with on a day-to-day basis is impossible. With automation, digital marketers can more easily measure brand awareness and conversion goals and gain real time insight into what’s working and what’s not. Marketers are also finally able to measure goals in context of their impact to the business as a whole. With this instant balance check, organizations can go beyond measuring broad metrics, and strategically pivot strategies quickly to ensure marketing teams stay on track for success.

Driving Conversions

The ability to use technology to personalize content and measure results helps marketers reach their ultimate goal: driving conversions and generating revenue. Integrating a commerce portal into relevant and engaging web content is easier than ever. These commerce platforms are more than just transactional; they’re another opportunity to once again infuse branded content into every facet of the customer experience to build brand affinity and keep customers coming back for more.

Technology has opened up new doors for marketers looking to engage audiences online. This is an amazing time to be a marketer.