According to the survey, 50% of UK businesses think that marketing has changed more in the past 2 years than it has in the past 50.
Digital marketing is one of the fastest changing industries in the UK. With recession looming and the suggestion of uncertainty as 2023 approaches, it’s more important than ever to understand how small businesses are planning to navigate the upcoming year, says LOCALiQ.
During the summer of 2022, LOCALiQ conducted a nationwide business survey to gain a better understanding of the state of digital marketing in the UK.
The UK-wide survey offers insights from over 300 SMBs, with questions covering the use and adoption of marketing technology, outsourcing and inclination to work with agencies, and the challenges faced within their organisations.
Reducing costs ranked last in the list of priorities for marketers this year, showing that more and more businesses are recognising marketing as a worthy area for investment and not an area for cost-cutting.
Top of the list of internal challenges was gaps in knowledge and skill sets, showing that marketers are keen to learn in order to ensure they keep up with the changing world of marketing.
The report reveals that marketing is becoming increasingly integrated with the wider business infrastructure, as those who don’t directly hold marketing roles work to ensure a unified voice is present across all departments.
"This first ever State of Digital Marketing Report from LOCALiQ helps businesses in the more than 200 local communities we work with, understand how their peers are navigating the ever-changing digital landscape,” Nikki Broxup, Marketing Director, LOCALiQ.
In addition to discovering 50% of UK businesses think that marketing has overwhelmingly changed in the past 2 years, the report also found:
- 70% of businesses struggle to keep up with changing technologies within the marketing industry
- 46% prefer to outsource marketing, including websites, SEO and digital advertising, and a quarter plan to outsource more in 2023
- 64% of businesses are using social media as part of their marketing strategy, even though almost half said they felt they needed more training in social media
The report can be downloaded here.
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
