Online Marketing: Hawke's Bay businesses ahead of the game

Hawke’s Bay Businesses Expect to Significantly Increase Their Online Marketing Activity And Spend

Over 62% of Hawke’s Bay businesses project their online marketing spend will make up more than 50% of their total marketing budget within two years. This will be a significant jump given that 44% of respondents currently only allocate 10% or less of their markeitng budget to the online space.

140 Hawke’s Bay businesses took part in a survey which was conducted by Havelock North based digital strategists Mogul, to gain a better insight into the perception and use of online marketing by businesses in the region.

Mogul co-founder Matthew Miller, said the survey findings confirm trends that have emerged over the previous two years. “More and more businesses are discovering the power of online marketing tools such e-newsletters, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to develop direct relationships with customers and enhance brand reputation.

“The team at Mogul are really encouraged to see the high level of online activity from businesses in Hawke’s Bay. Compared to New Zealand as a whole we appear to be early adopters - which bodes well for our competitiveness as a region. 91% of respondents have a corporate website, well above the national average of 34% and an indication that those who participated in the research comprise a more tech-savvy segment,” said Matthew.

Other findings from the survey included:

55% of respondents send out email newsletters
37% have a corporate Facebook page
25% a corporate blog
24% a corporate Twitter account.

Respondents indicate that use of email newsletters, corporate blogs, corporate Facebook pages and Twitter accounts will increase by between 30% and 47% over the next twelve months. This appears to be driven by the perceived ability of online marketing to build and maintain relationships more effectively than traditional marketing tools. In addition, more than half of respondents feel that online marketing will be the most important factor in growing their organisation.

“Although the survey shows that businesses in the Bay are adopting online marketing tools, 88% of respondents feel that Hawke’s Bay businesses are failing to use these relatively unfamiliar tools to their full potential. It’s Mogul’s mission to ensure that Hawke’s Bay punches above its weight in the digital arena, and we are excited that the survey indicates that local businesses are on board and ready to up skill,” said Matthew.

ENdS

© Scoop Media