Almost half of marketers are expecting the economy to recover during the remainder of 2009.The majority of business-to-business (B2B) marketers are confident that the economy and their business outlook will improve over the course of 2009, a new survey has revealed.

Marketing Sherpa's 2009-10 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report showed that almost half (47 per cent) of the 2,638 experts questioned are expecting the present financial situation to brighten as the year goes on, something that may be welcomed by those currently carrying out lead generation.

A further 32 per cent predicted that the economy will remain unchanged leading up to 2010, while 16 per cent were pessimistic and expected a further decline and five per cent were unsure.

Noting that the marketing sector "has the most to gain" from an improvement in the financial situation, Marketing Sherpa stated that it is "not surprising" that many firms involved in lead generation are monitoring the "economic barometer".

"The expectation of better days ahead will mean a change in marketing objectives and the strategies required to achieve them for 2010," the report noted, adding many organisations will have to take what they have learned about operating on a limited budget and use these tactics in the future.

Recent research by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that online search is increasing in Europe, with 2008 seeing year-on-year growth of 26 per cent.

Written by Julian Poulter and Copyright "Selling People 2009"