Salesforce's new predictive analytics tools help you target using data science

Dive Brief:

Salesforce is offering its users deeper prospect segmentation and targeting capabilities with its new Salesforce Marketing Cloud Predictive Journeys, which includes Predictive Scores and Predictive Audiences.
The new tools combine CRM and marketing data with web browsing and email activity to apply analytics to predict next steps in the customer journey.
In other Salesforce news, it posted very strong Q3 numbers on Wednesday, exceeding both revenue and earnings-per-share estimates and giving its stock an immediate boost.

Dive Insight:

Salesforce Marketing Cloud users have new predictive analytics tools within a new feature the tech firm rolled out this week, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Predictive Journeys. The two new tools, Predictive Scores and Predictive Audiences, help with managing the customer journey by using real-time data from a variety of sources.

"With Salesforce Marketing Cloud Predictive Journeys, marketers can now go beyond simply meeting customer needs, to anticipating and greeting them at the next step of their journey as they arrive," Scott McCorkle, CEO of Salesforce Marketing Cloud at Salesforce, said in a release.

Predictive Scores “leverages data science to create smart profiles that predict each customer's likelihood to engage,” according to a Salesforce release. And Predictive Audiences “automatically creates customer segments, defining the best audience for any journey,” the release explains.

"Marketers want to put the customer at the center of their thinking and allow them to define each moment that matters. Now marketers can create smarter journeys that deliver the right content exactly when the customer needs it," McCorkle said.

Data is one of the main drivers in modern marketing, but having access to marketing technology (martech) tools doesn't always help cut through the noise. Marketers receive a large volume of marketing signals each day. The challenge, even with the use of martech tools, is being able to transform those signals into insights in a timely manner.

In a separate earnings earnings release, Salesforce revealed revenue at $1.71 billion, compared to the expected $1.70, an increase of 24% over the same period last year. And earnings-per-share was $0.21 up from the anticipated $0.19.