Conventional wisdom across much of the marketing profession is that their function is now in the late stages of transition from “traditional” marketing channels and practices and tactics to digital, and from outbound to inbound. Content is in, ads are out. Social media is rising, print is declining. Video is hot, direct mail is not.
But while there’s certainly truth in those observations, the evolving marketing environment includes numerous paradoxes and contradictions that must be navigated as well.
For instance: while nearly 60% of CMOs are skeptical about the effectiveness of their firms’ social media marketing strategies1, and 46% of B2B marketers aren’t sure whether any social channels have generated revenue for their businesses2, consumers nevertheless say that social media plays almost as big a role in purchasing decisions as does television3, and 84% of CEOs and VPs say they use social media to help make purchasing decisions4.
And there are many more anomalies and enigmas where those came from. How to keep it and sort it all out? Watch this blog for a series of posts highlighting the latest facts and stats about social media marketing, social networks, content marketing, SEO/SEM, B2B social media, digital marketing and more, along with key takeaways from the research findings.
Along the lines of last year’s marketing stats summer and blogging for business collections here, this series will share findings and insights from some of the top sources of digital and web marketing research, including MarketingProfs, MediaPost, the Pew Research Center, v3 Broadsuite, Social Media Examiner, Simply Measured, and many others.
The reporting and revelations kick off tomorrow with 47 Superb Social Media Marketing Stats and Facts.
Enjoy!
1. CMOs Will Spend More On Social Media, But Still Struggle With ROI, MediaPost
2. Which Digital Marketing Tactic Has the Biggest Revenue Impact?, MarketingProfs
3. What the Changing Role of Social-Media Influence Means for Brands, (Advertising Age)
4. The Death of the Sales Funnel [Infographic], Lenati
Jose Tejada says
Very interesting statistics, specially the one referring to social media marketing in the B2B industry, where the KPIs are based on lead generation mainly. Social media platforms are not friendly for B2B (except for LinkedIn) making this relationship a bit complex. However, lately I’ve seen B2B marketers turning their attention to Social Media. The key here is to measure the right conversion keeping in mind the stage in the purchase funnel to avoid misinterpretation of the success of a campaign. 2016 seems to be a good year for B2B and Social Media Marketing.
Tom says
Great observations, Jose. It’s essential for B2B marketers to be involved in social media, but the value is not primarily lead gen. Social helps B2B marketing with customer retention, customer service, brand awareness and brand preference. “Right conversion keeping in mind the stage in the purchase funnel” is well stated.