In May of 2015 we ran a Digital Marketing Survey and asked respondents to answer thirteen questions about their company’s digital marketing practices, both current and in the near future. For completing the survey, we offered a chance to win $100. Our survey winner was Ruby L. Congratulations, Ruby!
A few things we discovered that we weren’t expecting:
1. Snapchat may be big, but brands aren’t ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Only 5% of our respondents said they used Snapchat – and only 5% were even considering using it for their brand.
Why this surprised us: Snapchat has nearly 100 million daily active users and is the app of choice for anyone 30 or under – which is a huge demographic. So why aren’t more brands ready to jump on the bandwagon? We smell opportunity!
2. Near field communications may be the next big thing for brands. 46% of respondents indicated that their brand was looking into or was already implementing near field communications.
Why this surprised us: Not all consumers even know what near field communications is – think Apple Pay on your iphone or Apple Watch — but it may be time to get educated!
3. LinkedIn may be a bigger deal than we thought. It was the top choice for where brands planned on increasing their ad spend next year, and the third most frequently used platform by brands for social messaging – over YouTube and Google+, but after Facebook and Twitter.
Why this surprised us: Digital Marketers have been clamoring for us to create promotions for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat – in that order. Very few clients have asked about LinkedIn – but that sounds like it’s about to change.
4. Giving away a trip as a prize is not a brand’s first choice. Respondents indicated that their companies were more likely to give away cash and gift cards or electronics or sports/entertainment tickets over a trip or travel prize.
Why this surprised us: Many of the brands we work with have traditionally wanted to award trips as prizes, while consumers always seem to want cash more. Brands may finally be catching up to consumers!
5. Content is still king. Top spend on digital marketers list is still devoted to creating digital content to promote their brand, with Sweeps and contests coming in second, and premiums and coupons coming in 3rd and 4th, respectively.
Why this surprised us: It didn’t surprise us. But it did confirm our suspicions! The traditional marketer would have had this list flipped up until the last decade, when with the rise of digital, the role of content and SEO has overtaken other promotional tactics. Coupons and premiums used to be the way to go, but now it is content, with user generated content created in sweeps and contests next.
Check out our 2015 Marden Kane Digital Marketing Survey results infographic for more of the results.
Thinking about your next digital marketing initiative and need help? We can get you started.
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