by 
By Aimee Pagano
Interactive marketing is trending right in line as it was forecasted seven years ago. In 2009, Flair Interactive posted the blog, Interactive Marketing Has 
Finally Come of Age. The blog cites an article by Forrester Research who forecasted that digital spending would nearly double in five years while ad budgets would decline. In fact, its exact predicted growth was a 9% increase in five years (from 12% of overall advertising spend in 2009 to 21% overall spend in 2016).
So, based on Forrester Research’s prediction, let’s get a pulse of where we’re at as we enter 2017:
Overall Marketing Spend
- Digital marketing spending is predicted to grow 12% in the next year, while budgets for traditional advertising will fall to 2%. (The CMO Survey)
- B2B digital ad spending has increased 15% to $5.8 billion in 2014 — due largely to growth in native advertising, while display advertising is becoming less important. (MediaPost)
Content Marketing
- 93% of B2B companies say content marketing generates more leads than traditional marketing strategies (Forbes)
- 88% of B2B companies use content marketing. (Forbes)
Email Marketing
- 59% of B2B marketers say email is the most effective channel for generating revenue. (BtoB Magazine)
- It is expected that by 2017, the number of emails sent daily will reach approximately 297 billion. (The Wonder of Tech)
Marketing Automation
- B2B marketers who implement marketing automation software see their contribution to the sales pipeline increased by an average of 10%. (Iconsive)
- 63% of companies that are growing faster than their competitors use marketing automation. (Iconsive)
Social Media
- 76% of B2B technology marketers use social media to market their products. (MarketingProfs)
- When making a purchase, 75% of B2B buyers use social media for their decision-making. (International Data Corporation)
We’ve presumably not only met that 9% but exceeded it in 2016, with predictions of even more growth on the near horizon. Is your organization in line with today’s digital marketplace? Do you need help developing and implementing your digital marketing strategy for the year? Contact us today or sign up for our pay-as-you-go marketing support hours and we can start building your plan tomorrow!
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