Generating content for social media and measuring the impact of email marketing are two areas where brands are struggling, according to the annual State of Search marketing report published by SEMPO.
The 12th annual edition of the popular survey polled 300 respondents in a range of sectors and job roles to determine the latest trends for both marketers and agencies. The key takeaway is that analytics and gleaning insights from data continue to be a major challenge for brands.
Working with third-party agencies can help marketers to drive better return on investment from their content campaigns, but organic and paid search and paid social are three blind spots that remain for brands. The study found that measuring ROI in these areas is now significantly more challenging.
Generating content, another area where agencies can offer support and assistance, is also an issue for marketers, especially on social. In terms of more traditional marketing formats, email is both less popular and more challenging when it comes to determining ROI. In contrast, paid social is on the rise.
SEMPO’s survey also noted a few key findings for agencies. Facebook continues to be a leading social channel for investment alongside Instagram and YouTube, but B2B paid social is more closely affiliated with LinkedIn and Twitter. Amazon is also becoming a “search engine” of sorts for agencies.
Voice search is emerging as a new outlet for creative content and SEO strategies, and agencies are placing a greater focus in this area compared to marketers. Finally, agencies are also pivoting towards paid channels as organic search and social marketing take a back seat.
