Best and Worst Online Marketing Tactics [2/22/2008]

The 2007 ad:tech and MarketingSherpa study on online marketing techniques had some surprising, and not-so-surprising findings.

The study, taken annually for the last five years, surveys large internet marketers on what’s working in online advertising. It puts forth such questions as what marketers are suggesting to the clients, what do they plan to spend the most on in the coming year, what do they plan to scale back on, etc.

What’s Working in Internet Marketing?

Following are what some of the 421 respondents said was working:
SEO is growing fast in popularity. This could be attributed to its low cost/high-return ratio. In 2005, only 33% of internet marketers reported a high return on SEO marketing; in 2007, that number was 57%.

Thanks to the likes of YouTube, viral marketing is huge. This is perhaps due to its mobility and interconnectivity via other mobile outlets like cell phones. For this reason, 87% said they plan to begin or increase spending in this area.

The old marketing idiom of building your own list is still sage advice, as house lists paid big dividends for internet marketers.

Turns out that knowing the psychographics of your target market is still important, as behaviorally focused ads are still favored by marketers. This form of marketing experienced a 10 percentage point increase from 2006 to 2007 (34% to 44%). This form of marketing is projected to grow again this year.

What’s Not Working in Internet Marketing?

Email marketing has taken a hit as it seems consumers are have become accustomed to, and weary of, this marketing outlet.

Pop-ups, pop-unders and banner ads seem to be bottom-of-the-barrel online marketing options, as they were the least favored by respondents.

A Marketing Conflict

While 26% more marketers said they would be investing more in rich-media ads, only 7% said they had success with them in 2007.
Upcoming Trade Show: WebMetro will be exhibiting at ad:tech San Francisco April 15 – 17.

For more insight visit Online Consulting Services

Back to Article Listing  |  Email to a Friend