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.