Learn from this marketer survey if you match your peers in such areas as spending, hiring and accountability.
Eloqua Corporation conducted its 2008 "State of the Marketer" survey to uncover marketers' views of the industry today and into the future. Nearly 200 U.S. marketing professionals at companies ranging in size from $10 to $500 million in annual revenues participated. They came from industries spanning business and professional services, high technology, manufacturing, retail and hospitality.
Despite the sagging economy, the survey results indicate that marketers have a positive outlook on their contributions to their companies' success, and plan to significantly increase their budgets in the next three years as well as increase their staffs. Detailed results are below, grouped by topic:
Marketing spending trends
Eloqua asked:
Compared to three years ago, how has your spending for the following marketing media changed (print advertising, online advertising, Google AdWords, broadcast advertising, direct mail, email, social media, texting/SMS)?
Findings:
- There will be more online advertising growth than expected -- More than 40 percent of respondents said they have radically increased their spend in online advertising, indicating that online advertising is their most increased expenditure out of all marketing media. But only 23 percent said they have increased their Google AdWords spend.
- Texting/SMS spend is a lot less hot than anticipated -- Spend has stayed the same, according to 60 percent of respondents.
- Direct email isn't dead -- More people have increased spend on direct mail over the last year (26 percent) than on Google AdWords (23 percent).
- Traditional channels stagnant -- Print advertising, direct mail and broadcast spend stayed the same.
Three years from now, how do you anticipate your spending for the following marketing media will change (print advertising, online advertising, Google AdWords, broadcast advertising, direct mail, email, social media, texting/SMS)?
- Online advertising spend will continue to grow -- Among the marketers participating, 15 percent said they will radically increase their online ad spend and 90 percent said they will increase direct online ad spend.
- Other online marketing campaigns will be focused on -- Respondents said they will increase social media spend 78 percent; increase direct mail spend 74 percent; and increase texting/SMS spend 65 percent.
- More "traditional" marketing campaigns will lose budget focus -- Print ad spending will decrease 55 percent.
Overall, by what percentage has your marketing budget increased or decreased in the last three years (increased by more than 50 percent; 25 to 49 percent; 10 to 24 percent; 1 to 9 percent; stayed the same; decreased by 1 to 9 percent; 10 to 24 percent; 25 to 49 percent; more than 50 percent)?
- Marketing budgets have increased over the past three years -- Respondents indicate that 72 percent of them have an increased marketing budget with nearly 50 percent increased by more than 10 percent, and 11 percent increased by more than 50 percent.
Marketing efficacy
How effective are the marketing programs you run today compared to the marketing programs you ran three years ago (more effective; equally effective; less effective)?
- Marketers are getting more effective -- Sixty-four percent of marketers said they feel that their marketing programs are more effective today vs. three years ago.
Indicate how effective you, as a consumer, find each of these marketing media (direct mail, email, text messages, advertising)?
- Marketers view prospects' needs differently than their own -- Of the marketer respondents, 60 percent said they feel that text messages are not effective (for themselves), but ironically they still feel that they will increase their spending over the next three years by 65 percent.