In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, the focus of companies and their acceptance and implementation of artificial intelligence tools significantly impact their market presence. We journeyed through this landscape, polling a panel of 200 B2B companies across various sectors, and from this, we gathered insights on where they currently stand with their digital marketing strategies, incorporating perspectives from CEOs, salespeople, and marketing personnel.
What are companies currently choosing to focus on in their digital marketing strategies? How do they perceive artificial intelligence tools, and how are they implementing them?
50% of the panel participants work in their company's marketing department, 37% are marketing managers and 12% are marketing directors. The other respondents are mainly CEOs and salespeople.(*)
(*) Based on a panel of 200 B2B companies
#1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is digital marketing to your overall marketing strategy?
66% of companies gave digital marketing a score between 8 and 10. It is therefore an important or even very important part of their overall marketing strategy.
#2. What is the main goal of your digital marketing strategy?
| Improving customer retention | 3.95% |
| Increasing revenue | 22.60% |
| Increasing leads | 27.68% |
| Reaching new customers | 28.25% |
| Reducing marketing costs | 1.13% |
| Increasing brand awareness | 16.38% |
#3. What is the biggest obstacle for your digital marketing strategy?
Lack of budget, difficulty measuring ROI, and skills-related problems have been among the main obstacles cited for over five years.
| Lack of budget | 35.19% |
| Ineffective strategy | 9.26% |
| Difficulty measuring ROI | 14.81% |
| Lack of innovation and/or creativity | 4.32% |
| Increasing competition | 8.02% |
| Lack of training and/or experience | 10.49% |
| Difficulty finding qualified staff | 17.90% |
#4. What digital initiatives has your company undertaken recently to achieve the following objectives?
Social media, email campaigns, and SEO are the main tools used by companies in their digital marketing strategy. These tools are used to varying degrees depending on the business sector.
| Improving your reputation | Generating leads | Increasing your sales | Attracting new customers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1. Social media (20%) 2. Videos (17%) 3. Press releases (13%) | 1. Social media (15%) 2. SEO (14%) 3. Email campaigns, adwords (12%) | 1. Email campaigns (12.5%) 2. AdWords (12%) 3. SEO (11.5%) | 1. Social media (15.5%) 2. SEO (13%) 3. Email campaigns (11%) |
| ArchiExpo | 1. Press releases (18%) 2. Social media (17%) 3. Email campaigns (14%) | 1. Email campaigns (22%) 2. Social media (20%) 3. AdWords (14%) | 1. Email campaigns (21%) 2. SEO & display ads (15%) 3. Social media (12.5%) | 1. SEO (17%) 2. Social media (13%) 3. Email campaigns & AdWords (10%) |
| DirectIndustry | 1. Social media (21%) 2. Videos (18%) 3. Press releases (13%) | 1. SEO (17%) 2. Social media (13%) 3. Email campaigns & adwords (10%) | 1. Email campaigns & AdWords (16%) 2. SEO (12%) 3. Social media (10%) | 1. Social media (13%) 2. SEO & videos (12%) 3. Press releases (10%) |
| MedicalExpo | 1. Social media (24%) 2. Videos (14%) 3. Email campaigns (14%) | 1. Email campaigns & adwords (16%) 2. SEO (12%) 3. Social media (10%) | 1. AdWords (15.5%) 2. Videos (13%) 3. SEO, social media, display ads (11%) | 1. Social media (19%) 2. SEO (14%) 3. Email campaigns (13%) |
| NauticExpo | 1. Social media (23%) 2. Videos (11%) | 1. AdWords (17%) 2. SEO & social media (14%) | 1. Social media (19%) 2. Email campaigns (14%) | 1. Social media (24%) 2. Email campaigns (17%) |
#5. What form of social media do you use the most in your digital marketing strategy?
Overall, LinkedIn is the most used social media platform by companies, with 80% of companies in the industrial sector that use it. 41% of ArchiExpo companies mainly use Instagram and LinkedIn.
#6. In 2022, what strategies do you:
| Prioritize in your budget | Judge to be the most effective | |
|---|---|---|
| All | 1. Social media (16%) 2. Email campaigns (13.5%) 3. SEO (13%) | 1. Social media (18%) 2. Email campaigns (16%) 3. SEO (14%) |
| ArchiExpo | 1. Social media (18%) 2. SEO (16%) 3. Display advertising (15%) | 1. Email campaigns (25.5%) 2. Social media (21%) 3. SEO (17%) |
| DirectIndustry | 1. Social media (14.5%) 2. AdWords (14%) 3. SEO (13.5%) | 1. Social media (18%) 2. SEO (14%) 3. Email campaigns |
| MedicalExpo | 1. Social media (17%) 2. Email campaigns (16%) 3. Display advertising (10.5%) | 1. Email campaigns, social media (16%) 2. SEO, videos (14%) |
| NauticExpo | 1. Email campaigns (17.5%) 2. SEO (15%) | 1. Email campaigns (25%) 2. SEO, social media (14%) |
#7. Which digital initiatives will be your priority moving forward?
This year, and for more than five years, social media, email campaigns, and SEO have been among the top three priorities for B2B companies.
| Email campaigns | 13.53% |
| SEO | 13.29% |
| Social media | 15.70% |
| Press releases | 7.00% |
| Display advertising | 10.14% |
| Live chat | 3.86% |
| AdWords (Google Ads) | 12.80% |
| Google Shopping | 1.21% |
| Videos | 10.14% |
| Blogs | 2.90% |
| Partnerships | 4.11% |
| Webinars | 1.45% |
| Chatbot | 0.48% |
| LIve chat | 1.93% |
| None of the above | 1.45% |
#8. Digital marketing budget status:
Nearly two out of five companies have increased their budget for their digital marketing strategy.
How important is artificial intelligence to your company?
For most companies, artificial intelligence is not so important, or even not important at all. This is particularly true for those in the industrial sector, where 74% responded that they are not interested in AI tools. However, 52% of companies from the architectural industry responded that they think artificial intelligence is important or very important.
What does your company use AI for?
| To simplify complicated, repetitive tasks | 19.32% |
| To improve efficiency and cut costs | 18.18% |
| To offer tools for new services | 9.09% |
| To analyze and exploit data | 20.45% |
| To optimize marketing campaigns and targeted displays | 22.73% |
| To improve customer relationships | 10.23% |
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the effectiveness of your AI tools?
According to one-third of companies, AI tools have been moderately effective.
The survey outcomes reveal that digital marketing initiatives featuring social media, email campaigns, and SEO continues to play a pivotal role in forming a company's marketing strategy. Despite the majority not yet fully embracing artificial intelligence tools, there's a clear interest for AI in the architecture industry segment. As the digital marketing environment continues to evolve, the insights from this survey can serve as valuable markers to help companies in their marketing trajectory, making crucial decisions, and remaining adaptable to fast-paced trends.
