There is a constant stream of information regarding current trends in PR and marketing, but how much of it is actually true? Vocus recently commissioned a research firm to study how business professionals interact with new media technologies in order to determine the state of marketing. The study, “The State of Marketing 2014,” supported some digital trends and found that others simply stemmed from independent personal experiences and were myths.

Below are some of the marketing myths the study pointed out:

  1. Everyone has a content marketing strategy. Though content marketing is being used, it is far from a universal tactic. The Vocus study found that only sixty percent of marketers have a content marketing strategy and only nineteen percent are considering implementing one.
  2. Marketing automation is too difficult to implement. Many professionals have heard that marketing automation is too complex, expensive, or time consuming to utilize. If you look at the results of marketing automation, however, they include improved sales conversion, enhanced targeting, and increased lead generation. Though many fear this method is too costly, only thirty-seven percent of those who use it cite marketing automation as a budgeting challenge.
  3. PR Practitioners have fully adapted to new digital tactics. Current online marketing tactics include social media promotion, owned content, and native advertising, but PR professionals are not using all these tools. This study determined that only fifty-three percent use content marketing and only forty-nine percent use search engine marketing.
  4. Social media professionals aren’t concerned with ROI. It is simply untrue that social media experts only use measures such as likes and retweets to measure success. About thirty-two percent say that it is important to measure revenue per customer to determine success.

Individuals involved in the marketing field hear constantly about current trends increasing in dominance such as content marketing and blogging when some of this information is simply myth, according to Vocus. The Vocus study puts into perspective which trends are really on the rise.

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with a PR, marketing or social media campaign, contact Scott Public Relations.

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