In anticipation of a stronger global economy, digital marketing––fueled by social technologies that interact directly with customers––is positioned to thrive in 2010: 81% of brand executives expect increases in the volume of digital projects during the year, according to a survey form the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA).
In addition, 50% of marketers plan to shift funds from traditional to digital media, and 78% say the current economy will actually result in more funds' being allocated to digital.
Below, other findings from SoDa's 2010 Digital Marketing Outlook.
Marketers plan to focus on social technologies in 2010: 45% cite social networks/applications as a "top priority," and 42% say it is "important."
The technology systems that marketers rely on are also a key concern: 44.5% of marketers cite digital infrastructure as a top priority and 52% say it is important.
Although social media is clearly a focus this year, after the budget cuts of 2009, marketers cite a range of digital activities at least "important," with only games cited as a low priority.
Nearly 20% plan to increase unpaid/earned/proprietary media, with nearly one-fifth of marketers reporting increases of more than 30%, a shift due in large part to increased emphasis on social media.
Overall, investments in paid traditional media are expected to remain flat or fall this year, while paid digital spending is on track to hold steady or increase.
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Website visit length is a key metric for marketers: 28% cite time on site as a top priority and 53% say it is important. Unique pageviews is also a vital metric: 24% cite it as a top priority and 52% say it is important.
Marketers plan to rely less on efficiency-related metrics like CPM (40% say it is less important) and others, including CPC and conversion (59% say they are least important).
About the data: Conducted by the Society of Digital Agencies, the 2010 Digital Marketing Outlook survey includes information gathered from over 1,000 executives from major global brands, traditional and digital agencies, vendor and service providers that operate in the digital space, as well as freelance and independent digital practitioners.
