Offline vs. online marketing channels

When it comes to offline marketing channels, printed media, live events and direct mail remain the top preferences, with 71%, 70% and 61% of client-side respondents saying they use these channels, respectively. 

Following behind were television (47%), outdoor display (46%), radio (46%) and telemarketing (21%). Of these, television has seen the more significant increase in usage, with a 7% rise in use by marketers during the last 12 months. 

Online preferences seemed to primarily favour channels that are cost effective, measurable and offer a visibly high return on investment.

Email is the channel most-used by both client-side and supply-side marketers, with usage of 91% and 88% respectively.

SEO and off-site media were also very popular with both sets of marketers, followed by paid search and online advertising. 

Client-side: Which online channels do you use for marketing? 

Channels experiencing the most significant increases year-on-year among client-side marketers included email (+4%), off-site social media (+3%), mobile (+5%) and webinars (+7%).

However, it was video advertising that looks to be seeing the biggest growth in channel use at a rise of 11%.

In contrast, both online display, on-site social media and SEO experienced a decline in usage

Overall marketing budgets

In 2013, 29% of overall marketing budgets will be spent on digital channels, with 68% of respondents planning to increase their digital budgets over the coming year. 

Just under a third of companies will be maintaining an equal level of digital investment and 2% are planning to actually decrease their digital spend, showing the dedicated investment in digital marketing strategies

While 40% of respondents indicated they are planning to increase their overall marketing budgets during the next 12 months, only 16% of client-side marketers are planning to increase traditional marketing spend, and nearly a third will actually be decreasing their offline budgets.

When it comes to supply-side marketers, 42% are expecting to see an increase in clients’ overall marketing budgets, and more than half think budgets will stay the same. 

Seven out of ten believe their clients will be increasing their digital marketing investment, 29% see them staying the same and 28% reported that there will be a decrease in traditional marketing spend. 

By how much are you (or your clients) going to increase overall marketing budgets during the next 12 months?

Overall, 82% of client-side marketers who are raising their budgets this year said they will invest up to a third more in digital than they did last year.

2% are even planning to invest more than double the amount they spent on digital lst year. 

[Image credit: Jeepers Media]