Nearly 75% Of UK Firms To Hike Investments In Digital Marketing Technology In 2013

According to a new study published this week, the share of UK companies which are planning to spend more on digital marketing technology in 2013 has slipped to 71% from 74% the previous year. Despite the slight decline, the significant number of organisations willing to invest in digital implies that they continue to focus on individual interactions and experiences in a drive to establish long-term relationships rather than short-term transactions.

Only 3% of the 800 companies polled by Econsultancy, in association with Responsys, said that they intend to curtail investments in digital technology, while 20% stated that they would invest more in offline technology.

The report also showed that more than two-thirds of UK firms ensure over 50% of their revenues from digital marketing spend.

When asked about the type of digital marketing tools they plan to invest in, 46% of the companies said they would concentrate on web analytics. About 45% plan to boost spending on customer relationship management (CRM) and 41% will look to spend more on content management systems. According to Econsultancy, companies’ orientation towards analytics and CRM systems implies that verifying and managing data is still what troubles marketers the most when devising their marketing strategies.

Social media management systems, e-mail platforms and paid search/bid management are also amongst the areas that will see higher investments this year.

Boosting digital technology expertise comes along with cultivating the right talent. Half of the companies participating in the poll said that they plan to expand their digital marketing teams throughout the year, against 56% in 2012.