New Study Shows 45% of Search Marketing Campaigns are Isolated from Offline Efforts

By Andy Beal on August 4, 2008

New Study Shows 45% of Search Marketing Campaigns are Isolated from Offline Efforts

New research from iProspect and JupiterResearch reveals that 45% of search marketing campaigns aren’t integrated with offline marketing efforts.

In fact, the study finds that just over half of search engine marketers (55%) intentionally integrate their efforts with at least one offline marketing channel. Specifically, that integration most often takes place with direct mail (34%) and magazine/newspaper advertising (29%), while both television (12%) and radio advertising (12%) trail behind.

It seems to me that 55% is a healthy number. Search marketing is only just finding a dedicated place in the marketing budgets of companies, so it’s still early days, when it comes to blending SEM with other channels. iProspect suggests a few reasons why more campaigns aren’t integrated:

lack of budget (19%)
lack of human resources (15%)
not considered (13%)
lack of senior management buy-in (11%)
separate people managing search marketing and offline channels (11%)

Another reason the number isn’t greater than 55%? It could be that iProspect’s study reveals 24% of companies aren’t doing ANY offline marketing. That makes it kind of hard to integrate, doesn’t it?

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16 comments on “New Study Shows 45% of Search Marketing Campaigns are Isolated from Offline Efforts”

Beta Design Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 6:59 am

Too true! And yet how effective a campaign can be when the two complement eachother!
Nicole Price Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 8:43 am

Could it also be that the two are distinctly different channels and need not be integrated at all?

Nicole Price’s last blog post..Custom T-shirts
Fifty Studio Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 11:10 am

The premise of this research seems like more of a branding issue.
G5 Search Marketing » Blog Archive » Don’t Isolate Your Online Marketing Campaign Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

[...] Beal at the Marketing Pilgrim alerted us to some new research from iProspect and Jupiter Research. It showed 45% of search [...]
Utah SEO Pro Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

I see this in corporations due largely to departmentalization and one hand not talking to the other.

Utah SEO Pro’s last blog post..Mobile SEO – SMX Local Mobile 2008 Presentation
Tiffany Says:

August 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pm

Offline markting tools are still important because there many places have not yet been reached by the internet. However slow but sure, they will move to full online marketing.
Search Engine News » New Study Shows 45% of Search Marketing Campaigns are Isolated from Offline Efforts Says:

August 5th, 2008 at 7:04 am

[...] More from www.marketingpilgrim.com… [...]
Erik Says:

August 5th, 2008 at 7:48 am

Definitely interesting research. It seems as though it takes something totally different to make a user take action (click) than it does to create brand awareness. Sooner or later, once the internet is fully integrated into everything we do, these two concepts will merge.

Erik’s last blog post..WordPress User Video Upload Script as a PHP Consultant
Lisa Says:

August 5th, 2008 at 11:43 am

Nicole says “Could it also be that the two are distinctly different channels and need not be integrated at all?”

This is mistake that many small businesses and even large corporations make. Keeping ALL marketing efforts integrated is essential for any organization.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to develop an Integrated Marketing Plan (IMP) which incorporates the efforts of everything from direct marketing to viral marketing to SEM to internet marketing, etc. However research and development of an IMP can also be outsourced while execution of the IMP can remain in-house. [link removed]
Symbian Says:

August 8th, 2008 at 4:24 am

This part of advertisers represents trully online business.

Symbian’s last blog post..Nokia Chat – new location based messenger
Las Vegas SEO Says:

August 17th, 2008 at 12:28 am

That figure doesn’t surprise me. It is a fact most Internet Marketing companies limit their business and services to search engines. There is so many other profit centers a business can take advantage of and in SEM particularly there are there are excellent advantages to integrating your offline efforts.

Las Vegas SEO’s last blog post..Computer Repair Las Vegas
PromoInteractive » Blog Archive » Marketers Missing the Online-Offline Connection Says:

August 19th, 2008 at 9:50 am

[...] sees the search-integration glass as half-full. “It seems to me that 55% is a healthy number,” he writes in the blog “Marketing Pilgrim”. “Search marketing is only just finding a dedicated [...]
Advertising News Catch-Up: 8/28/08 « This Marketing Life Says:

August 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm

[...] failure that run from budget problems to lack of personnel resources, 45% of search marketers still aren’t able to integrate their online efforts with other media campaigns. Of the 55% that do run integrated campaigns, 34% [...]
Prvi dokazi online advertising “autizma” | Dragan Varagic Weblog Says:

September 5th, 2008 at 4:55 am

[...] iProspect je nedavno objavio studiju u saradnji sa kompanijom Jupiter Reasearch po kojoj 45 odsto osoba koje se bave Search Marketingom ne radi koordinaciju reklamnih kampanja putem pretraživača (SEM) sa offline advertajzing aktivnostima. [...]
Internet Marketing Says:

November 11th, 2008 at 1:00 am

This blog Is very informative , I am really pleased to post my comment on this blog . It helped me with ocean of knowledge so I really belive you will do much better in the future . Good job web master .

Internet Marketing’s last blog post..Networking
Vertical Insight Says:

November 11th, 2008 at 8:07 am

There is education involved when assisting SME’s with marketing. That’s a given.

Companies like Vertical Insight have to educate their prospects and clients on even basics like who their target market is. If you don’t know or have a focused “who,” you certainly don’t know how to reach them.

Thus, having all marketing efforts synergize by having an Integrated Marketing Plan tends to be over the heads of many small bus. owners. It’s our job as marketing professionals to keep educating them (at their pace of course). And sometimes, when we find those who refuse to take our advice . . . they have to fall on their faces before they realize that their best interests were at heart to begin with.

Marketing Pilgrim