Econsultancy is a community where the world’s digital marketing and ecommerce professionals meet to sharpen their strategy, source suppliers, get quick answers, compare notes, help each other out and discover how to do everything better online. As members of the Econsultancy, we participate in a number of industry surveys that set to heighten our understanding of the trends and best practices within our industry.

The latest report we took part in assessed the status of cross-channel marketing in the UK, and we thought we’d share our take on the findings with you.

Get best value from marketing channels with an integrated strategy

Simon Robinson, senior director of marketing and alliances for Oracle Marketing Cloud, states that ‘the best way to get value from a mix of digital channels is to use them in combination as part of an integrated strategy to deliver personalised content in context’. The report shows that many companies agree with this notion, as the majority of companies are attempting to consolidate marketing efforts.

However, whilst 67% believe such integration is a priority, a disparity remains between those who actively pursue combining channels, and those that do not, with only 43% saying that they completely ‘understand customer journeys and adapt accordingly’. This is complimented by only a small proportion of companies having cross-channel teams, and even fewer having investigated the financial implications of conducting such marketing. According to the report, the most significant reason for this is a lack of resources, spending too much time on design/content and strategy. This means that the companies that are prepared for market orchestration are in the minority, being only 7%, and as such few companies are able to deliver an effective ‘individualised customer experience’.

Marketing spend on Mobile is expected to rise by 60%, with social as a priority channel for 36% of surveyed companies

The report’s findings also show that digital marketing continues to increase, with a concentration placed upon SEO, website, email and social media. Whilst social media is seen as a priority for the next year by 36% of companies, it has seen an overall decrease in the past year, changing the focus to other digital methods. Traditional media have also seen a decline with television and newspapers reducing by five and seven percent respectively. Mobile marketing, on the other hand, is expected to see an enormous rise having gone up by 60% from 2013. Companies believe that mobile marketing may be the secret behind retaining customers, which as seen as more important this year than last, thus the transition to digital continues.

Visit Econsultancy for more information on the Econsultancy Cross-Channel Marketing Report 2014.