Smarter systems, not more ads
Companies today have many ways to reach customers, from social media and search engines to digital advertising and content creators. But spending more on advertising does not always lead to better results.
Marketing technology specialist Rajaie Al Marzooq said the real challenge is no longer attracting customers, but understanding what happens after they arrive. He said companies need connected marketing systems that link advertisements with websites, customer data, analytics and automation.
“The question is no longer how to reach more customers, but what happens after they reach us,” he said.
Advertising is only the beginning
Al Marzooq said advertisements can bring customers to a website or store, but they are only the start of the customer journey.
He explained that many companies spend heavily on advertising without knowing whether customers started a purchase, completed it, returned later or which product convinced them to buy.
Without this information, companies keep spending to attract new customers instead of making better use of the customers they already reached.
“The more we understand the customer journey, the better our marketing decisions become,” he said.
Data helps businesses make better decisions
Al Marzooq said customer data has become one of the most valuable business assets. This includes purchases, bookings, repeat visits, favourite products and customer behaviour on websites.
He said analysing this information can reveal opportunities that do not appear in traditional advertising reports.
He pointed to a case where more than 37,000 bookings were analysed. The results showed that many new customers, as well as the highest-value customers, first came through one specific service.
The company then shifted a larger share of its marketing budget to that service instead of spreading the budget evenly.
“At that point, data became a decision-making tool, not just a report explaining what happened,” he said.
Sales continue after the ad ends
Al Marzooq said a strong marketing system continues working even after an advertising campaign ends.
He gave the example of abandoned shopping carts, where customers leave an online store before completing a purchase. By connecting websites with email systems, customer relationship management (CRM) tools and automation, businesses can send follow-up messages based on customer behaviour and recover some unfinished purchases.
“This means the campaign’s results do not stop when the advertisement stops,” he said.
Keeping customers reduces costs
Al Marzooq said focusing only on finding new customers makes marketing more expensive over time, while customer data helps businesses better understand their existing customers.
By analysing buying habits, purchase frequency and customer value, companies can identify their most active customers, reconnect with those who have become inactive and offer promotions that suit each group.
“The goal is not to send more messages, but to send the right message to the right person at the right time,” he said.
AI works best with good data
Al Marzooq said artificial intelligence will help businesses analyse data faster, identify patterns, personalise messages and automate many tasks. However, it depends on the quality of the data it receives.
“AI can find opportunities more quickly, but it cannot fix a system that fails to collect the right data,” he said.
He added that the best results come when AI works together with customer data, analytics and automation in one connected system.
Marketing and technology now work together
Al Marzooq said marketing is no longer separate from technology. Websites, CRM systems, email, analytics, dashboards, automation and AI have all become part of the customer experience.
He concluded: “Advertising can bring visitors, but the system turns them into customers, and data helps us understand how to bring them back.”
He added that companies do not always need to spend more on marketing. Instead, they need smarter systems that make every dinar and every customer more valuable.
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