A new study has revealed that obtaining new subscribers is one of the hardest tasks facing marketing firms.Getting new subscribers is the biggest challenge facing lead generation marketers at the moment, according to a new study.

The latest Marketing Sherpa ContentBiz survey found that the majority of professionals working in a variety of marketing sectors all listed sign-up acquisition as the most testing part of their jobs, followed by retention, competition from free information sources and managing operating margins.

Other challenges cited included competition from other paid media, new product development and dealing with online technology systems.

Recruiting good employees and keeping them at the company was the least pressing concern on average.

This is despite a recent suggestion from the Chartered Institute of Marketing that it is crucial that companies have properly trained marketers among their work force in order for lead generation strategies to be successful.

Commenting on the survey, Marketing Sherpa stated that one of the most "striking" results was that offline business-to-business marketers felt under greater threat from free sources than any other segment.

"The proliferation of blogs and social media has introduced hundreds of 'expert voices' to virtually every niche of publishing. Consultants and thought leaders from related businesses have found these media to be effective channels for branding," the website explained.

Written by Julian Poulter and Copyright "Selling People 2009"