Tech execs are hot on search, cool on blogs
26-03-2008
by Deirdre McArdle
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).
