Survey: Marketers Plan Ahead to Improve Integration of Search and Social Advertising

When it comes to integrating search and social advertising tactics, new research suggests that many marketers now plan ahead to increase their chances of seeing a return on investment.

Ascend2 recently conducted the “Search and Social Advertising Strategy Survey” to gauge how marketers are utilizing search and social advertising to achieve their top marketing objectives. According to the survey, the majority of respondents (59 percent) said that their number one priority for an integrated search and social advertising strategy is to develop a more effective strategy.

“Failing to plan is planning to fail,” wrote the survey researchers. “That’s why ‘developing a more effective strategy’ to integrate search and social advertising practices is a top priority for 59% of marketing influencers.”

To improve the effectiveness of their strategies, the majority of marketers (45 percent) say they retarget and remarket. Forty-four percent credit data-driven personalization with improving their search and social advertising performance, while 39 percent cite search-friendly social ads. However, 41 percent of marketers named data-driven personalization among the most challenging of tactics to execute.

Marketing and Retargeting with First-Party Data

When it comes to retargeting, first-party data continues to prove valuable for marketers, according to recent research.

Earlier this year, Katana published results from a survey of B2B marketers to determine how their use of data was helping them achieve their primary goals. Their research revealed that 80 percent of B2B marketers now collect and incorporate first-party data into their marketing efforts, and typically, 88 percent use it for retargeting purposes.

For their general digital marketing efforts, 28 percent of marketers said they leverage first-party data across all channels.