A recently released report from iProspect, conducted by JupiterResearch, reveals that 45% of search engine marketers do not integrate their search marketing efforts with offline channels, in turn uncovering a disconnect between search engine marketer strategies and user behavior. Among the findings:
• 55% of search engine marketers intentionally integrate their efforts with at least one offline marketing channel;
• That integration most often involves direct mail (34%) and magazine/newspaper advertising (29%);
• The two integration techniques most frequently used by search engine marketers are prominently including the company Web address and company name in offline initiatives, at 84% and 66%, respectively;
• Only 26% of marketers use the same keywords in offline campaigns that are used in search marketing campaigns; and,
• 24% of companies do not participate in offline marketing at all.
These findings can be compared to the August 2007 iProspect Offline Influence on Online Search Behavior study, which found that:
• 67% of search engine users were driven to search by an offline channel, and 39% of those offline-influenced search users ultimately made a purchase from the company that prompted their initial search; and,
• Television advertising was the leading offline channel that drove users to search at 37%, compared to this year’s finding that only 12% of search engine marketers integrate TV advertising into their efforts.
This year’s study also revealed that the current lack 8of integration can be attributed to a number of factors, including:
• Lack of budget (19%);
• Lack of human resources (15%);
• Not considered (13%);
• Lack of senior management buy-in; and,
• Separate people managing search marketing and offline channels (11%).
Source: iProspect & JupiterResearc