Only 13% of B2B interactive marketers say they have increased online display budgets in 2011 relative to 2010 levels, in large part due to perceptions of ineffectiveness, according to a new report from Forrester.

By placing such a small emphasis on display in their marketing mix, B2B marketers may be missing opportunities, Forrester finds.

Below, other findings from the report Making Online Display Marketing Work for B2B, based on survey of 252 B2B interactive marketers.

Roughly seven in ten (71%) B2B marketers surveyed say they used display advertising during the fourth quarter of 2010, whereas 86% of B2C marketers reported doing so.

Attitudes toward online display are negative, particularly toward ad exchanges, DSPs (demand-side platforms), and ad networks:

• Just 27% of B2B marketers say they anticipate increased effectiveness of display advertising via exchanges over the next three years.
• 21% expect increased effectiveness of display media via DSPs over the next three years.
• 16% expect increased effectiveness of display ads via ad networks over the next three years.

Given lengthy and complex purchase cycles, most B2B marketers focus display efforts on increasing brand awareness (49%), lead generation (46%), reaching key target audiences (46%), and driving direct sales (41%).

Only 20% of marketers focus display efforts on increasing site visits (e.g., using campaigns to drive clicks to lead-securing and nurturing opportunities such as webinars, whitepapers, and virtual events).

Still fewer marketers focus display efforts on driving brand favorability (17%) and customer lifetime value (14%). 

Looking for great digital marketing data? MarketingProfs reviewed hundreds of research sources to create our most recent Digital Marketing Factbook (May 2010), a 296-page compilation of data and 254 charts, covering email marketing, social media, search engine marketing, e-commerce, and mobile marketing. Also check out The State of Social Media Marketing, a 240-page original research report from MarketingProfs.

Online display is expected to account for 13.0% of total US digital spending in 2011, according to separate research from the Winterberry Group. Display spending is forecast to reach $10.5 billion during the year, up 13.0% from 2010 levels, driven by audience targeting and online video adoption.

About the data: Findings are from the Forrester report titled Making Online Display Marketing Work for B2B, based on a survey of 252 US interactive B2B marketers conducted in December 2010.