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Tech execs are hot on search, cool on blogs
Wednesday, March 26 2008
by Charlie Taylor


Four out of five tech firms have named search as the most
important development in marketing over the past 10 years,
while blogs failed to make the same impact. 

That's according to a survey conducted by Eurocom Worldwide
in association with Simpson Financial and Technology PR in
Dublin. The survey quizzed 350 senior technology executives
in companies around the world. Seventy-nine percent
highlighted the positive impact search engine marketing has
had on their overall communications strategies. 



While search engine marketing is regarded as a key investment
for tech companies, corporate blogging doesn't quite have the
same appeal. Just one in three respondents said they or their
company have a blog, with 47 percent saying they do not blog.
Around 16 percent said they plan on developing a blog in the
next year. 



Of those who blog, 50 percent do so in order to improve their
interaction with either the public or their customers.
Twenty-one percent blog to participate in industry debate and
issues, 19 percent do so to raise their profiles and 10
percent to boost search engine optimisation (SEO). On the
flip side, 42 percent of those who don't blog said they don't
see the value in the practice, with 32 percent saying they
simply don't have the time. 



"Corporate blogging requires a major time dedication and
resource as well as a commitment to transparency which may
not sit well with many traditional corporates," said Ronnie
Simpson of Simpson FT PR. "However, its value in terms of
search engine optimisation and interaction with the public is
potentially enormous."



In other findings, three out of five respondents (59 percent)
said they expect their company to boost spending on online
advertising in 2008. Meanwhile, internet marketing is rated
as the best value for money in the marketing communications
mix, according to 43 percent of respondents. This comes just
ahead of public relations (42 percent) and well ahead of
traditional technology industry marketing methods such as
trade shows and exhibitions (13 percent).