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The folks at Adobe
came out with their annual Digital Marketing Optimization survey and I finally got around to spending a little time going through it. The results are kind of troubling to me. You can get a copy of it here (registration required) to see for yourself. The gist of the survey is to ascertain how well marketers are using the data available to them to optimize what they’re doing in digital media. For example, one thing I usually tell my clients is low-hanging fruit is to optimize content and marketing around on-site search – what your users are typing into the “search” box on your site. It’s a great indicator of content that’s either missing or not presented in a way that’s obvious to your user. 34% of site visitors use site search first (according to the study) yet fewer than 50% of respondents are optimizing on-site search results. Hmm…
Here are a few other findings that make me want to scratch my head:
- More than 50% cited testing was not a company priority
- Marketers spend $92 per user to acquire traffic yet only $1 to optimize it.
- Landing pages (41%), home pages (33%), and paid search (29%) are the top areas in which marketers are conducting online tests. 38% are not conducting any.
- Social sharing was only chosen by 9% of respondents for optimization even though there is other research that shows how social sharing can play a big role in conversions (especially for online commerce).
If I spent $92 to get you to my site I’d do everything I could to get you to stay! Here are the study’s top 5 recommendations:
- Prioritize optimization across your organization as a strategic process
- Use a data-driven approach to optimization
- Optimize conversion with video
- Optimize social engagement
- Optimize for all mobile channels
All of which is pretty good advice (but not always so easy to do!). In other words, commit to refining digital as you might your “real” product – ascertain what’s working based on data and commit to making it better every day.
Consult Keith 
As an employee for an SEO based web design company, I have seen, first hand, the effects of a well planned search engine optimization campaign. While four of the study’s recommendations are worthwhile endeavors, I feel that, unless it’s well done, videos (live or animation) can bog down or cause trouble for a company, especially if it’s corny or cheaply produced. However, the four other points Adobe’s study reports have been techniques we’ve sharpened and perfected since 1996. As always, the best first step towards significant digital marketing optimization is research. Without knowledge of the environment surrounding your business (especially online), progression and expansion of your business can be hindered greatly.