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Why Trigger-Based Marketing Is the Smart Play for the Future

Written by Sabine Kirchem | Sep 25, 2025 6:00:00 AM

CRM in Tiki-Taka style: Although it may seem unusual to use a sporting analogy, this one fits perfectly. The chapter titled “Trigger-Based Marketing: Tiki-Taka for Digital Customer Relationship Management” is about exactly that: an agile and connected CRM that's always responsive. Trigger-Based Marketing provides the ideal framework for this, offering a data-driven, relevant, automated and customer-centric approach.

What I took away from the chapter:

  • Triggers as Starting Points: Triggers represent key moments in customers' lives that make communication relevant and timely.

  • Three Process Steps: The journey to achieving the goal involves three steps: identifying triggers, evaluating triggers, and initiating trigger processes, structured yet flexible in execution.

  • Micro-Campaigning vs. Mass Marketing: The chapter emphasizes how companies can create a significant impact through small, targeted efforts rather than relying on mass marketing.

  • Linking Various Data: There are numerous data sources to consider, from birthday greetings to online behavior, and from PESTEL analysis to transaction data. The key lies in effectively linking these sources.

  • Trigger-based marketing serves as a tool for enhancing personalization and automation, while also acting as a catalyst for cultural change within organizations.

My conclusion: This chapter is a must-read for anyone who views marketing as a precise exercise rather than a relentless barrage of messages. It illustrates how intelligent trigger processes can make CRM faster, more relevant, and more customer-friendly, embodying the spirit of being "Always on the move. Always close at hand." 

🔗 To the book on Springer

This blog post is based on the chapter Trigger-Based Marketing: Tiki-Taka for Digital Customer Relationship Management by Marcel Hüttermann аnd Frank M. Hannich from the book "CRM Goes Digital – Design and Use of Digital Customer Interface in Marketing, Sales and Service," published in 2024 by Springer Gabler Publishing House.