Hawke’s Bay is going online. Or should I say, Hawke’s Bay has well and truly gone online.
We conducted a survey a couple of months ago and we found that 9 out of 10 respondents think that online marketing now delivers the same credibility as more traditional forms of advertising
And they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is: 62% of respondents predict that online marketing will make up more than 50% of their total marketing spend within two years.
And a whopping 51% of respondents feel that online marketing is the most important factor in growing their organisation.
Other key findings:
- Use of online marketing tools is set to increase significantly over the next 12 months
- Spend on online marketing as a proportion of an organisation’s total marketing budget is predicted to rise dramatically
- Use of email newsletters, corporate blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts will grow between 30% and 47% over the next twelve months
- A high proportion of current online marketing tool users feel them to be effective
- The majority measure this effectiveness through direct and general feedback as well as sales enquiries
- Non-users are less likely to see their value. Between 35% to 46% of Facebook, Twitter and corporate blog non-users fail to see the benefit in doing so
- Personal use of social networking sites and readership of blogs is high, indicating a large pool of employees familiar with their features
- Attitudes to social networking are generally positive, both from a societal and commercial utility perspective
- Respondents generally acknowledge the growing importance of online marketing to the future of their businesses
- Online marketing is perceived as credible, effective and a key factor in the future growth of many respondents’ organisations