Survey: Digital Marketing Continues to Payoff Big for Majority of Companies

As marketers continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests that they are now seeing a big payout from investing in digital marketing initiatives.

The results of February 2021 edition of The CMO Survey were recently published, and statistics showed that when marketers were asked to rank the degree at which digital marketing has contributed to their company’s performance over the last year (1-7 scale, 7 being the highest), the majority (32.5%) responded with 7. The median was 5.5, suggesting that overall, marketers are now utilizing digital marketing tactics on a regular basis.

Respondents were also asked to rate their company’s digital marketing knowledge and skills on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most knowledgeable, compared to one year ago. On average, they gave their teams a rating of 6.6, which was higher than the 5.2 average measured in the 12 months prior.

Making Marketing Changes for the Long Haul

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way that marketers do business, and previous research indicates that these alterations may be here to stay.

The Harris Poll and OpenX conducted “The New Normal: Marketing in 2020 and Beyond,” and statistics showed that 74% of marketers have made strategy changes during the pandemic that they intend to keep for the long haul.

Nearly 56% stated explicitly that they will continue to focus on digital channels. Approximately 46% will keep the changes they have made to their media mix, while 28% expect to continue spending less money than they did before COVID-19.