Yikes. It was well over a month ago that I posted a link to my third sorta-semi-annual online marketing survey. I never got around to posting the results. Till now.

Sixty professionals responded to survey one and 55 responded to survey two. This time around, 26 online marketers responded, so the margin of error continues to be plus or minus 100% and are as follows:

You’ve been professionally involved in marketing / advertising for how many years?
Mean: 13.4 / Median: 12 / Mode: more than 25
(Five respondents have experience of 25 years or more.)

You’ve been professionally involved in online marketing for how many years?
Mean: 5.8 / Median: 5 / Mode: 5
(Four respondents claimed more than 10 years each)

What online marketing tactics have you personally set up and implemented? (Do not choose tactics that you’ve had others implement for you.)
68.2% Search Engine Keyword Ads
54.6% Email Marketing (html)
54.6% Blog Writing
50.0% Email Marketing (text)
50.0% Banner Ads
50.0% Email Newsletter Ads
45.5% SEO Techniques
40.9% Viral Campaigns
40.9% Affiliate Marketing
36.4% Online Sweepstakes
27.3% Third-Party Email Lists
27.3% Rich Media Ads
22.7% Online Coupons
22.7% Blog Ads
18.2% Ad Network Campaigns
18.2% Search Engine Banner Ads
13.6% Optimized Press Releases
(Keyword advertising jumped from the number-four spot to the number-one spot while optimized press releases jumps to the bottom of the list. Email marketing, previously a clear one-two punch in both previous surveys, slips to a two-four split.)

If you had limited resources for online marketing, where would you focus those resources? (Respondents were asked to choose only three.)
40.9% SEO Techniques
40.9% Viral Campaigns
27.3% Email Marketing (html)
27.3% Search Engine Keyword Ads
22.7% Blog Writing
22.7% Optimized Press Releases
18.2% Email Marketing (text)
18.2% Email Newsletter Ads
18.2% Search Engine Banner Ads
18.2% Affiliate Marketing
13.6% Rich Media Ads
9.1% Blog Ads
9.1% Banner Ads
9.1% Third-Party Email Lists
9.1% Ad Network Campaigns
4.6% Online Sweepstakes
4.6% Online Coupons
(SEO techniques remains in the top spot from last time, but barely: viral campaigns move into a tie for first. Ad network campaigns, which received the big zero last time out, picked up a coupla votes this time around.)

If you had unlimited resources for online marketing, which tactics would you still avoid? (Respondents were asked to choose only three.)
55.0% Third Party Email Lists
35.0% Online Sweepstakes
35.5% Blog Ads
30.0% Online Coupons
20.0% Viral Campaigns
15.0% Banner Ads
15.0% Email Marketing (text)
15.0% Search Engine Banner Ads
15.0% Optimized Press Releases
10.0% Search Engine Keyword Ads
10.0% Ad Network Campaigns
10.0% Affiliate Marketing
5.0% Email Newsletter Ads
5.0% Blog Writing
5.0% SEO Techniques
0.0% Rich Media Ads
0.0% Email Marketing (html)
(Once again, third-party email lists are clearly the way to waste money in the online marketing world. Interesting that 20 percent of respondents would avoid viral campaigns, the tactic that tied for first in the previous question. And in the grand scheme of tactics, I think respondents are missing the boat on blog ads; I’ve personally had great success with them.)

Tune in tomorrow for the qualitative wisdom portion of our program, answers to the question: “Want to add your $.02 about any aspect of online marketing?”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Internet Stuff, Marketing Stuff.