Six in 10 marketers perform some level of interactive marketing, according to [pdf] a study conducted in Q4 2010 by Unica. Data from “The State of Marketing 2011” indicates 10% perform interactive marketing across all channels and 50% perform it across some channels.
Of the remaining 40% not currently performing any interactive marketing, 23% plan to start in the next 12 months and 6% plan to start more than 12 months out, while 11% have no interactive marketing plans.
Organizational Structure Top Interactive Barrier
When asked to name the top three barriers to interactive marketing at their organization, the largest percentage of respondents (55%) said organizational structure, corporate culture or internal policies are not conducive. Another 50% cited disparate systems and data.
Lack of appropriate in-house skills, lack of budget, and difficulty working with internal IT all tied with a 33% response rate.
Social Media Tools Most Planned for Adoption
Topping marketers’ list for adoption during the next year is social media monitoring tools at 26%. A series of technologies to help marketers optimize interactions with customers follows, including cross-channel interaction management, contact optimization, and web targeting.
Web Analytics, Email Most Currently Utilized Tools
Web analytics and email are the technologies mostly likely to have been already adopted, followed by web content management, campaign management, and e-commerce. For each of these technologies, more than 50% of marketers say they are already using them. Despite the widespread adoption of these technologies, Unica says sophistication of use varies considerably.
9 in 10 Marketers Agree Comprehensive Suite Needed
Almost a combined nine in 10 (87%) marketers agree with the statement, “Marketing software is too siloed and missing important tools. As a result, marketing needs a more comprehensive and integrated application suite of marketing software in order to improve its effectiveness.”
The majority (62%) somewhat agree with the statement, while another 25% strongly agree. Among those who disagree, the majority (8%) only somewhat disagree.
Measurement Top Marketing Bottleneck
Measurement, analysis and learning is the most frequently cited bottleneck affecting marketers, according to other study data which indicates 57% of North American and European marketers consider measurement, analysis and learning to be a bottleneck.
About the Data: 279 online and direct marketing professionals participated in Unica’s Annual Marketing Survey. North America represents respondents from the US & Canada. Europe represents respondents from eight European countries that are large technology markets. 179 surveys were completed using the large random research panels and 100 surveys were completed from Unica-supplied sample sources of customers and prospects. Online surveys were conducted in Q4 2010.
