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As budgets rapidly shift to digital, a different type of marketing professional is needed: Marketo

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As budgets rapidly shift to digital, a different type of marketing professional is needed: Marketo

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Digital marketing accounts for more than half the total budget for a quarter of marketers in Australia and New Zealand and is growing rapidly, a survey has found.

A study conducted by Econsultancy and commissioned by Marketo shows the extent of the shift to digital marketing as one in three marketers said they are planning to decrease their offline marketing spend, while 60% indicated they will increase their digital investment.

Marketo Australia managing director, Aden Forrest says the research further highlights the need for a different type of marketing professional.

“Companies now recognise the role online and mobile plays in the customer journey. That means there’s a real need for marketers who are strong on analytics and up with technology, without losing sight of the customer experience,” said Forrest.

Despite the findings, many marketers and agencies are still struggling with how best to capitalise on the digital marketing opportunity with only 37% of respondents rating their organisation’s level of digital knowledge as better than ‘okay’.

Forrest believes the finding is both a concern and an opportunity.

“Getting up to speed with this technology can be a steep learning curve, but many who have grasped the opportunity are improving their market share as a result,” he said.

The report also shows a clear link between the eagerness for marketers to provide measurable returns on their investment and the drive to digital.

However, Econsultancy vice president, Jefrey Gomez believes these metrics are very short-term in focus.

“Brand recognition is seen as important by only 38% of respondents. It’s dropped a lot since the last survey in 2013 [when it was 59%]. I hope we’re not seeing marketers focusing on short term sales and forgetting some fundamental building blocks of marketing.”

The findings also showed strong recognition of the need for a more customer-centric approach to marketing, with 73% of respondents saying their company has improved in the area.

472 senior agency and in-house marketing staff took part in the survey in April and May. 46% of company respondents have an annual marketing budget exceeding $1 million.

 

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