This week the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) released its 11th annual State of Search report. The organization surveyed hundreds of professionals in the search marketing industry, including independent consultants, digital marketing agency employees, and in-house marketers.
“The survey is a continuation of SEMPO’s annual tracking of digital marketing trends including Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Advertising, Social Media Marketing and other digital channels,” SEMPO explained in an online release. You can download the report here.
Unsurprisingly, search engine advertising continues to be the most commonly employed form of digital marketing. The vast majority of internet users still turn to search engines for information on products, services and brands, and until that reality changes, search engine marketing will continue to dominate. Well over 90 per cent of survey respondents said they engaged in search marketing efforts, and most said they spent more money with Google in 2016 than 2015.
Despite search’s continued prominence, the digital marketing industry – and every digital marketing agency that works within it – is experiencing fluctuations. Advertising on social media, for instance, is growing at a faster rate than search, the report states. Around 76 per cent of independent consultants and digital marketing agencies advertised on social media last year, in addition to slightly less than 70 per cent of in-house marketers. Both groups reported year-over-year increases in social media marketing activity.
Companies hoping to incorporate more social media into their digital marketing programs are likely to face some challenges, though. Agencies and consultants had difficulty securing budget for social media efforts, while client-side marketers had difficulty measuring and reporting return on investment.
As a Premier Google Partner All-Star Digital Marketing Agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media is proficient in all areas of search engine marketing and has established an effective, engaging social media marketing process that will get your company noticed.
