How Will Digital Marketing Transform in 2014?

According to a recent report by ExactTarget, the top three digital priorities for marketers in 2014 are: Driving increased conversion rates (47% of marketers surveyed say this is a top priority); increasing/improving brand awareness (46%); and collecting/measuring/using behavioral data (29%).

The 2014 State of Marketing snapshot was based on data from a survey of 2,500 marketers conducted in the fall. Other key findings include:

• 98% of marketers surveyed plan to increase or maintain their digital marketing budgets in 2014.

• The five top areas in which marketers plan to increase digital spend in 2014 are data and analytics (61% plan to increase), marketing automation (60%), email marketing (58%), and social media marketing (57%).

• The top three metrics that marketers plan to use to judge digital success in 2014 are conversion rates (67% of respondents), engagement rates (64%), and return on investment (61%).

• Respondents say their top marketing lifecycle challenges are increasing subscriber engagement and revenue (65%), acquiring new subscribers (58%), developing strong relationships with subscribers (45%), and getting the attention of subscribers who are no longer engaging with messages (42%).

• 58% of marketers plan increase their email spend in 2014, and 88% believe that email marketing does or will produce ROI.

• Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn were the most popular social media networks among respondents in 2013, but Google+ has the highest planned adoption rate in 2014 (18% of respondents plan to introduce).

Overall, marketers seem bullish on digital, with nearly all planning budget increases and expansion into new areas.

While many of the priorities cited stay constant from year to year (such as increased revenue), there does seem to be an increased emphasis in 2014 on analytics, conversion, and measuring ROI. This should bode well for both the effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing channels in the year ahead.

Discover what’s new in the new year for digital marketing. Contact MDG today at 561-338-7797, or visit www.mdgsolutions.com.

MDG is a full-service advertising agency and one of Florida’s top branding firms. With offices in Boca Raton, FL and New York, NY, MDG’s core capabilities include branding, logo design, digital marketing, online advertising, print advertising, email marketing, media planning and buying, TV and radio advertising, outdoor, newspaper, video marketing, Web design and development, infographic development, content marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. To learn more about digital marketing, contact MDG today at 561-338-7797.