Salesforce just released its 2015 State of Marketing report, and the results are very intriguing for online marketers, recruiters, and branding professionals. As Salesforce put it: “Marketers are shifting attention from traditional metrics like conversion rates to metrics that better reflect customer satisfaction.” More fascinating findings are below.
Salesforce surveyed thousands of marketers around the world and found that the top metric for digital marketing success was “return on investment” at 32% — but followed close behind by “customer satisfaction” at 30%. “Customer retention” was just as important as “customer acquisition,” with both rated at 23%.
Marketers aren’t just engaging online; they’re listening, too
Some of the ways that companies are seeking customer-oriented success stand out to me. 44% are using social media engagement, which Salesforce separates from social media listening at 37%. Just a few spaces down, 38% of marketers use blogging as a strategy, 37% use videos, 31% use content marketing, and 15% use podcasts, of all things. This proves that there are a number of compelling, innovative, and just plain fun ways of reaching your audience online. I also find it interesting that social media listening rated a “very effective or effective” rate of 68%, the highest on the list, tied with email marketing. Are you using social media listening software in your marketing or recruiting efforts?
The importance of social marketing
Globally, the value of social media marketing is becoming more clear. 66% of marketers now believe social marketing is core to their business, and the same portion now have a dedicated team managing their social media efforts. Perhaps most significantly, the number of marketers who categorize social as a primary revenue source has doubled since last year.
What channels are brand using? The top five are Facebook (80%), Twitter (70%), LinkedIn (62%), Google Plus and YouTube (both at 56%). But the Salesforce report discovered a range of new or niche channels, including Line (11%), MySpace (17%), Flickr (20%), and Snapchat (13%). As for the most effective social marketing, only one site beat out simply “videos” at 81% — a site called Tagged, “the social network for meeting new people” (86%).
This proves not only that your organization needs to be on the “big five,” but that you should look for other sites that better reflects your brand or speaks to your audience. Along with text posts and blog articles, consider photos, videos, infographics, podcasts, and specific content for sites like Vine, Line, and SlideShare.
Mobile finally makes a big splash
Salesforce’s headline is “The Year of Mobile Has Arrived — For Real This Time,” and the numbers back that up. In 2014, only 23% of marketers were using some form of mobile marketing (like apps, SMS, or location-based functions). In 2015, that number has doubled to 46%. 58% of organizations (and 73% of US organizations) have a dedicated team for mobile marketing — which means that more than half of all brands have specific stakeholders for both social and mobile, a crazy concept five years ago. If your marketing department is too small, it may be time to bring in an agency partner to manage at least one of these important initiatives.
I also find it interesting that 35% of marketers consider just “brand awareness” a metric for success. That means that even non-profits or B2B brands without a retail location can still leverage mobile to expand your customer base and increase revenue.
Looking ahead to 2016
The cost of inaction in social and mobile marketing looks to climb higher. Three of the top five areas of increased spending for American companies are in social media; another is in location-based mobile tracking. When asked which technologies are “most critical to creating a cohesive customer journey,” 52% of marketers named mobile applications. And since responsive design can lead to a 130% increase in clicks for emails read on a mobile device, 68% of marketers say responsive design is “absolutely critical” or “very important” to their email marketing campaigns. Another 46% always or often integrate responsive design into their website landing pages. Thus, even “old” marketing methods like email and websites are being affected by social media and mobile devices.
According to the report, the third-biggest challenge for all marketers around the world is “remaining up to date with current marketing technology and trends.” Brandemix has had great success with online marketing, branding, and recruiting efforts with organizations of all sizes. Check out our portfolio or contact us for more information. And be sure to download the full Salesforce State of Marekting report here.
Jody Ordioni is President of Brandemix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
