STAMFORD: Brand websites, social media and online advertising are regarded as the three most effective components of digital marketing by executives in the US, according to a new survey.
The findings form part of the US Digital Marketing Spending report from Gartner, the research company. This is based on a poll of over 200 marketers from US firms with more than $500m in annual revenue in six industries: financial services and insurance, high-tech, manufacturing, media, retail and healthcare.
Some 45% cited the brand website as one of their top three responses to the question: "What activities contribute to marketing success?"
On a similar basis, 43% pointed to marketing on social networks and the same proportion opted for online advertising.
The report noted that the corporate website is unlikely to be displaced by a brand's social media presence anytime soon. "That's all the more reason for marketing leaders to continuously invest in testing and optimizing their websites, paying attention to all aspects — from customized landing pages to compelling content that encourages visitors to be engaged with your brand," argued the report.
And indeed, content creation followed next, with 35% referencing this activity in their top three responses. Then came commerce experiences on 37% and search marketing on 26%.
Email marketing and mobile marketing both attracted a response of 24%, and analytics 23%.
Overall, digital marketing budgets were found to average 2.5% of revenue, with a prediction they will increase by 9% in 2013.
And marketers are finding digital techniques more cost effective than traditional marketing, with 41% of respondents reinvesting the savings made into more digital marketing.
Some 28% said they had reduced their traditional advertising budget to fund digital marketing activities, while 27% had obtained incremental funding for digital marketing from other functions or business units.
The report called the reinvestment of savings into digital marketing activities a "smart move" and suggested "supporting a culture that is agile and keeps an open mind to testing new techniques and underlying technologies".
The findings form part of the US Digital Marketing Spending report from Gartner, the research company. This is based on a poll of over 200 marketers from US firms with more than $500m in annual revenue in six industries: financial services and insurance, high-tech, manufacturing, media, retail and healthcare.
Some 45% cited the brand website as one of their top three responses to the question: "What activities contribute to marketing success?"
On a similar basis, 43% pointed to marketing on social networks and the same proportion opted for online advertising.
The report noted that the corporate website is unlikely to be displaced by a brand's social media presence anytime soon. "That's all the more reason for marketing leaders to continuously invest in testing and optimizing their websites, paying attention to all aspects — from customized landing pages to compelling content that encourages visitors to be engaged with your brand," argued the report.
And indeed, content creation followed next, with 35% referencing this activity in their top three responses. Then came commerce experiences on 37% and search marketing on 26%.
Email marketing and mobile marketing both attracted a response of 24%, and analytics 23%.
Overall, digital marketing budgets were found to average 2.5% of revenue, with a prediction they will increase by 9% in 2013.
And marketers are finding digital techniques more cost effective than traditional marketing, with 41% of respondents reinvesting the savings made into more digital marketing.
Some 28% said they had reduced their traditional advertising budget to fund digital marketing activities, while 27% had obtained incremental funding for digital marketing from other functions or business units.
The report called the reinvestment of savings into digital marketing activities a "smart move" and suggested "supporting a culture that is agile and keeps an open mind to testing new techniques and underlying technologies".
Data sourced from Gartner; additional content by Warc staff
