The "customer journey" is an often discussed but seldom understood concept, especially as it relates to how marketing impacts this journey. However, a survey of 4,000 marketers around the world shows that dedicating time and energy into understanding this journey pays off.

According to a new study, 65% of "high performing" marketers strongly agree their company has adopted a customer journey approach and 61% are actively mapping their journeys. Among the "high performers," 88% say a customer journey strategy is critical to the success of their marketing.

As consumers jump between online and offline media, effective marketers understand this journey and deliver marketing messages at the right time and place, resulting in more consumer actions (clicks, calls, store visits, etc.). According to the study, 73% said that this customer-centric strategy positively impacted engagement, which was the second biggest priority for marketers this year.