Proven Digital Media Still Commands Marketing Budgets

Although innovation and spending on new technology are critical pieces of the marketing growth puzzle, marketers face challenges proving the value of some newer techniques such as influencer marketing. For many CMOs in 2018 who need to deliver — and show — results, email and other digital stalwarts comprise a significant portion of their marketing budgets because they work.

According to the Gartner CMO Spend Survey 2018-19, three tried-and-true digital media categories — paid and organic search, website and email — represent 25% of the average marketing expense budget.

Marketers continue to invest in these digital workhorses because they still work and are easy to measure. These proven channels are dependable and relatively cost-effective — and organizations can usually find the skills to fuel such marketing initiatives.

Reassess your go-to channels on a more frequent basis. After years of investing in proven channels such as paid search and email, you’ll likely find opportunities to optimize them. With marketing technologies and consumer behaviors in constant flux, marketing leaders must frequently audit and refresh proven channel strategies to ensure investments are used efficiently.