Even though 92 percent of the marketers surveyed said they use short articles or posts, only 43 percent said it was most effective. In the survey, 76 percent said they used video content.
The survey covered lots of topics, but here are a few things I thought would interest small business owners and solopreneurs whose responsibilities include more than just marketing:
89 percent of those surveyed said they use organic (unpaid) social media to distribute content. Other popular distribution channels were blogs on company websites (84 percent), email newsletters (71 percent), in-person events (55 percent), and webinars (also 55 percent).
Although not used as often, the surveyed marketers ranked as most effective in-person events (52 percent) and webinars (51 percent). Despite their popularity, just 42 percent of respondents said organic social media was most effective.
Most of the B2B marketers (84 percent) said they used paid channels. It broke down this way: 73 percent said they used paid social media ads or promoted posts; 64 percent said they used pay-per-click search engine marketing like Google Ads or Microsoft Ads; 62 percent used digital display ads; and 62 percent used sponsorships.
They said search engine marketing was most effective (62 percent), followed by social media advertising (49 percent) and sponsorships (48 percent).
There wasn’t much change in these percentages compared with last year’s survey, but the information might help you choose something new for your marketing in 2025.
For example, can you create an event that would draw potential customers or clients? It might be as simple as an open house or seminar you sponsor with a local chamber of commerce.
The survey provided no consensus definition of "effective." The survey included marketers from businesses with less than 10 employees and more than 1,000, so that definition is sure to be different depending on size and company goals.
And finally, when it comes to digital marketing, there’s a lot to be said for focusing on one or two channels you’re most comfortable using and those your customers are using.
Free Marketing Tools: Trello
If you’re still using spreadsheets, word processing software and hand-written notes to manage your business, try Trello, a free project management tool.
There’s a little bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you can use Trello as a planner, a calendar, and a customer support system.
The tool comes with dozens of templates for business planning, class planning, managing sales leads, website and software development, content marketing schedules, and even personal meal planning and household budgeting.
You don’t have to follow a template. You can arrange and manage the tool in whatever way makes the most sense for you.
To be honest, I haven’t used it for a couple of years, but now that I’m writing about it, I may have to take another look.
The next newsletter arrives Nov. 5, Election Day, which means the onslaught of election TV commercials and mailed flyers will cease for a while. We’ll know at least one winner by then. The World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers will start later this week. It’s the 12th time those two have met in the Series, but the first time since 1981.
If you haven’t figured out your Halloween costume or what treats you’re planning to give the little goblins, time’s a wastin’.
And be prepared to gain an hour of sleep on Sunday, Nov. 3, when daylight savings time comes to an end.
Until next time, be grateful. Be generous. Be patient. Love.
Thanks for spending some of your time with me, . I appreciate you.
Mark
P.S. - This newsletter was 100 percent created by me, a human.
P.P.S. - Some links in this email might be affiliate links, which could generate small commissions for me at no extra cost to you.
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