Making the most of your marketing budget is essential. Figures from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in the US claim to reveal the best and worst social media networks in terms of Return of Investment.
Results from the 2012 Digital and Social Media Survey, which the ANA carried out in April and May, have shown what the top social channels being used in marketing departments are.
YouTube has proved to be the platform registering the highest increase in usage by marketers on a year to year basis. 64% of marketers relied on this video platform in 2011, while up to 80% did the same in 2012, according to the survey results.
Facebook and Twitter
Even considering the latest additions in the world of social media, Facebook and Twitter are still the indisputable leaders in terms of social marketing. As many as 96% of marketers used Facebook to reach their consumers, while almost nine in ten (89%) used Twitter.
Another popular network used by marketing departments is LinkedIn, with up to 49% of companies relying on this professional network to reach their targeted audience. Finally, a third of marketers used Pinterest to communicate with their customers, according to the report.
Other forms of online marketing aside from popular social media platforms include 95% using their website to reach their consumers, 91% turning to email marketing and 89% relying on online advertising.
Marketing tactics with the highest ROI
Another key factor in marketing departments is the Return Of Investment (ROI) that the different resources bring to their business.
Although social media, mobile and online video are the three main players, more than half of those polled (53%) said that their major challenge is their lack of understanding about digital media and monitoring techniques.
Certain marketing strategies such as content marketing have proven to be very valuable in terms of ROI because they provide multiple benefits simultaneously. This is how publishing content for your website can benefit your company:
- To drive leads
- To build your brand
- To inform and engage your audience
- To boost your SEO and rank better in Google
- To increase your web traffic – and eventually your sales
- To improve your relevance and become more trust-worthy
“Platforms offering the most tangible ROI will be favoured by marketers moving forward. It is imperative for the industry to standardise measurement practices for digital, social and mobile markets,” said Bob Liodice, president and CEO at ANA.
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