75% of global marketers (primarily from the UK) rate SEO as “excellent” (32%) or “good” (43%) in terms of return on investment, according to [download page] a new study by Econsultancy in partnership with Adestra. Not far behind is email marketing, rated “excellent” by 22% and “good” by another 44%, making these the top 2 digital channels for ROI. Paid search (PPC) and content marketing also get high marks, although in-house marketers remain unconvinced about social media, offline direct marketing, online display advertising, and mobile marketing.
Last year, in-house marketers also rated SEO and email as their top channels for ROI. Interestingly, compared to last year, fewer marketers this year rate SEO and email as “excellent” or “good” for ROI, though. The same is true for social media, which didn’t have a solid footing in respondents’ minds to begin with. Channels being perceived more positively this year in terms of ROI are PPC, affiliate marketing, offline direct marketing, and online display advertising.
Looking further back to 2008, the proportion rating SEO (+1%), email marketing (flat), and PPC (+2%) as at least “good” have remained fairly stable. Affiliate marketing (-10%) has seen a drop-off in perceived effectiveness, while online display ads (+7%) and mobile marketing (+22%) have both seen increased efficacy.
On the supply side, respondents also rated SEO and email marketing as best for ROI, with SEO taking over the top spot from email for the first time since 2010.
About the Data: Over 1,300 respondents took part in the 2013 Census, which took the form of an online survey in January and February 2013. Retail (13%) and publishing (11%) were most heavily represented among industries. 63% of company respondents are personally based in the UK, with another 13% from other countries in Europe.
